What does “Leave no One Behind” Mean for Humanitarians?

The records of humanitarianism and development over the past 30 years suggest stunning progress at the global level and in historical perspective; but upon closer examination, they tell a more subtle story of stark and enduring inequalities in outcomes coupled with troubling process issues of inefficiency, incoherence, and non-accountability. Disaggregated data between and within countries reveals that despite sizeable resources directed into humanitarianism and development, some populations remain poor, vulnerable, and unacknowledged. Moreover, discrete efforts by these respective sectors bespeak the creation of silos rather than a harmonized “humanitarian–development nexus.”