While many acute crises, such as those in fragile, conflict-affected, and vulnerable (FCV) areas like South Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria, and even parts of countries like Indonesia and Colombia, invite a traditional understanding of humanitarianism, the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS), held in 2016, marked a turning point. Convened by the United Nations, it brought together governments, NGOs, and other key stakeholders to discuss ways to address humanitarian challenges and improve the effectiveness of humanitarian action. To achieve this, the WHS called for a more coordinated, integrated approach to better link humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding actions, seeking to address the root causes of crises, enhance resilience, and promote long-term peace and stability. This approach came to be known as the Triple Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus (HDP Nexus).
This e-book, entitled The Triple Humanitarian, Development and Peace Nexus: In Context and Everyday Perspective, and edited by Marina Ferrero Baselga and Rodrigo Mena, contributes honest, first-hand accounts of the everyday unfolding of the ‘triple nexus,’ illustrating how various actors understand, operationalise, apply, and conceptualise it. Throughout its chapters, a diverse range of authors—including practitioners from various organisations, donors, and academics—will recount their experiences with the ‘triple nexus’. They will be serialised over the coming months on Global Policy’s Opinion pages. Some will explore ‘triple nexus’ discourse from universities and think tanks (such as the Centre for Humanitarian Action). Others will discuss ‘triple nexus’ practice in Oxfam, Plan International, the Dutch Relief Alliance, Action Against Hunger and more, featuring such case studies as South Sudan, Iraq, and Mali. By bringing in a wealth of cases from different regions, the authors will balance practical discussions on the experiences of designing ‘triple nexus’ projects with theoretical explorations of its themes and meanings.