Principled humanitarian action is under attack around the world. Violent conflict has reached record highs. As of August 2019, 70.8 million people are considered forcibly displaced by armed conflict, and nearly 132 million people need emergency humanitarian assistance. At the same time, there has been a steep escalation in the deliberate, willful obstruction of humanitarian access, impeding the ability of humanitarian aid to reach the most vulnerable people and vice versa. Blocked humanitarian access is an urgent crisis which demands our heightened attention.
This report describes the contours of the problem, explores the role of the United States, and offers recommendations for overcoming the manifold access challenges.