If we are to achieve a world that has put an end to extreme poverty and preventable maternal and child death, a world where children have quality education and a chance at opportunity, a world that is environmentally and economically sustainable, we will need a new and more comprehensive approach to development and humanitarian response.

When Canada's Development Minister Bibeau joins with world leaders in Istanbul later in May for the World Humanitarian Summit, she will have a lot of very critical issues to consider. One of the leaders' High-Level Round Tables, entitled "Managing Risks and Crises Differently," will focus on disasters, climate change and community resilience.

The core humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence underpin the day-to-day operations of humanitarian organisations. Those providing humanitarian assistance today do so in a highly complex environment that is often characterized by widespread abuses of human rights and violent conflicts.

The prime minister and officials in Global Affairs Canada have indicated through both words and action a desire to create a more collaborative and consultative relationship with Civil Society Organizations . But are Canadian CSOs taking advantage of the thaw to engage in advocacy to hold the government to account for the impacts of its policies on global justice?