Jonathan Duffy, President of Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International has been representing ADRA’s global network of humanitarians at the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit taking place in Istanbul on 23-24 May 2016.
Mr. Duffy made a spoken statement of ADRA’s Commitments to Action at a special session during the Summit. ADRA’s Commitments to Action highlighted the priorities of the organization in development and emergency work around the world. Mr. Duffy’s statement specifically focused on two of the five core responsibilities outlined in the UN Secretary-General’s Agenda for Humanity:
Core Responsibility #3: Leave no one behind
Core Responsibility #4: Change people’s lives – from delivering aid to ending need
The Summit is a global call to action by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Approximately 5,000 participants received invitations, including Heads of States and Government, as well as global leaders from government, business, aid organizations, civil society, and affected communities.
The Summit has three main goals:
1. To re-inspire and reinvigorate a commitment to humanity and to the universality of humanitarian principles.
2. To initiate a set of concrete actions and commitments aimed at enabling countries and communities to better prepare for and respond to crises, and be resilient to shocks.
3. To share best practices which can help save lives around the world, put affected people at the center of humanitarian action, and alleviate suffering.
(Jonathan Duffy addresses the audience of the World Humanitarian Summit)
About ADRA
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International is the humanitarian arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Its work empowers communities and changes lives around the globe by providing sustainable community development and disaster relief. For more information, visit ADRA.org.