General

Inter-community violence and successive wars and rebellions have caused large-scale displacement of populations in the Great Lakes region of Africa. And when refugees and internally displaced people return, that can be the pretext for further outbreaks of violence. The displacement of people and also their return can often be exploited by political interests, and even if the people themselves are not being manipulated, rumours and false information can be orchestrated to heighten fears and tensions between communities.

Discussion document

In this challenge paper the members of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council propose a new vulnerability and protection business model for humanitarian assistance. This new model should have six requirements: A comprehensive risk framework; A reworked balance of spending between response, prevention and recovery; A big investment in national and local capacity; Fuller engagement of the private sector; Linking of the humanitarian to broader social and economic development issues; and Regional and international readiness to address cross-border humanitarian issues.

Full report