New Way of Working

The New Way of Working frames the work of development and humanitarian actors, along with national and local counter-parts, in support of collective outcomes that reduce risk and vulnerability and serve as instalments toward the achievement of the SDGs.

Ending needs by reducing risks and vulnerability is now a shared vision, under the SDG umbrella, that transcends this decades-old divide. The New Way of Working offers a concrete, doable and measurable path forward. The changes required to make this approach work are institutionally and financially complex and will need time to operationalize. The results, however, will not only improve the lives of the most vulnerable, but the reductions in risk and vulnerability are essential to ensuring that development progress is accessible to all communities, including those affected by crises.

This approach is highly context-specific. Humanitarian principles are immutable and must always guide humanitarian action and be respected. At the same time, respect for humanitarian principles and better coordination with a variety of actors are not mutually exclusive and humanitarian action can be undertaken in a way that can contribute towards achieving the SDGs. Determining whether humanitarian principles are at risk will require highly context-specific, pragmatic decisions to inform the best approach to increase coherence between development and humanitarian efforts.