contextualisation: rejecting standard replies; that is, there is a need to better understand the dynamics that generate the crisis and to analyse the local capacities and vulnerabilities before intervening;

 

Participation of the population in the actions: we must leave aside our conception of the people affected by disasters as passive victims without any resources or capacities;

 

To present accounts: not only to the donors, as we have done so far, but also and above all to the population the aid is aimed at;

 

Building peace: we must help manage the conflict and collaborate in the building of peace by supporting and strengthening the local capacities for peace;

 

Prevention of conflicts: it is a commitment to the preventive, not merely palliative nature of humanitarian aid, by means of initiatives such as the development of early alert systems or the presence of prevention objectives in the diagnoses and activities of humanitarian organisations;

 

Human rights: we need to protect the human rights of the affected populations; in addition we must understand that humanitarian needs are rights in themselves, and that the beneficiaries of that aid are the holders of those rights. Referring to rights involves the will to demand responsibilities from those who are supposed to respect them, and making the political commitments sometimes considered a nuisance by traditional humanitarian aid;

 

Sustainable development: aid must not only be aimed at saving lives and meeting the most immediate needs; it must also guarantee a sustainable way of life for those populations that will reinforce their development potential in the future;

 

Gender equality: we must include the issue of gender in humanitarian aid; for there are unequal power relations between men and women, and as a result the impact of disasters is different depending on the gender. Consequently, the response must bear in mind the needs of women in those situations, and promote their participation as a mechanism to achieve gender equality.