Bridging the gap

Humanitarian Principles and the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid: Why we need to protect neutral, impartial and independent aid in times of crisis.

Download the full report here (pdf)

Millions of men, women and children around the world today face the cruel reality of humanitarian crises as they struggle to overcome conflict and natural disaster, such as earthquakes and floods. For these people, frequently overwhelmed by the situation and unable cope alone, humanitarian assistance is critical to save lives, to ease suffering and to support families and communities as they rebuild and look to the future. 

At the heart of this assistance is the concept of humanity, encapsulating a universal belief in the fundamental dignity of every human being and in our shared responsibility to each other as part of a just world. For humanitarian actors like Trócaire, this belief shapes and drives our work. Humanitarian aid must be provided to address human suffering wherever it is found.

It must be provided to those who are most in need, regardless of nationality, race, gender, religious belief, class or political opinion. Those providing it must not take part in hostilities or engage in political controversies, and it must at all times be independent from political, economic, military or other objectives. 

These principles – of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence – provide the fundamental foundations for humanitarian action. They are more than a code of conduct or ethics, however.

Humanitarian actors know from experience that adherence to a principled approach to aid is essential in order to maintain safe and effective access to communities in need. Humanitarian principles provide a very practical means of building trust. When aid is linked with a political agenda, that trust is broken and our ability to access communities in need can be undermined. 

Of concern, therefore, is an emerging trend of recent years where the lines of distinction between humanitarian, military, security and foreign policy objectives have become blurred – with humanitarian concerns increasingly co-opted by other political agendas.

We are witnessing, for example, more military involvement in emergency response through ‘hearts and minds’ campaigns that can place a question mark in the eyes of local communities over the neutrality and independence of humanitarian workers. 

Increasingly, donors speak of linking humanitarian aid spending with national defence and security priorities. This is playing out as the current crisis continues to unfold in Somalia. 

There, the ability of the humanitarian community to respond to immediate need there has been considerably hampered by the politicisation of the humanitarian situation, including through the enforcement by key donors of tight restrictions on the delivery of aid in certain areas as part of the global war on terror strategy. The strong anti-terrorist stance taken by donors in the midst of a crisis has arguably reinforced perceptions of aid as a non-neutral political tool, with serious consequences for ordinary Somali people in extreme need.  

This Trócaire report, written in collaboration with the Caritas Europa network, tracks the development of this trend and its negative impact on the ability of humanitarian agencies to access people in need in countries as diverse as Afghanistan, Colombia and Somalia. ‘Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Practice: the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid and Humanitarian Principles’ highlights some of the concerns of the humanitarian community and looks at donor practices across the European Union in this regard. 

The EU and its Member States have expressed their commitment to humanitarian principles. This has been affirmed through the adoption of the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid in 2007. As a policy framework, it is an important instrument for promoting principled humanitarian assistance and guarding the humanitarian space within which agencies operate. What this report points to, however, is the failure of the EU and many Member States to consistently put the policy framework into practice.

The report, therefore, calls for the EU and its Member States to renew their commitment to the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid and its accompanying Action Plan. It identifies key recommendations for Member States, the European Commission, the European Council and other relevant European Union bodies, as well as NGOs, so as to safeguard the delivery of principled humanitarian assistance.  

Download the full report here (pdf)

For further information in relation to this report, please contact Helen Nic an Rí, Humanitarian Policy Officer, Trócaire, hnicanri@trocaire.ie.