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" The fragility created by protracted conflicts, resulting in destroyed cities and dramatically insufficient services, is not something that humanitarian organizations can address comprehensively. Only political solutions can end armed conflicts. "

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" The whole essence of humanitarian work and the Geneva Convention is that neutral, impartial organisations can operate during war. "

Peter Maurer

Work

Essence

Humanitarian

" The humanitarian ecosystem is diverse - not only is there a variety of traditional humanitarian actors, but the system should also embrace an increasing diversity of private sector actors. "

" Trust into leadership evaporates with communities when they see that their problems are not adequately addressed, neither at the national level nor at the international arena. "

" People living through armed conflicts need infrastructure and services which will last, and the last thing on their mind is which budget line applies. "

" Every day, we hear of civilians being killed and wounded in violation of the basic rules of international humanitarian law and with total impunity. Instability is spreading. Suffering is growing. No country can remain untouched. "

" They say that truth is the first casualty of war. But there is another casualty as well: trust. As conflict escalates, trust between people and political leaders crumbles away as surely as night follows day. "

" Economic activity can help repair war-torn societies, but if it's not conducted responsibly, it can also create or prolong violence. Companies and international organisations must help strengthen communities and overcome the trauma of violence. "

" The creative capacity of the private sector should be harnessed to develop new and more effective ways to deliver humanitarian solutions. "

" The abuse of civilians and combatants has existed since the dawn of time. "

" New technologies are rapidly giving rise to unprecedented methods of warfare. Innovations that yesterday were science fiction could cause catastrophe tomorrow, including nanotechnologies, combat robots, and laser weapons. "

" While conflicts have expanded and deepened and transformed, actors have transformed, and humanitarian assistance is transforming. Protection work is transforming and taking on another character. "

" You don't torture people. You don't indiscriminately attack civilians. You protect as good as you can the impact of your warfare on women and children. "

" Attacks on health facilities, health workers, ambulances, is now a reality that we observe on the ground - not on a monthly but on a daily or weekly scale in most of the conflicts in which we are engaged. "

" Local businesses and communities must be included from the very start in developing solutions to fragility, violence, and conflict. "

" While the nature of warfare is changing and wars are moving into cities, they are also becoming longer and their consequences more impactful. "

Peter Maurer

Moving

Consequences

" The Fourth Industrial Revolution does not just entail risks: it also brings solutions to humanitarian problems. "

" Since 1989, public alarm at the prospect of atomic Armageddon has quietened, but the number of nuclear-armed states has increased, arsenals are being modernized, and powerful states remain convinced that a nuclear security umbrella is vital to national defense, domestic prestige, and geopolitical clout. "

" We cannot guarantee that a humanitarian catastrophe of the extent of the Holocaust will not happen again. On the contrary, we witness a catalogue of atrocities every day in wars across the globe. "

" Suffering does not change its face. "

" If private-sector capital can be harnessed for social good, the potential to scale humanitarian solutions is vast. "

" Urbanisation, poverty, youth unemployment are leading to violence-prone cities. "

" Fragility, violence, and conflict are complex. Fragility is influenced by a wide set of factors, many of which are deeply entrenched, such as high social and income inequality. The lines between criminal, inter-communal, and politically motivated violence are often blurred. "

" Can you really send back people to where they are fleeing from? "

" The disconnect between what people think and what the political leaders are actually doing is something that we really need to start raising. "

" Cities tend to be representations of societies: diversity and inequality find their extremes in urban settings. Yet, when war is added onto pre-existing inequalities, high levels of poverty, or even disaster, urban fragility increases exponentially, making it harder to absorb the shocks of warfare. "

" The relatively unpredictable flow of funds to humanitarian organizations, and the bureaucratic strings often attached to them, can have a highly negative impact on an organization's ability to plan and execute programmes effectively. We need to be able to rely on predictable income flows to plan sustainable programmes. "

" We demonize our enemies at our own peril. "

" Cities are drivers of growth and wealth, and at the same time, cities are becoming increasingly violent. "

" Where you are born, your parent's beliefs, or your ethnic background should not make you a target. "

" The sad fact is that horrendous human conflict is nothing new. "