Humanitarian surge capacity

Humanitarian surge: Stuck in a rut?

Increasing numbers of people are being affected by conflicts and disasters, resulting in greater humanitarian needs. Already stretched thin by the large number of chronic crises requiring an aid response year after year, the humanitarian sector is further challenged when new emergencies demand rapid scale-up in the form of ‘surge’– the ability to quickly mobilise and deploy additional financial, human, and material resources to meet needs where the existing response capacities are insufficient.

This report examines the current state and perceptions of surge in the sector, the structural and organisational challenges to effectiveness, and the potential opportunities for reconceptualising surge capacity more broadly.