Leaders, NGOs meet in bid to transform humanitarian aid

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the burden of responding to the world’s crises must be more evenly shared, as leaders and aid groups gather in Istanbul seeking to transform the global humanitarian aid system.

As over 60 heads of state and government meet for the two-day summit, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says the summit represents a chance to forge a “different future.”

“Let us seize this opportunity, let us make our mark as agents of change,” says Ban, warning that realizing the aims is not “an easy task” and requires a “political will on a scale we have not seen in recent years.”

Some 60 million people are displaced around the world and at least 125 million require assistance and protection in the biggest humanitarian crises since World War II.

— AFP