What Is Humanitarian Relief

[Food Drop in South Sudan - Geoffrey Chege 2005]

Humanitarian relief is the provision of life-saving assistance to those in need, including victims of both conflicts and natural disasters. The most succinct definition is provided by the UN: “aid that seeks to save lives and alleviate suffering of a crisis-affected population.”

The UN definition goes on to stress that humanitarian assistance must be provided in line with the basic humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality and neutrality. (Other, similar definitions of humanitarian relief are included below.)

Specific relief activities include food distributions, emergency shelter and other essential non-food items, camp coordination, provision of basic services such as health, water, sanitation and hygiene and education, agricultural support, and protection activities.

The majority of this assistance is provided by humanitarian agencies, including the United Nations, the Red Cross movement, and international and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Theoretically, humanitarian relief would seamlessly transition to early recovery, which would then lead to longer-term development. Early recovery is “a multi-dimensional process, guided by development principles, that seeks to build upon humanitarian programmes and to catalyze sustainable development opportunities.”

This in turn sets the stage for more traditional development activities, which focus on addressing the economic, social and political causes of poverty.

However, this transition is rarely so straight-forward. These categories frequently overlap, while there are often both coordination and funding gaps as agencies try to move from relief to development activities. For further information, please see this UN report, or remarks by Elizabeth Ferris at Brookings and by Louise Marchand of the Canadian International Development Agency.

Definitions of Humanitarian Relief:

Aid that seeks, to save lives and alleviate suffering of a crisis-affected population. Humanitarian assistance must be provided in accordance with the basic humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality and neutrality, as stated in General Assembly Resolution 46/182. In addition, the UN seeks to provide humanitarian assistance with full respect for the sovereignty of States. Assistance may be divided into three categories - direct assistance, indirect assistance and infrastructure support - which have diminishing degrees of contact with the affected population. (OCHA Glossary of Humanitarian Terms in relation to the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict)

Assistance, protection and advocacy actions undertaken on an impartial basis in response to human needs resulting from complex political emergencies and natural hazards. (ALNAP)

All acts, activities and the human and material resources for the provision of goods and services of an exclusively humanitarian character, indispensable for the survival and the fulfillment of the essential needs of the victims of disasters. (UN International Law Commission, Sixtieth Session, Protection of persons in the event of disasters (2008) – Glossary)

The generic term used to describe aid and action designed to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain and protect human dignity during and in the aftermath of emergencies. Humanitarian assistance includes both responses by local communities and governments of affected countries and the international response to crises. (Global Humanitarian Assistance)