From a humanitarian perspective, events of the past year were characterized by diversity, complexity and unpredictability. As the year ended, many countries were mired in financial and economic crisis, and unpredictability remained the watchword.

Multiple sudden onset emergencies – in the Middle East, Africa and the Far East – affected countless numbers of women, men and children. Armed conflicts in Côte d’Ivoire and Libya, the tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan, and the dramatic, continuing, events of the Arab Spring – to name but a few – all wreaked terrible destruction and caused immeasurable suffering. Moreover, these unexpected events unfolded alongside complex, often drawn-out armed conflicts. Somalia, where food insecurity in conflict-affected areas worsened dramatically in 2011, is one example. Already one of the ICRC’s largest and most challenging operations, the initial 2011 budget for Somalia more than doubled as the situation deteriorated and humanitarian needs rose. The protracted armed conflicts or other situations of violence in Afghanistan, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Sudan, Pakistan and Israel and the occupied territories were also among the ICRC’s top ten operations in 2011, along with Libya (Tunis regional) and Yemen.

The speed and scale of events, and the massive humanitarian needs they produced, set major challenges for an effective, timely response. For the ICRC, it was essential to ensure a flexible, rapid and relevant response in a range of complex situations. Such situations demonstrated the value of the ICRC’s impartial, neutral and independent approach in terms of gaining access to and making a difference for affected people. This also required a needs-based approach with proximity to – and the involvement of – the beneficiaries. Furthermore, this approach entailed engagement with all stakeholders, including “new” or emerging humanitarian actors, such as local NGOs and charities, whose assertiveness and effectiveness have visibly increased.

Jakob KELLENBERGER, « Message from the President » (extract)