HPG Working Paper
The key research questions identified for this project were: • What role should governments play in the coordination of humanitarian actors and how do state coordination roles relate to international actors? • How do international humanitarian actors assess the capacity of the state to respond to disaster and make decisions about when it is or is not appropriate to substitute for the state? • What is the appropriate role of nongovernmental actors in influencing the state to fulfil its responsibilities to assist and protect citizens affected by disasters? • What are the perceptions of government officials involved in particular disaster responses about international humanitarian actors and vice versa? • What capacities do states have to respond to disasters and legislate for and coordinate international actors at both national and local levels? • How can tensions between the desire of states to ensure the accountability of humanitarian organisations and the concern of humanitarian actors to maintain independence be resolved?
