Leading international disaster response expert Dr Ian Norton has called for a fundamental overhaul of the global humanitarian aid system, warning that international organisations are too often undermining the very communities they are meant to support.
As Nepal continues to respond to devastating flooding, Dr Norton says the international humanitarian community must urgently rethink its approach to disaster response, prioritising local leadership, preparedness and coordination over organisational visibility and competition for funding.
“The Nepalese were well prepared. They have an excellent disaster management system. It’s world’s best practice, but once again the international response has been haphazard and chaotic, whilst competing directly with the local response,” says Dr Norton.
Speaking following a 5-day national health disaster simulation in Vanuatu, Dr Norton criticised what he describes as a growing culture of competition, self-promotion and duplication within the international humanitarian sector.
“International aid groups relish the photo and social media opportunities that come with a major international response. Branding becomes an absolute priority, showing themselves to be in the thick of the response as quickly as possible. And donations tend to swell as a result, not all of which goes directly to the response of the specific disaster.
“And the UN system time and time again flies in and directly competes with the local resources on the ground, when they should in fact be quietly supporting the requirements of the local ministry of health,” says Dr Norton.
Dr Norton is the former head of the World Health Organization's Emergency Medical Teams Initiative and has played a leading role in some of the world's most significant humanitarian emergencies, including the West Africa and Democratic Republic of the Congo Ebola outbreaks and the response to the devastating 2015 Nepal earthquake.
He was also a key architect of the WHO's Blue Book, which established minimum standards for international emergency medical teams following the chaotic humanitarian response to Haiti's 2010 earthquake.
While the guidelines emphasise the importance of locally led responses, Dr Norton believes the international humanitarian system continues to fall short of this fundamental principle.
“The international humanitarian community continues to operate in a kind of bubble, based in European capitals or New York, with a heavy focus on funding, on optics. And that competition ramps up in times of crisis, such as we are seeing currently in Nepal.
“The Nepalese authorities know how to respond because they are training constantly for these types of events. But the task of managing responses is often undermined by NGOs and other aid organisations who prefer to run their own race, with their own objectives and priorities.
“A reset in how the international community responds has been needed for years, as localised as possible,” says Dr Norton.
A new model for disaster preparedness
Dr Norton's concerns are explored in the new feature documentary CHASING CHAOS, which examines the shortcomings of traditional international humanitarian aid systems and asks whether a more effective, locally driven model of disaster preparedness and response is possible.
The documentary also highlights HELPR-1, an innovative program operating in Vanuatu that is strengthening local healthcare capacity, supporting remote communities and building disaster preparedness across the Pacific.
The initiative offers a compelling example of how investment in local people, infrastructure and capability can create more sustainable outcomes than relying on international organisations to mobilise after disaster strikes.
For Dr Norton, the message is clear: effective disaster response begins long before an emergency occurs, and local communities must remain at the centre of decision-making.
“Local responders, local doctors, nurses and ministries of health know their own backyard. In times of crisis no one is going to be able to fly in and take over with a better understanding of the situation than the locals themselves. The international community must focus on preparedness, with a willingness to support rather than lead.
“If Australia suffers a major disaster in the future, it will be our minimum expectation that the locals will oversee the response. Why should it be any different in Nepal or Vanuatu or anywhere else?”
Dr Norton says meaningful reform will require international humanitarian organisations to shift their focus away from short-term visibility and towards long-term investment in local capability, coordination and resilience.
The challenge for the international humanitarian community is no longer simply how quickly it can respond to a disaster, but how effectively it can support the people and systems already on the ground.
CHASING CHAOS screens at Dendy Canberra on Tuesday 10th November at 7pm.
Tickets available through the cinema’s website.