In a feature article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Oxfam suggests that the international community has not lived up to the commitments we made just before and following the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, including the Grand Bargain and the Charter for Change, particularly when it comes to transferring power and authority over humanitarian action.

Reflecting on the responses to two recent humanitarian crises – Cyclones Kenneth and Idai in Mozambique and Cyclone Mangkhut in the Philippines – we examine the successes and challenges, incorporating the perspectives of Oxfam staff and partners. We also propose that it is time for a new action plan that fundamentally transforms the global humanitarian system to truly shift power and resources from international to local and national actors for humanitarian action.