Impact Trust • Working glossary

Humanitarian–development nexus

Linking short-term humanitarian aid with long-term development and peace.

Details

Our Take
Very insider term. The concept is important but the label is classive donorjargon. The triple nexus (humanitarian-development-peace) names a real institutional dysfunction: organisations are structured around either emergency response or long-term development, rarely both. But the label has become a shibboleth - using 'nexus' signals insider status rather than clarifying the problem. Programming that refuses the artificial separation between crisis response and future-readiness is the practical translation.
Examples of Use
UNDP, IASC, donors
Synonyms/Variants
Triple nexus; HDP nexus; Linking relief and development; Continuum (older term)
Typical everyday wording
Connecting emergency aid with long-term development.