Acknowledgement by Juliet Parker

This fifth edition of The State of the Humanitarian System (SOHS) report is, as always, an ambitious undertaking in terms of its scope and depth of analysis that builds on the four reports preceding it.

The findings are drawn from a breadth of primary and secondary data – including the views and opinions of thousands of aid recipients who generously gave their time to answer questions about their experiences of humanitarian assistance. Government officials and humanitarian practitioners also provided insights through interviews and surveys, and together this first-hand information has contributed greatly to the report. We offer our sincere thanks to each and every respondent.

The report would not have been possible without the knowledge and input of experienced consultants and contributing researchers, whose efforts throughout data collection and analysis were integral to the robustness of the report’s findings. Thanks also to the authors of boxes, which add so much to the final report.

We are indebted to the SOHS Support and Advisory Group (SAG), who provided guidance on the process and numerous comments on earlier drafts, and to the ALNAP Steering Committee, for their oversight throughout. Thanks also to colleagues with specialist knowledge, who kindly volunteered to provide additional peer review and advisory input. 

We would also like to thank those who provided input anonymously, either through analysis or by giving up their time to be interviewed. We wish to extend a special thank you to our ALNAP Members who went the extra mile in supporting this research by hosting in-country research, organising interviews and providing additional data and documentation.

Finally, I would like to thank my colleagues in the ALNAP Secretariat for their amazing skills and commitment in bringing this ambitious project to fruition. They are an inspirational team. 

Juliet Parker 

ALNAP Director

Consultants and main component leads

Alphabetically by component name

Aid practitioner and host government surveys: Zainab Moallin and Rebecca Steinbach Mullan

Aid recipient survey: GeoPoll/Mobile Accord Geopoll/Mobile Accord team – Amanda Berman, Ian McDonnell, Tavian MacKinnon and Scott Lansell. Statistical analysis for this component was done by Rebecca Steinbach Mullan

Country-level research: The Research People – Yves Badesire, Habimana Junior, Malak Abdul Ghafour, Mira Karayyem, Anagabriela Centeno, Carlos Pedraja, Layla Asda (consultant, Insight Source Centre), Ahmed Nagi (consultant, Insight Source Centre), Waela Humran, Shahirah Majumdar, Lydia Tanner, Jennie Thomas, Linda Ahimbisibwe, Gemma Pearson, Fiona Mwenda and Alice Robinson

Evaluation synthesis: Susanna Morrison-Metois, Emmeline Kerkvliet, Samir Hafiz and Sebastian Weishaupt

Financial analysis: Development Initiatives – Carina Chicet, Dan Walton, Jasmin Jilma, Jenny Rickard, Kirsty Lazer, Mattie Price, Niklas Rieger and Suzanna Nelson-Pollard, with coordination by Tom Urry.

Global-level key informant interviews: Sophia Swithern, Jennifer Doherty, Alice Obrecht and Zainab Moallin

Innovation study: Catherine Komuhangi, Hazel Mugo, Lydia Tanner and Ian Gray

Literature review: Zainab Moallin

Localisation research: The Network for Empowered Aid Response (NEAR) – Hibak Kalfan, Shahida Arif, Anita Kattakuzhy, Alix Masson, Wejdan Jarrah, Khalif A. Abdirahman and Aided Mohamed Ali; Support to Life – Özlem Yazlık Alcott, Sema Genel Karaosmanoglu, Serkan Denli, Ceren Can, Aslı Bekmen Silahdaroglu; Humanitarian Advisory Group – Eranda Wijewickrama. Component managed by NEAR.

Mortality study: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine – Francesco Checchi, Emilie Koum-Besson, Norbert Lemonge, with coordination by Lucy Bell

Organisational mapping: Humanitarian Outcomes – Abby Stoddard, Meriah-Jo Breckenridge and Eta Pastreich

Box authors

Alphabetically by box name

Digital do no harm: Kristin Bergtora Sandvik, Larissa Fast, Katja Lindskov Jacobsen and Maria Gabrielsen Jumbert

The Dioptra tool and consistent humanitarian efficiency data: Lucian Lee, David Leege, Tanaka Nyamadzawo, Marco Scagliusi, Purti Sharma and Caitlin Tulloch

The impact of innovation on humanitarian performance: Lydia Tanner, Ian Gray and Alice Obrecht

Internal displacement: Barbara Essig

Locally led humanitarian action in Somalia: Khalif A. Abdirahman

Locally led humanitarian action in Turkey: Support to Life Turkey research team

Management

Oversight: John Mitchell and Juliet Parker

Component management: Alice Obrecht, Sophia Swithern, Jennifer Doherty, Daniel Squire and Zainab Moallin

Project and consortium management: Daniel Squire

Communications management: ALNAP Communication team – Geraldine Platten, Maria Gili, and Molly Maple; Communications consultants – Amanda Farrant, Rowan Davies and Sophie Gillespie

Donor liaison and reporting: Daniel Squire and Juliet Parker

Support and Advisory Group (SAG)

Alphabetical by first name

Andrew Wylie, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

Dan Maxwell, Feinstein International Center, Tufts University

Elizabeth Bellardo, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Helen Durham, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Jeannie Annan, International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Jenny McAvoy, Formerly of InterAction 

Marta Valdés García, Oxfam Mervat Shelbaya – Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)

Mihir Bhatt,  All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI)

Nicholas Leader, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)

Nigel Timmins, Formerly Oxfam

Additional peer review and advisory support

Alphabetical by first name

Christian Els,  Ground Truth Solutions (GTS)

Elias Sagmeister,  Ground Truth Solutions (GTS)

Jane Cocking,  Independent

Nils Carstense,  Local to Global Protection (L2GP)

World Food Programme (multiple staff)

Research host organisations

Victim’s Hope (DRC)

Insight Source Center (ISC) (Yemen)

Additional contributions

The ALNAP Secretariat would also like to acknowledge additional contributions from the ALNAP Steering Committee and Membership throughout this process. In particular, thanks go to UN OCHA, CALP Network, IASC and ReliefWeb for their help with online survey dissemination, the Peer-2-Peer support team for sharing the reports of the P2P missions, Paul Asquith and Bashair Ahmed at Shabaka for the useful reports they shared on diaspora, and to the Global Cluster Coordination Group for sharing insights and documents. We extend special thanks to WFP for supporting multiple aspects of the primary research and for providing comments on a draft of the report.

While we have endeavoured to provide a full and complete list of acknowledgements, and omissions are likely, we would like to extend our thanks to everyone who made this fifth edition of the State of the Humanitarian System report possible.

Editing, copyediting and review

Hannah Caddick and Matthew Foley, with additional review by Patrizia Pajak and Renée Goulet (bibliography and references)

Design and digital

Soapbox: Dan Barber, Gabriela Assreuy, Jenny McCarten, Lena Pilshofer and Sharon Mah

Manta Ray Media: Angie Vanhegan, Claire Finch, Dilwar Hussain, Martine McMenemy and Steve Lacey