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Overview
The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) supported by Conflict Dynamics International has launched a project to develop practical resources for humanitarian actors, State actors and national authorities, and international organizations on humanitarian access in situations of armed conflict. A Consultation Group provides advice to the project.
The project will result in the development of two important resources: a Handbook and Field Manual on Humanitarian Access.
The project contributes directly to the fulfilment of the objectives of the FDFA Strategy on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict (2009 – 2012) pertaining to humanitarian access.
Context
Enabling humanitarian access has been an ever-present challenge in situations of armed conflict since the birth of modern humanitarianism. However, contemporary armed conflicts have manifested more acute challenges to securing and sustaining access to facilitate delivery of humanitarian assistance and protection.
These more acute challenges have arisen due to a number of factors: (1) the preponderance of internal armed conflict since the late 1980s which has resulted in more frequent need to engage with a multiplicity of non-State actors; (2) the proliferation of emergency relief actors in situations of armed conflict, which has necessitated negotiations and coordination efforts with more actors to secure humanitarian access; (3) the engagement of military forces in relief operations, which has in some contexts tended to blur the lines between humanitarian and military/civil-military actors; (4) the active targeting of humanitarian personnel by parties to armed conflict in some contexts; and (5) the use of private military contractors for military or security operations in some contexts.
Furthermore, the types of constraints on humanitarian access include: ongoing hostilities or otherwise insecure environment; destruction of infrastructure; and attempts by parties to armed conflict to intentionally block access. However, these ‘external’ constraints are often complicated by a lack of clarity – among State actors, non-State armed groups and humanitarian relief organizations – on the normative framework pertaining to humanitarian access. Adding to these challenges has been the fact that humanitarian negotiations to overcome constraints on access have often been undertaken in an ad hoc manner, with less than optimal outcomes.
Recognizing this increased difficulty and complexity in securing and sustaining humanitarian access in situations of armed conflict, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs convened an expert meeting on humanitarian access in situations of armed conflict, in Montreux, Switzerland in mid 2008.
The meeting sought to identify the main constraints on humanitarian access and to explore means to overcome these constraints at the legal, political and operational levels. Among the constraints on humanitarian access identified by participants at this meeting were:
- The lack of clarity regarding the existing legal obligations under the relevant bodies of law regarding the criteria for denial/constraint on access for humanitarian relief actors; and
- The need to create a practical handbook on the basic rules for humanitarian access.
Objectives
The project aims to contribute to improvement of the operational response to protection of civilians in situations of armed conflict through the development of resources that will assist in securing and sustaining humanitarian access. These resources will clarify and make accessible the normative framework and will provide practical information and guidance concerning humanitarian access. The specific project objectives are:
- to draft a Handbook on the normative framework pertaining to humanitarian access; and
- to draft a practical, operational-orientated Field Manual on humanitarian access.
Methodology and Project Activities
The methodology to develop the resources on humanitarian access includes the following components: (A) a comprehensive review of literature, projects and initiatives pertaining to humanitarian access; (B) detailed review, compilation of the normative framework for humanitarian access; (C) consultations and interviews with technical experts; (D) case studies on humanitarian access; (E) brainstorming sessions to capture past experiences and identify operational approaches; and (F) drafting and review of Handbook and Field Manual.
The project is being implemented in four phases, as follows:
Phase I. Research and initial consultations
Phase II. Case studies on humanitarian access
Phase III. Drafting of Handbook and Field Manual, and consultations
Phase IV. Finalization of Handbook and Field Manual
Project Outputs
I. A Handbook on Humanitarian Access which will lay out the normative framework to humanitarian access. This publication will be orientated towards a broad audience including: State actors and national authorities, international organizations and humanitarian organizations.
II. A Field Manual on Humanitarian Access containing operational guidance on the approach and rules pertaining to humanitarian access, for which the primary target audience will be humanitarian actors.
Consultation Process
The project features two inter-related consultation processes to engage relevant stakeholders in dialogue with a view to soliciting perspectives, inputs and comments that can inform and contribute to development of the two main project outputs: the Handbook and Field Manual on Humanitarian Access. The consultation processes will seek to contribute to the maximum possible engagement with- and uptake/usage of the resources by relevant actors in situations of armed conflict.
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