What we'll do and how we'll do it

This Strategy is fundamental to our aim of improving outcomes for people affected by crises. It has been designed to help develop a cohesive global system; one that routinely identifies and addresses critical humanitarian problems through research and innovation. A system in which policy and practice continuously improve through the sustainable and strategic resourcing and adoption of new evidence and innovative solutions.

If we’re to achieve this, the humanitarian community must focus on building a much stronger relationship between research, innovation and practice. Just as this connection defines most professional sectors, it must come to define us. Research and innovation give practitioner communities unique tools to advance knowledge, investigate and understand problems, and evaluate effective responses. And they help anticipate future needs and challenges, enabling and developing transformative new thinking and solutions.

We need deep engagement with research and innovation to support the steady improvement and validation of our practice. And we urgently need the new thinking and the breakthrough potential that these disciplines offer, because that’s how we’ll deliver better outcomes for people affected by crises.

Building a global research and innovation system that is relevant, responsive to need, and able to effect transformative solutions requires the collaborative efforts of multiple actors. It requires long-term vision and commitment. Our Strategy works towards 2040 as a critical juncture, by which time humanitarian practice will be transformed through a deep and wide-reaching relationship with research and innovation.

We know we can’t always predict the challenges of the future. So, while our long-term vision provides us with a clear and focused direction of travel, our deep commitment to learning will allow us to adapt and evolve our approaches to the changing landscape around us.