(Euroactiv) – Imagine a country of 125 million people, the eleventh most populous country in the world. Now imagine that children make up at least half of its population and that the life of all these people depends on humanitarian aid. This is the reality according to some of the world’s leading humanitarians. Needs are growing, and so is the budget shortfall for meeting them – currently at $15 billion. Amid proliferating humanitarian crises, ranging from Syria and the refugees to the worldwide effects of El-Nino, the humanitarian system is increasingly stretched. The World Humanitarian Summit this May in Istanbul is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix it. There are high stakes. Getting it right can change for the better the lives of millions of children at risk of having their future blighted due to conflict and natural disasters.
