Humanitarians have been doing a lot of soul-searching lately – and a certain amount of handwringing. Practitioners, policy-makers and academics alike are worried about the future of humanitarian response and whether or not it will be fit for purpose in a dramatically changing landscape.

The debate has revolved largely around questions of money, principles, institutional reform, the balance of power between international and local actors, and humanitarian access. Yet a crucial factor underlying all of these issues demands much closer attention: how to better balance risk and opportunity in favor of crisis-affected people.

Read the full op-ed by ICRC’s Director General, Yves Daccord, originally published on 8 January 2016 on The Humanitarian Practice Network.