Humanitarian aid is designed to save lives and alleviate suffering during and in the immediate aftermath of emergencies, whereas development aid responds to ongoing structural issues, particularly systemic poverty, that may hinder economic, institutional and social development in any given society, and assists in building capacity to ensure resilient communities and sustainable livelihoods.
A humanitarian emergency is an event or series of events that represents a critical threat to the health, safety, security or wellbeing of a community or other large group of people, usually over a wide area.
During humanitarian crises, cash transfer programs provide financial assistance directly to beneficiaries so that they can decide to purchase what they need most from local markets.
Relief aid responds to the humanitarian needs unique to any single emergency, and can be subdivided into the following categories: food, shelter, non-food items and water, sanitation and hygiene protection (WASH).
In a humanitarian disaster, there is always a need for coordination in order to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the humanitarian effort to meet the needs of affected communities
Protracted crises refer to situations in which a significant portion of a population is facing a heightened risk of death, disease, and breakdown of their livelihoods.