In recent years, humanitarian needs have grown at an alarming rate. The number of people dependent on humanitarian assistance has more than tripled while the cost of responding has increased five-fold. Every source of evidence suggests that human and economic losses, particularly due to climate change, will only continue to grow. If we continue a business-as-usual approach of crisis and crisisresponse, we will not be able to manage the increasing scale of the challenges. We need a paradigm shift in the way we work with communities at risk – and to act preventively to reduce exposure, vulnerability and impact at local level.