The emergency–development continuum, also known as “linking relief, rehabilitation, and development” (LRRD), has been a conceptual, institutional, and programmatic preoccupation for aid organizations and humanitarian policymakers for well over two decades. The objective of this short paper is to introduce the idea of the emergency–development continuum and, only partly ironically, to advance the notion that we should not bother with it: operationally, it has done more harm than good, driving the work of humanitarian organizations in directions that run counter to the interests of the people they are trying to serve.
While treating the humanitarian organizations themselves as rational actors, this article considers the factors that influence the decisions and the current logic of Western humanitarian organizations in their dealings with local organizations. This reflection necessarily leads to a re-examination of the current structure of these organizations and to proposed scenarios to identify the best methods for the future, particularly in the relational framework between international organizations and their local partners. Ultimately, the humanitarian organization interventional model must be broadened, taking local humanitarian capacity-building into greater consideration.In a period in which the humanitarian system is tending to have a growing influence in world politics, a number of the fundamental pillars of contemporary humanitarianism are being questioned. How will the professionalization of organizations develop? Are humanitarian principles still realistically applicable? Are international humanitarian organizations still legitimate? These are among the
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