Aid Under Pressure: Global Leaders Call for Local Control and Recovery From Day One

European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib linked the EU’s backing for the Humanitarian Reset and UN80 initiative to a more efficient, accountable humanitarian system grounded in local realities.

For families trying to rebuild after a crisis, emergency assistance needs to lead somewhere: functioning services, restored livelihoods and support that continues after relief teams leave. That concern shaped a high-level discussion at United Nations Headquarters in New York, where humanitarian and development leaders called for greater local control over aid and recovery planning that begins from the first day of an emergency.

The 24 September event, held during the High-Level Week of the 81st UN General Assembly, was co-hosted by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), the European Union, the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, OCHA and UNDP. Member States, UN agencies, international financial institutions and nongovernmental organisations examined how the Humanitarian Reset and responsible transitions could respond to growing needs amid declining funding.

Give Communities Greater Control Over Aid

Participants called for responsibility, resources and decision-making to move closer to national institutions, local organisations and crisis-affected communities. International assistance, they stressed, should support priorities identified by those living through emergencies, strengthening their leadership and preparedness and giving them a meaningful role in shaping the solutions their communities need.

KSrelief Supervisor General Dr Abdullah Al Rabeeah described the Humanitarian Reset as an important response to mounting crises and insufficient funding, emphasising that local actors must help implement solutions. UK International Development Minister Kirsty McNeill called for more funding to reach local organisations and for international support to follow communities' priorities and strengths.

European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib linked the EU's backing for the Humanitarian Reset and UN80 initiative to a more efficient, accountable humanitarian system grounded in local realities. She stressed that women's and girls' rights, protection and ability to make decisions must remain central, alongside dignified emergency responses that respect international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles.

Build Recovery Into the First Response

Restoring essential services and livelihoods should begin alongside emergency relief, participants said, giving families a stronger foundation for rebuilding and reducing the likelihood of repeated humanitarian need. Responsible transitions require sustained investment in national and local capacities, institutions and resilience, with development considerations built into the response from the outset.

UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo brought the discussion back to the people depending on assistance: "A family pulling their belongings from the rubble does not care who coordinates the response. They need it to work, and to keep working after the emergency teams leave." He called for resources and decisions to move closer to national and local actors who will remain involved for years.

Mohamed Yahya, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, described the reset as a way to bridge deepening needs and dwindling resources. He emphasised faster, fairer assistance rooted in local action, connecting lifesaving relief with development that can sustain communities over time.

Make Funding More Predictable and Support Lasting Change

A high-level panel brought together Syrian Emergency and Disaster Management Minister Raed Al-Saleh, Norwegian International Development Minister Åsmund Grøver Aukrust, World Food Programme leader Carl Skau, Islamic Development Bank Director-General Issa Faye and NEAR Executive Director Hibak Kalfan. Discussions highlighted regional cooperation, more predictable and diversified financing, and closer coordination between humanitarian, development and peace efforts to reduce needs over time.

Participants described responsible transitions as a process that starts during the emergency response, with nationally and locally led solutions restoring services, strengthening institutions and opening routes towards sustainable development. For UNDP, this means working with governments, local authorities, communities, humanitarian partners and financing institutions to connect immediate assistance with early recovery and longer-term development, strengthening national ownership and reducing recurring dependence on emergency aid.

The co-hosts committed to continued cooperation to turn these priorities into measurable operational changes, preserve principled humanitarian action, and support recovery led by affected countries and communities.