Since the late 1990s, there have been several waves of humanitarian reform, all of which sought better outcomes for people caught up in crises. Each of these reform efforts contributed to a more professional and better coordinated system, but the quality of humanitarian responses still leaves much to be desired in too many places. While leading to greater predictability, the clusters have become silos and have given rise to tedious processes. The one billion USD efficiency gain promised at the outset of the Grand Bargain has gotten lost in the multiplication of humanitarian budgets and appeals. And importantly, there is an unresolved accountability gap. Poor performance by agencies or individuals in leadership positions is hardly ever called out or sanctioned, and incentives, especially in the form of funds, do not reward collective performance.

Returning to the prerequisite that any humanitarian reform should deliver better results for people in need, HERE organised a Roundtable in May 2023 to explore what remains to – and can possibly – be done. Senior humanitarian practitioners from UN and non-UN agencies, donor representatives, and independent experts participated. Hoping to pave the way for the creation of an informal network of change-makers from various constituencies of the humanitarian system, the aim was to allow for an open and frank conversation of the type that would perhaps not happen in more institutional spaces.