Journal of Humanitarian Aid

The realities which Humanitarian Aid Organizations must face are explained in this site. Focusing on:

• The difficulty of offering a fast, quality and efficient response which is simultaneously coordinated with all the agents which participate.
• The challenge is to return the humanity which is lost when facing the consequences or a natural disaster or armed conflict.
• The commitment is to provide humanitarian aid in the medium and long term, until restoring the situation, but without overstaying in the zone.
• Raise awareness in the political actors about those areas in which their function is required since humanitarian aid does not pretend to replace local government functions.
• The commitment to point out and denounce those who are guilty of human rights violations.
• The commitment to save lives and relieve human suffering. Keeping the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence.
• To be alert before its own aid and cooperation actions, avoiding interfering with possible external solutions.

Therefore, the objective pursued by the cooperation agencies cannot only be that of providing humanitarian aid which solves the basic need of the ones affected. It must go beyond, protecting the victims and making the commitment of pointing out and prosecute the culprits, even when the objective is not to revert or change a political conflict situation, since it is far beyond its capacities.

The keys to humanitarian aid

• Shared Competency: In the area of cooperation for the development of humanitarian aid, the EU will dispose of the competency to carry out actions and a common policy, preventing the exercise of this competency from having as an effect hindering other States to execute their own.
• Humanity: To reduce human suffering wherever it is produced, with especial attention to the most vulnerable people will be ensured.
• Neutrality: the aid must not favor any of the involved parties in an armed or any type of conflict.
• Impartiality: humanitarian aid must be given paying attention only to the needs of the population, without discriminating against people.
• Independence: It refers to the separation between the humanitarian objectives and political, economical, military or any other objectives, its only purpose is to relieve and prevent the suffering of population.