"Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people who need help... Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and victims of natural disasters, wars, and famines."
Humanitarian Studies focuses on the understanding and analysis of humanitarian actions and interventions in conflict and post-conflict settings, examining their impact on affected populations and the challenges faced in delivering assistance.
Humanitarianism: An overview of the principles and values that guide humanitarian actions and organizations.
Human rights: An exploration of the legal and ethical norms and standards that protect human beings and their dignity.
International law: An understanding of the framework and principles of international law that apply to armed conflicts and humanitarian intervention.
Conflict analysis: An assessment of the underlying causes, dynamics, and actors of armed conflicts and violence.
Peacebuilding: An exploration of the theory and practice of creating sustainable peace and social cohesion in post-conflict societies.
Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs): An understanding of the issues and challenges faced by people who are forced to flee their homes due to conflict or persecution.
Gender and Diversity: An examination of the ways in which gender, age, ethnicity, religion, and other factors affect the experiences and vulnerabilities of people affected by conflict and humanitarian crises.
Humanitarian aid and assistance: An overview of the types of humanitarian interventions, from emergency relief to long-term development, and the principles and challenges that guide them.
Humanitarian actors and organizations: An understanding of the roles and responsibilities of different actors in humanitarian contexts – such as NGOs, UN agencies, and governments – and the mechanisms that coordinate their efforts.
Conflict-sensitive programming: An approach that aims to reduce the risk of conflicts and strengthen peace and social cohesion in humanitarian interventions by taking into account the contextual dynamics of conflict and its implications for programming.
Disaster risk reduction and preparedness: An exploration of strategies and practices that aim to anticipate, mitigate, and respond to natural disasters and other large-scale emergencies.
Ethics and accountability: An examination of the ethical issues that arise in humanitarian interventions, such as the principles of impartiality, neutrality, and confidentiality, and the mechanisms that ensure accountability and transparency in humanitarian action.
Conflict Resolution: Conflict resolution involves finding peaceful solutions to issues and disputes between two or more parties.
Human Rights: Human rights studies focus on protecting and promoting the rights of individuals and groups according to international laws and principles.
Mediation: Mediation involves a neutral third party helping to resolve conflicts between two or more parties, often using negotiation techniques.
International Law: International law studies focus on the principles and legal frameworks governing relations between nations, and promoting the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
Peacebuilding: Peacebuilding involves activities aimed at preventing, managing, and resolving conflicts, fostering reconciliation and promoting social cohesion.
Refugee Studies: Refugee studies focus on the experiences and plight of displaced populations, including the policies, practices, and legal frameworks that govern them.
Gender and Conflict: Gender and conflict studies explore the ways in which gender differences and inequalities contribute to conflicts, and how to promote gender equality in peacebuilding.
Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief: Studies in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief focus on the provision of aid during and after natural disasters or emergencies.
Transitional Justice: Transitional justice aims to address the legacies of human rights abuses and other crimes committed during periods of conflict or political transition, typically through truth commissions, reparations, or criminal prosecutions.
Development and Peace: Development and peace studies focus on the interplay between sustainable development and peacebuilding, seeking to promote inclusive economic growth and social justice as a means of preventing conflict.
"It may be distinguished from development aid, which seeks to address the underlying socioeconomic factors... led to a crisis or emergency."
"The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) of the United Nations (UN) is responsible for coordination responses to emergencies."
"The four UN entities that have primary roles in delivering humanitarian aid are United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the World Food Programme (WFP)."
"The International Committee of the Red Cross understands humanitarian relief as a norm in both international and non-international armed conflicts."
"Countries or war parties that prevent humanitarian relief are generally widely criticized."
"The most lethal year for aid providers in the history of humanitarianism was 2008, in which 122 aid workers were murdered and 260 assaulted."
"The countries deemed least safe were Somalia and Afghanistan."
"The countries with the highest incidents were: Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, and Kenya."
"274 million people need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2022, or 1 out of 29 people worldwide."
"Some scholars define humanitarian obligations as 'unfixed.'"
"When recipients of aid call on different parties - agencies, governments, the international community - to fulfill these obligations."
"The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity."
"Development aid seeks to address the underlying socioeconomic factors which may have led to a crisis or emergency."
"Humanitarian aid is seen as 'a fundamental expression of the universal value of solidarity between people and a moral imperative.'"
"Humanitarian relief efforts are provided for humanitarian purposes and include natural disasters and human-made disasters."
"The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is responsible for coordination responses to emergencies."
"Linking humanitarian aid and development efforts seeks to address the underlying socioeconomic factors which may have led to a crisis or emergency."
"Humanitarian aid can come from either local or international communities."
"The members of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, whose members are responsible for providing emergency relief."