Isn’t it paradoxical to send you my best wishes, for you, your families and your projects, and to use the word humanitarian, which means emergency, relief, war, destitution, refugees, displaced, wounded, catastrophe, epidemic!
But isn’t saving lives a wish to be fulfilled? Isn’t it eminently positive, fraternal, a moral imperative? Meeting the vital needs of people and populations in danger is a duty, and a source of pride when we succeed in doing so together with them.
In 2024, will the world be more peaceful, or will it be the same … only worse?
In Gaza, the war is set to last, with the risk of spreading or, according to some, provoking a new oil crisis.
In Ukraine, the front has stabilized but remains incandescent and deadly, and spring offensives are already being prepared.
In the United States, the forthcoming presidential election in November is said to be decisive for the geopolitical balance of the rest of the world.
Closer to home, the presidential elections in Taiwan on January 13 have angered the Chinese president.
The climate is accelerating its deterioration for all mankind, and the Sahel seems to be plunging into the instability of an endless crisis.
And yet there’s no shortage of good news: progress in medicine, progress in knowledge, progress in space exploration, progress in the belated protection of the planet and the environment, and the next Olympic Games in France!
Every day on television, serious experts advise us to prepare for war in order to preserve peace. Have we become too weak to guarantee our peace?
We may not be masters of history, but we can be co-responsible for humanitarian aid. A good year in 2024 means more lives saved and preserved. A good year means more people saved over the long term, who can regain control of their lives. A good year means taking action to ensure that the indispensable $40 billion is effectively mobilized and efficiently implemented!
In February, Défis Humanitaires will celebrate its 5th anniversary and 85 editions with its readers, to whom we will offer information, analysis, debate and proposals for a more lucid, demanding, effective, daring and fraternal humanitarianism.
In renewing my best wishes, I would like to thank you in advance for the support you can give (makeadonation) to Défis Humanitaires, a free, independent online magazine that needs you to exist and develop.
Happy New Year 2024 and thank you.
Alain Boinet
Alain Boinet is president of the online magazine Défis Humanitaires www.defishumanitaires.com and founder of the humanitarian association Solidarités Humanitaires, of which he was managing director for 35 years. He is also a member of the Groupe de Concertation Humanitaire at the Centre de Crise et de Soutien of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, and of the Board of Directors of Solidarités International, the Partenariat Français pour l’Eau (PFE), the Véolia Foundation and the Think Tank (re)sources.
Find out more about the 84th edition of Défis Humanitaires :