ISTANBUL, 24 May 2016. With record numbers of people requiring life-saving assistance and funding drastically short of meeting those needs, leaders today concluded the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul endorsing five responsibilities to improve aid delivery, support refugees, uphold international law, increase financing and prevent the crises generating the largest migration flows in 70Â years.
“This unique Summit has set us on a new course”, Secretary-General BAN KI-MOON said in closing remarks. “It is not an end point, but a turning point”.
Governments, people affected by crisis, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and the United Nations had come together to support the Agenda for Humanity and its five core responsibilities.  “Implementing this Agenda is a necessity if we are to enable people to live in dignity and prosperity”, he declared.
Indeed, he said, humanitarian and development partners had agreed on a new way of working to reduce the need for humanitarian action, while aid agencies and donor Governments had committed to a “Grand Bargain” that placed resources in the hands of those who needed them.  Governments had committed to do more to prevent conflict, uphold international law and live up to the promise of the United Nations Charter.
Mr. Ban said he would report to the General Assembly in September on the Summit’s achievements and propose ways to advance the commitments.  To be sure, the people enduring conflict today and those working to alleviate their suffering were the true humanitarian heroes.  “The World Humanitarian Summit must deliver for you”, he said.
The two-day Summit brought together 55 Heads of State and Government and other officials from 173Â countries. Â Hundreds of representatives from the private sector and thousands from civil society also attended, marking a diverse range of actors discussing new ways to alleviate suffering, including by addressing the social, economic and other inequities that could ignite simmering tensions into violent conflict.
In addition, the Summit featured seven high-level leaders’ round table discussions in which Heads of State and Government and representatives of civil society, the private sector, philanthropy and the United Nations announced commitments to improve humanitarian responses.
Fifteen special sessions were held, in which participants outlined individual pledges to help those affected by disasters and conflict. Seven of the special sessions were held today, covering themes of humanitarian principles, protection of journalists, humanitarian intervention, young people, business, risk analysis and efforts to place people at the centre of humanitarian action.  Speakers announced commitments to better engage a range of stakeholders in the search for pragmatic solutions to complex dilemmas. The eight special sessions held on Monday, 23 May, covered religious engagement, migrants, persons with disabilities, education, Islamic social finance, global health, regional action, and a global alliance for urban crises.
The plenary sessions, which was held alongside the other events, closed with an interactive panel moderated by United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson and featuring discussion with Maria Verónica Bastias, Regional Coordinator for the Global Network of Civil Society Organizations for Disaster Reduction; Butch Meily, President of the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation; Françoise Sivignon, President of Médecins du Monde; and Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Foreign Minister of Turkey.
The Summit’s closing ceremony featured performances by the Kenya State House Girls Performance Group, Syrian Boys Choir and the Adiyaman Temporary Housing Facility Performance Group, as well as Yvonne Chaka Chaka, United Nations Millennium Development Goals Envoy for Africa.  A video of Summit highlights was also shown.
The Special Session on “Protecting Journalists and Promoting Independent Reporting in Crisis Situations” was moderated by Karen Allen, Foreign Correspondent for BBC News.
Panellists were :
Irina Bokova, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO);
Christophe Deloire, Secretary-General of Reporters Without Borders;
Zaina Erhaim, freelance journalist in Syria;
Tanit Koch, Editor in Chief of Bild;
Habibou Bangré, freelance journalist in the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
Bryn Mooser, Co-Founder of RYOT, United States;
Babita Basnet, President of Media Advocacy Group, Nepal;
and Mazen Hayek, Spokesperson of the Middle East Broadcasting Corporation.
Discussions centred on the conditions in which reporters worked and the dangers they faced, whether being targeted for or prevented from doing their jobs. In crises and conflict situations, some faced dangerous consequences, from imprisonment to being killed, speakers said.
Ms. ERHAIM said that as a female Syrian journalist, she could not enter areas controlled by the Government or by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), leaving her with a choice of going to rebel-held areas or illegally leaving the country. Outside Syria, she said, she was treated as a terrorist at foreign airports. Further, some non-governmental organizations were using Syrian female journalists to further their own agenda. Among several recommendations, she suggested that the Government of Turkey could open borders to Syrian journalists.
Mr. DELOIRE provided several examples of the negative impact of restricted press freedom, saying that if journalists could do their jobs in Ethiopia, fewer Ethiopians would be fleeing that country. Similar situations existed in Egypt, Turkey and other countries where journalists were stopped from reporting stories or jailed for doing so. To address those shortfalls, a concrete mechanism must be established, such as a Special Representative of the Secretary-General to oblige countries to fulfil their commitments to guarding press freedoms, he said.
Ms. BOKOVA said freedom of expression and of information were human rights that were essential for dignity, rule of law and good governance, and the free flow of ideas and information saved lives before, during and after crises. To address pressing concerns, UNESCO was leading the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity to create safe environments for their important work. However, progress had been made — the General Assembly, Security Council and Human Rights Council had adopted a total of eight related resolutions in recent years. Further, countries, including Pakistan and South Sudan, had taken steps to protect journalists.
A representative of Afghanistan said her Government had adopted several media-related laws alongside regulations guaranteeing freedom of expression and commissions covering several forms of media.
Over the past year, more than 1,000Â journalists had been registered, including female reporters; however, targeted violence against journalists persisted.
Representatives of Spain, France and Turkey also participated.
Jeannot Ramambazafy for www.madagate.org
Source : un.org