A humanitarian crisis, (or, in the language of history; "humanitarian disaster") is a health or otherwise natural disaster which mortally threatens a very large number of people. Moreoften localized to a particular region, modern transportation has made the worldwide phenomenon of the pandemic more frequent, such that in the case of AIDS, (and to a lesser extent SARS) qualify.
Humanitarian catastrophes are largely man-made, researchers said, in presenting a policy paper from the United Nations University's World Institute for Development Economics Research at a news conference on Monday.
Most often, a humanitarian emergency occurred in countries with single-party rule or a military junta, and where the country itself was highly militarized, the study found.
In suggesting ways the international community could reduce the threat of humanitariancrises, the researchers called for early intervention in vulnerable countries, where the economic and political inequalities might foment a crisis if it is sparked.
People affected by crises were beginning to demand their rights rather than simply humanitarian relief and this was evidenced in recent demonstrations in Kanga Bayanga, eastern DRC, where the local population refused food aid: they did not want humanitarian assistance; they wanted an end to the suffering of conflict and human rights abuses.
Humanitarian advocacy was concerned not only with political level negotiation, but also with local level action to deliver on basic humanitarian needs, and this was as much about negotiation with district officers as with officials at the national or international levels.
Whilst humanitarian agencies had been known to use the backdoor to get information on abuses out to human rights agencies without jeopardising their neutrality, such efforts were sporadic and, given the extent of the risks, were also highly dependent on the context and personalities involved.
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