Towards a collective funding platform for humanitarian crises

Large­scale disasters like the Tsunami in Indonesia and the recent earthquake in Haiti have shown that extensive media coverage can lead to a strong public reaction and the raising of substantial private funds. Whereas in several other European countries non­governmental funding platforms have been set up to manage the funds raised, there is no consensus in France about the form that this should take. The absence of reflection about how these funds should be managed prior to the crises has led to some controversy, creating a great deal of confusion among the general public and the media. The present study compares the different mechanisms which exist in Europe in order to identify good practice and risks. This is done with a view to encouraging reflection about the possibility of creating a new “French” mechanism.