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As part of its work to support the United Nations World Humanitarian Summit (WHS), ACT Alliance – an international faith-based humanitarian and development network – has committed to significantly increase the proportion of its members’ humanitarian funding that goes directly to local and national members.

ACT Alliance is a coalition of 140 churches and faith-based organisations working together in over 100 countries. It aims to create positive and sustainable change in the lives of poor and marginalised people regardless of their religion, politics, gender, sexual orientation, race or nationality in keeping with the highest international codes and standards.

The group says it responds to around 25 emergency situations around the world per year. The pledge for increasing ACT's members' and partners' funding is to enhance its humanitarian response and emergency preparedness by 2018.

In a statement issued on Friday, ACT said renewed action and investment in humanity is needed at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul next week if we are to move from delivering aid to ending need.

The first-ever UN World Humanitarian Summit will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 23 and 24, 2016. The Summit is an initiative of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and a call to action to reduce human loss and suffering from crises.

“We have used the WHS as an opportunity to commit to being reflective of a system that we want. Our commitments are about leading the way in how we respond to humanitarian situations,” said Reshma Adatia, ACT Alliance Global Humanitarian Coordinator.

“Like other humanitarian workers we do our best to help people overcome emergency situations, and there are no miracle results,” said Nduna. “We must embrace the issues together at all levels and work in partnerships with equal recognition, from grassroots communities including faith-based organisations to national and regional leaders and international bodies. This is the most effective way to help change the lives of people in crisis situations and uphold the norms that safeguard humanity.”

ACT Alliance’s commitment towards the WHS focuses on meeting people’s essential needs and developing solutions with and for those impacted; investing in local capacities, and putting people at the centre of the response through local and national empowerment and building community resilience.