The year 2005 saw an unprecedented amount of discussion on reform of the international peace, security and aid architecture aimed at improving the timeliness, appropriateness and
equity of crisis response. The range of commitments made by donors and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee suggested that there is, at least at the rhetorical level, collective political will to
respond rapidly to the humanitarian crises of the future, with resources provided up-front, and with strong sectoral coordination and leadership. Yet statements and deliberations at headquarters are
often far removed from the day-to-day operational challenges of crisis response.This brief, the latest output of a long term HPG project analysing the consequences of humanitarian reform, argues
that managing leadership and coordination reform effectively is critical to the success of all other efforts to reform the humanitarian system.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
