A word from Ross Mountain
Ross Mountain served the United Nations for over 36 years. He has been a major driver of reforms in the humanitarian system and has led some of the world´s largest emergency operations. Every month Ross speaks out on key humanitarian issues. Read more...
April 2012: Aid efforts no longer the exclusive domain of Western donor governments and aid agencies
A word from Ross Mountain: April 2012 For the past 5 years DARA’s Humanitarian Response Index (HRI) has been researching how governments can make the most effective use of the money they provide to respond to disasters and conflicts around the world. [...] Read more...
February 2012: Five years of the Humanitarian Response Index
A word from Ross Mountain: February 2012 This year marks the end of the first five-year phase of the Humanitarian Response Index (HRI). Since the initiative began, we have learned a great deal about the challenge of effectively providing humanitarian assistance [...] Read more...
January 2012: When will we learn?
A word from Ross Mountain: January 2012. The recent famine in the Horn of Africa and the currently recurring drought in West Africa’s Sahel region are classic examples of why prevention and preparedness are so important, and reveal the chronic inability of the humanitarian sector to address what are essentially predictable crises early. Read more...
December 2011: US cuts to humanitarian assistance would be severely felt
A word from Ross Mountain: December 2011 Amid the ongoing debate for substantial cuts to the State Department’s foreign aid budget based on the argument that it has been a poor investment without the expected results, it is crucial that legislators in Congress [...] Read more...
November 2011: The Third Way
A word from Ross Mountain: November 2011 Another year is drawing to a close and the humanitarian community is still grappling with the large-scale drought-driven emergency in the Horn of Africa. At the same time, the world's main scientific body on the [...] Read more...
November 2011: Climate Vulnerable Forum 2011 in Dhaka, Bangladesh
A word from Ross Mountain: November 2011 Dear Friends, It gives me great pleasure to draw your attention in this message to an important international event that DARA is involved with: the 2011 Ministerial Meeting of the Climate Vulnerable Forum taking [...] Read more...
A word from Ross Mountain: The gender challenge
For years there has been a general consensus that humanitarian assistance must develop greater sensitivity to gender issues, both in the emergency response and in long term-recovery efforts. However, our Humanitarian Response Index (HRI) research over the past five years Read more...
September 2011: Humanitarian aid for Palestinians shouldn’t be necessary
Op-ed published September 22, 2011 in The Guardian. The huge amount of money spent on aid wouldn't be needed if the international community pressed Israel to lift the blockade and respect international law, and pushed for a political solution Read more...
August 2011: Action needed to avoid the already vulnerable to become more so
A year after Pakistan suffered one of the worst natural disasters that we can recall, followed by one of the largest appeals at over $2 billion in the history of the United Nations, the country faces a new monsoon spell. The rains, which could Read more...
