This scoping study examines the ever present but intensifying tensions between the provision of humanitarian relief and advancement of rights. While not mutually exclusive, the foregrounding of humanitarianism often comes at the expense of social justice. This can be seen, for example, when social movements are redirected to providing relief, as humanitarian funding gradually distorts the shape of civil society.
The Humanitarian Policy Group’s (HPG’s) research examines these different tensions through country studies in Ethiopia, Myanmar, Syria and Guatemala. A scoping study by design, the research sets the scene for issues that HPG intends to grapple with in coming years, and that the humanitarian sector cannot afford to ignore.