Policy Brief 55
Key messages
• It is essential for aid agencies working in conflict situations to engage with all parties to the conflict in order to reach civilians in need of assistance and to advocate on issues of protection. Accessing areas under the control of armed non-state actors (ANSAs) requires careful and sustained dialogue. • Effective engagement with armed groups requires significant staff time and resources and capacity, which many aid agencies have not sufficiently developed or prioritised. • Joint advocacy and more closely coordinated action are required by aid agencies to tackle the broader challenges to engagement with ANSAs, particularly counter-terrorism legislation and other policies designed to obstruct humanitarian dialogue.