Integral Alliance calls for more attention and collective action for Neglected Crises 

The Integral Alliance today released a report and held a press call imploring for collective action to address the needs of people in neglected crises – those that are protracted, complex or overlooked by the media.  The report – ‘Five Factors Driving Neglected Crises’– is at the center of an alliance-wide Neglected Crises awareness-raising campaign taking place in July 2024. 

Integral is an Alliance of 21 Christian agencies from 14 countries, working across 85 nations to alleviate suffering and restore hope in many fragile settings. 

‘Five Factors Driving Neglected Crises’ draws on the collected expertise of humanitarian practitioners across the Alliance membership to highlight factors causing disasters to become neglected and advocate for a renewed focus on transformative action.  

“Today, neglected crises continue to fall under the radar, pushing humanitarian and protection needs to record levels,” said Jeremiah Young, Policy Specialist for International Programs at World Relief. “If the global community wants to meet the needs of those experiencing the most vulnerabilities, it must intentionally seek out individuals, communities, and contexts who are overlooked.”  

“As humans, we find it easier to empathize, respond, and assist people devastated by natural disasters than those impacted by human conflicts, where we often take sides based on our affiliations, information, or misinformation,” added Peter Macharia, Senior of Operations at World Concern. “We need to reflect and examine our philanthropic discriminatory tendencies to overcome our humanitarian prejudices in assisting those ravaged by disasters.”  

Integral is calling for governments, donors, the media, NGOs and churches to take practical action to better meet the needs of people in neglected crises by making more resources available and strengthening locally-led action. With the number of disasters increasing, working collaboratively in these resource-scarce situations creates greater reach into more crises, and drives greater impact by increasing access to resources.  

““This critical report with our Integral Alliance partners shows reasons neglected crises persist and what drives our inability to attend properly to these crises,” said Lanre Williams-Ayedun, Senior Vice President of International Programs at World Relief. “It calls for change from all of us– governments, donors, NGOs, media, the church and individuals alike.” 

“By coming together, the Integral Alliance makes the call for the need to transform the landscape of humanitarian aid, ensuring that no crisis remains hidden and every response is imbued with hope and resilience,” said Fiona Boshoff, CEO of the Integral Alliance. “Together, we can shift from compassion to impactful action, embodying our shared commitment to uphold the dignity of all individuals. 

“Media coverage of under-reported crises plays an important role in shining a light on human suffering and injustice and mobilizing people to care and give,” said Karen Piatt, Global Media and Communications Manager for Medical Teams International. “I hope this report encourages more reporters to learn about and cover neglected crises – to help foster compassion and action in our communities, our nation, and our world.”