"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."
This topic looks at the ways in which humanitarian and development actors respond to armed conflict, natural disasters, and other crises, including the challenges and opportunities of such response.
Conflict analysis and mapping: Understanding the root causes and dynamics of conflicts and identifying key actors and their interests.
Disaster risk reduction and management: Developing strategies to mitigate the impact of disasters and minimize risks to vulnerable populations.
Protection and human rights: Ensuring the safety and well-being of individuals and communities affected by crises and upholding their fundamental rights.
Humanitarian assistance and response: Providing life-saving aid to populations affected by conflicts and disasters, including shelter, food, and medical support.
Disaster preparedness and contingency planning: Developing plans and protocols to respond to emergencies in a timely and effective manner.
Peacebuilding and conflict resolution: Promoting reconciliation, dialogue, and negotiation to prevent and resolve conflicts and to build sustainable peace.
Gender and conflict: Understanding the ways in which gender intersects with conflict and how to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in crisis situations.
Early warning systems: Developing mechanisms to identify and respond to potential crises before they escalate into full-blown emergencies.
Monitoring and evaluation: Assessing the impact and effectiveness of interventions and identifying areas for improvement.
Humanitarian principles and ethics: Adhering to core principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence in all humanitarian and development work.
Natural Disasters: This type of crisis response is primarily focused on addressing the immediate and short-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes or flooding.
Conflict and Post-Conflict: This type of humanitarian response is focused on addressing the needs of communities affected by conflict or living in post-conflict situations.
Public Health Emergencies: This type of crisis response is primarily focused on addressing public health crises such as pandemics, infectious diseases, and epidemics.
Refugee and Migration: This type of crisis response focuses on providing assistance to refugees and migrants who have been forced to flee their homes due to violence, persecution, or other forms of unrest.
Chronic Emergencies: This type of crisis response addresses the needs of communities that are experiencing prolonged emergencies due to conflicts, natural disasters, or other factors.
Food Security and Livelihood: This type of humanitarian response is focused on addressing food insecurity and livelihood challenges faced by communities, particularly in areas affected by conflict or natural disasters.
Gender-Based Violence: This type of crisis response is focused on addressing gender-based violence in humanitarian settings including sexual assault, domestic violence, and child marriage.
Education: This type of humanitarian response focuses on ensuring access to education for children and young adults in conflict and crisis settings.
Protection: This type of crisis response is focused on protecting the rights and safety of individuals in humanitarian settings, including refugees, internally displaced persons, and others.
Humanitarian Policy and Advocacy: This type of humanitarian response is focused on advocating for policies and funding to support humanitarian efforts globally.
"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."