Humanitarian action has changed drastically in the past decades. While the drivers of poverty and crises have evolved, the sector has matured, built evidence based on successful interventions, and developed best practices. This has resulted in a shift toward more holistic and long-term approaches to aid delivery, with an increased focus on the root causes of conflict and inequality, as well as inequity.
More attention is also placed on the power dynamics that influence funding priorities and program implementation, with local organizations, communities, and governments taking a more prominent role in decision-making processes. But local actors still struggle to attract the financial resources they need to drive lasting change, leaders of several organizations told Devex.
This is where initiatives like the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize come in. While the Prize isn’t a funding program per se, the award, which has grown from $1 million in 1996 to $2.5 million today, has provided its winners with a rare opportunity to access resources they can use for capacity-building.
According to Elena Bonometti, CEO at Tostan — which was awarded the Prize in 2007 — the list of previous prize laureates reflects the evolution of the thinking and delivery of aid over the years.
“Humanitarian action, whether it’s relief of development, has become more participatory, more locally-centered, more holistic, more data-driven, more gender-sensitive in general, and more conscious of power dynamics,” she said.
Access this visual story and join Devex as we explore how humanitarian aid has evolved over the past few decades and what the future of aid should look like.
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