Editorial No. 18

With the UN Secretary General’s report on the World Humanitarian Summit due to be published at the next UN General Assembly in New York, this issue of HEM continues to explore new areas for the sector to explore, following on from our last issue on the WHS.

Two articles illustrate how innovation, the latest humanitarian buzzword, could also provide new areas to explore and could even create a new operational sector (communication and access to information for refugees and other people affected by crises). Another article deals with social sciences, and how this under-used approach could bring greater relevance and a new perspective in relation to both humanitarian organisations and beneficiaries.

The issue of recognising and reinforcing the capacities of national stakeholders is taken up in the Point of View, in reference to current debates within the training sector. And lastly, humanitarian access and the complexity of post-crisis situations are analysed respectively with regard to Lebanon and Colombia.