Redefining leadership in humanitarian action between Global North and Global South

Humanitarian action is a profoundly social practice that seeks to understand people’s conditions and needs, then work with them as individuals, groups, organisations, authorities and whole populations to achieve improvements in people’s personal lives and their collective experience.

This statement by Hugo Slim, a prominent figure in the humanitarian field, on the importance of sharing power in humanitarian action, opens the door to deeper discussions on the intricate power dynamics within the international humanitarian system. In the context of contemporary humanitarian efforts, the ‘people’ Slim refers to can be understood as the nations of the Global South often left waiting for the Global North to recognise their needs and intervene to improve their circumstances. As for these two spheres, Global South refers to the lower- and middle-income countries that constitute two-thirds of the world’s population, while the Global North countries represent the geopolitically dominant nations, having higher GDP per capita. This raises a fundamental question: why are Global South countries still expected to rely on the assistance of Global North actors for survival and development?

Over the past five decades, countries in the Global South have witnessed a severe increase in dependency on humanitarian assistance, placing immense pressure on humanitarian actors. Countries and populations affected by crises, such as Afghanistan, Somalia and Lebanon, rely on this aid for survival. The desperate reliance of these nations and their economies on international aid is to a great extent a consequence of humanitarian crises to which various Northern governments have significantly contributed. Global North organisations and governments, in contrary, often position themselves as the ‘humanitarian police’, leading global humanitarian efforts. However, the traditional North-led governance of international humanitarianism has limited the influence of Global South actors, reducing them to mere proxies in collaborative humanitarian efforts rather than partners. Recently, the need to rebalance power between Global North and South actors has become critical to ensuring context-specific, timely and effective humanitarian responses, especially as protracted crises proliferate in the Global South. As a result, these actors are now challenging the status quo by asserting their presence and seeking to end the top-down, hierarchical governance in the international humanitarian system dominated by the Global North, ushering in a new era of humanitarian leadership.

The Global North’s dominance in the international aid system

The terms ‘Global North’ and ‘Global South’ themselves reflect the hierarchical relationships that govern interactions between these regions. The North’s centuries-long influence over the South has established a global order, both in practice and ideology, within humanitarian action. The Global North actors imposed a humanitarian regime after the Second World War, using political, diplomatic and economic means to maintain dominance.

This has led to an international humanitarianism that is effectively dictated by and benefits the Global North, limiting and undermining the importance of Global South actors. Consequently, a patron–client relationship has emerged, where Northern actors are the humanitarian implementers and providers of aid, and Southern actors are the recipients. Despite this, Global South actors are striving to reshape the North-led humanitarian regime by actively reclaiming humanitarian efforts and aid delivery. This shift signifies the intention and determination of these actors to redress power imbalances in humanitarian action and reestablish equitable North–South relations within the international humanitarian system.

The evolving roles of Global South and North actors have significantly impacted how humanitarian crises are managed and responded to worldwide. Global North actors adopt various strategies to preserve their hegemony over resources and decision-making influence in international humanitarian efforts. This is exemplified by the fact that the international aid system is predominantly funded by 15 to 20 mainly Development Assistance Committee country donors, with most aid operators based in the Global North. Moreover, dominant Global North states, such as the United States (US) and Western European countries, seek to entrench power hierarchies by exploiting the dependency of affected Global South populations on aid for survival. For instance, between 2009 and 2021, only less than 10% of the Global North’s official development assistance was directed to Global South civil society organisations, entrenching the power dynamics between Northern and Southern humanitarian actors. Additionally, considering the needs of Global South populations, Global North actors provide financial support to Northern humanitarian organisations, such as United Nations (UN) agencies, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Oxfam, to deliver aid to the Global South populations. This reinforces their dominance and perpetuates their perception of being a ‘saviour’ in the Global South.

The rise of Global South humanitarian actors

The growing influence of Global South actors in humanitarian action is evident in their critical contributions, innovative approaches and widespread efforts across different regions. Humanitarian actors like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Qatar, and the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) have emerged as key, non-traditional players on the international humanitarian stage through their decisive and critical involvement during various humanitarian crises. For instance, since 2013, Saudi Arabia has provided an estimated $9 billion in humanitarian funding, the UAE $6 billion, Kuwait $2.6 billion, and Qatar $735 million. In addition, the UAE, Qatar, and Türkiye have emerged as leading players in humanitarian diplomacy, with remarkable success in saving the lives of affected populations by mediating conflicts and intervening in other humanitarian crises. China, a rising humanitarian actor in the Global South, has implemented over 800 humanitarian aid projects in 40 countries, making it the leading provider of assistance among ‘developing’ nations. In Africa, South Africa leads the provision of technical and humanitarian assistance within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

This highlights the political, economic, and structural commitment of Global South humanitarian actors to assert their position within the global humanitarian landscape. Their efforts, which require significant financial investments and the mobilisation of vast resources, reflect a clear and deliberate strategy. These governments are driven by a clear vision that is increasing their influence and establishing them as key players in humanitarian action.

However, it is equally important to ensure that the aid system led by the Global South countries do not fall into the same trap as we see now. Utilising aid as a geopolitical tool undermines the essence of humanitarian work and leads to the same issue, that is viewing humanitarian assistance as a means to achieve other non-humanitarian objectives – mainly political – rather than as the ultimate goal of the humanitarian system. Thus, leading humanitarian countries in the Global South, like China and others, must adhere to humanitarian principles and respect the people-centred nature of humanitarian action.

Challenges to the North’s hegemony over the system

Global South actors are heading towards humanitarian leadership, moving away from the traditional North-led international humanitarian system and focusing on systemic and operational changes. Acknowledging the need for a more responsive approach to address the needs of people in Global South, a prospective horizontal, rather than vertical and top-down, humanitarian partnership between the South and North is challenging the North’s hegemony over humanitarian action. While this shift will inevitably impact international humanitarian efforts, the resulting benefits and potential disagreements will contribute to the enhancement of the system and improved outcomes. At the systemic level, the continuous efforts of Global South actors to build and improve the capacities in the humanitarian sector, equip themselves for more effective responses, and institutionalise humanitarian action at the government level reflect their commitment to be liberated from North-led global humanitarian governance. Operationally, the generous funds, numerous initiatives and projects led by Southern actors highlight their determination and willingness to end dependency on the North’s ‘mercy’ in providing aid.

Several factors drive the Global South’s pursuit of these goals. These factors range from mistrust in the Global North’s motivations behind their humanitarian efforts, to the emergence of new economic and political powers in the South, along with the growing experience and commitment of Southern actors to engage in humanitarian work. Most notably, the ineffective and insufficient humanitarian responses in Global South countries such as Sudan, Palestine (Gaza), Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia expose the North’s prioritisation of certain crises over others and political agendas over the genuine goal of helping people. This selective approach undermines fundamental humanitarian principles, including humanity, impartiality and neutrality, emphasising the need for the Global South to assert ownership over humanitarian action.

Towards a balanced and inclusive humanitarian system

Recent events and the inadequate humanitarian response in the Global South underscore the urgent need for a more balanced and inclusive humanitarian system that equally values the contributions of both Global South and Global North actors. To establish an effective humanitarian system rather than one dominated by either the Global North or Global South, having a shared ‘humanitarian’ vision is the first and most important step. Strengthening the role of the Global South, while securing the commitment and political will of the Global North, is pivotal for the transition towards a more balanced and inclusive system.

The evolving dynamics between these actors suggest a pivotal shift in the global humanitarian landscape. Global South actors are taking critical steps to impose their influence, undermining the hegemony of North over the international humanitarian system. While this shift in power may present challenges, it holds the potential to address longstanding hierarchical disparities and foster more inclusive and effective humanitarian action worldwide, and particularly in the Global South. To achieve this, it is essential that humanitarian actors from both North and South are treated as equal partners. The Global North must prioritise the humanitarian nature of the system by promoting its decentralisation, particularly through depoliticisation, and ensuring that fundamental humanitarian principles are prioritised in all efforts. For their part, Global South countries should act together by leveraging pooled funding mechanisms, establishing a Global South-specific intergovernmental humanitarian entity, and adapting the humanitarian system to ensure its effectiveness in these contexts. This would subsequently strengthen their collective response to humanitarian crises and address the issue of inadequate assistance in the region, thus rebalancing the dynamics of the system. Together, they can work towards strengthening humanitarian capacities worldwide, ensuring that the system is better equipped to meet the needs of vulnerable populations, and fulfil the core objectives for which the humanitarian system was originally established.

Manoug Antaby is Research Assistant at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies. He can be contacted at manouganta@hotmail.com.