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Module Two

The document outlines the goals and effectiveness criteria of humanitarian assistance, emphasizing the importance of life-saving interventions, safeguarding human dignity, and restoring livelihoods. It discusses the practice of humanitarian diplomacy from various actors' perspectives, including governments, NGOs, and international organizations, highlighting their roles in negotiating access and ensuring aid delivery. Additionally, it defines five criteria for analyzing humanitarian aid effectiveness: relevance, appropriateness, efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
22 views8 pages

Module Two

The document outlines the goals and effectiveness criteria of humanitarian assistance, emphasizing the importance of life-saving interventions, safeguarding human dignity, and restoring livelihoods. It discusses the practice of humanitarian diplomacy from various actors' perspectives, including governments, NGOs, and international organizations, highlighting their roles in negotiating access and ensuring aid delivery. Additionally, it defines five criteria for analyzing humanitarian aid effectiveness: relevance, appropriateness, efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability.

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threeamcybercafe
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You are on page 1/ 8

COURSE NAME: EXECUTIVE DIPLOMA IN HUMANITARAIN DIPLOMACY

STUDENT NAME: SIMON NGUNJIRI

STUDENT ADMISSION NUMBER:

ASSIGNMENT: MODULE NUMBER TWO

DATE OF ISSUE:

FACILITATOR:

Page 1 of 8
1. Explain the Goal of Humanitarian Assistance (10 marks)

 One of the main aims of humanitarian aid is to provide the people who were hit by the
disaster or in the case of conflicts, some other humanitarian crisis, with the required care and
support.
 Reducing suffering through life-saving interventions: The principal goal is saving lives by
providing the needy with food, water, shelter, and healthcare to fulfill the most pressing
needs.
 Safeguarding human dignity: Besides being the basic rights of individuals by offering
humanitarian aid, it also allows the respect and non-discrimination of recipients to be
ensured.
 Coping with the creation of livelihood: along with emergency relief, humanitarian assistance
aids in building public resilience capacities and thus the opportunity for recovery and have a
long-term stable development.
 Humanitarian principles: Humanitarian assistance shall be offered in compliance with,
neutrality, and independence, thus ensuring it helps those who need it without any political or
military intrusion.

2. Define the Following Aid Effectiveness Criteria (20 marks)

The ultimate goal of humanitarian aid is to bring needed care and support to people who are affected
by disasters, conflicts, or besides any other kind of humanitarian crisis. Some of the main objectives
of humanitarian assistance are:

Life-saving interventions: The immediate goal is to reduce human suffering by providing the most
critical goods and services such as food, water, shelter, and healthcare.

Protection of human dignity: Humanitarian aid guarantees the rights of individuals, who in turn get
treated humanely without any form of bias, thus respect to human rights is amply shown.

Livelihood restoration: The only tangible result of emergency relief is the rebuilding of communities
and their resilience to livelihoods as well as the creating of new opportunities to recover from the
damage and to build a long-term stability.

Humanitarian principles: Humanitarian aid is to be rendered impartially, neutrally and independently.


It serves those who are in need without political or military interference.
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a) Coherence

Coherence is the consistency or harmony in the humanitarian strategies pursued and implemented by
the key actors (governments, non-governmental organizations, and international organizations) to
avoid duplication of functions and interventions to at the least complement each other. Because of
this, the country sidestepped conflicting policies or actions.

b) Coverage

Coverage: This implies to how far the humanitarian assistance is reaching the populations that have
been affected, especially the most at risk. Good coverage means that no single group is left out of the
aid. This step consists of the right mapping of the affected communities and the proper distribution
systems.

c) Efficiency

Efficiency is a term that is conveyed to the aspects of the resources used in a way that is extremely
effective, thus making the impact of the interventions hard-hitting. It involves appropriateness in
terms of time of delivery, proficiency in logistics, and lesser production waste. For example, if
medical supplies fulfill the mission in a health emergency by arriving where they are intended to be
without any delay, it is considered to be efficient.

d) Effectiveness

Effectiveness refers to the level through which the humanitarian interventions result in the targeted
end. The assessments that pinpoint the weaknesses and strengths of aid programs will show whether
they have improved the situations of the beneficiaries or not. For example, if a vaccination campaign
stops the spread of a certain disease, it is a good sign for its effectiveness.

e) Impact

Impact entails the measurement of humanitarian aid over a longer period, including immediate
outcomes and the sustainability of the recovery effort. For example, the impact of providing
education in refugee camps may go beyond the crisis itself to help build long-term social stability.

3. Explain the Definition of the Practice of Diplomacy in Humanitarian Action Depending on


the Actor’s Interpretation and Prioritization (20 marks)

Page 3 of 8
Humanitarian diplomacy is the practice of negotiating, advocating, and engaging in a dialogue to
secure access to humanitarian assistance, protection of affected populations, and respect for the
principles of humanitarian action. Humanitarian diplomacy will look different depending on whose
priorities and mandates are at stake:

 Governments may prioritize national security and sovereignty, often interpreting


humanitarian diplomacy in terms of geopolitical interests. For instance, a government may
allow humanitarian access for political or military support in return.
 International Organizations: The UN, WHO, and others try to advance the principles of
neutrality, impartiality, and independence in humanitarian action. The diplomacy in this
respect is very often directed at ensuring access to the affected populations unhindered,
negotiating for humanitarian cease-fires, and advocating for respect for international law.
 NGOs focus on the core principles of humanitarian action: neutrality, impartiality, and
independence. The diplomatic efforts of NGOs usually go toward operational space in
conflict zones, the safety of humanitarian workers, and advocating civilian protection.
 Donor countries and private actors see diplomacy in terms of where to allocate finance and
resources. Their diplomatic efforts often involve influencing policies to ensure effective aid
allocation and fostering international cooperation.

This complexity renders humanitarian diplomacy multivocal, being highly contextualized on each
one actor's value and commitment to respective goals.

4. Explain the Practice of Diplomacy for Philippe Régnier (10 marks)

Philippe Régnier, a recognized expert in humanitarian diplomacy, highlights the role of humanitarian
organizations in negotiating with various stakeholders—governments, armed groups, and
international organizations. His key points on humanitarian diplomacy include:

 Negotiation of access: Diplomacy is crucial in ascertaining humanitarian access in areas of


conflict or disaster, and may involve negotiations with military and political leaders.
 Neutrality: Humanitarian actors should be neutral, especially when engaging with the parties
to a conflict, to ensure that aid is impartial.
 Engaging with local and international actors: The work of diplomacy is both at the local
level, with armed groups and local authorities, and at the international level, through global
advocacy.

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 Protection of Civilians: One of the central tenets of Régnier's diplomatic role is to advocate
for civilian populations, pushing for respect for international humanitarian law and human
rights.

5. Explain Five Actors of Humanitarian Diplomacy, and Where Diplomacy Should Be


Practiced (20 marks)

a) Governments

Governments are key players in humanitarian diplomacy. They control the borders, security, and
resources that will influence the flow of humanitarian aid. Most of the diplomacy with governments
takes place through bilateral negotiations or international summits. The focus of the diplomacy is to
get access to the affected populations and political and logistical support for the aid efforts.

b) Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs)

NGOs provide the majority of humanitarian assistance and practice diplomacy to retain their
operational independence and access to affected populations. They do this at the local level through
negotiations with community leaders, armed groups, and government authorities for access to ensure
delivery of aid. c) International Organizations (such as UN, ICRC)

These are coordinating organizations involved in diplomacy with governments, NGOs, and other
humanitarian actors for efficient and coordinated aid delivery. It happens in multilateral forums-for
example, the UN General Assembly-through field-level coordination: d) Armed Groups and Military
Forces

Diplomacy with armed groups is necessary to ensure safe passage for humanitarian aid, as well as to
negotiate ceasefires or humanitarian corridors. This is often practiced at the tactical level during
conflict, through direct negotiations or third-party mediation.

e) Donors and Funding Agencies

Page 5 of 8
Payers are instrumental in financing humanitarian operations. Humanitarian diplomacy for donors
includes advocating for flexible funding and ensuring that the most vulnerable populations get access
to aid. More often, diplomacy here is done through meetings with donor governments, private
donors, or during international conferences.

6. Explain the Five Criteria Used to Analyze How the Objectives of Humanitarian Aid
Effectiveness Are Met (20 marks)

a) Relevance
Relevance looks at how well humanitarian assistance is matched to actual needs. The identification
and targeting of the most urgent needs are required to avoid wasting resources on interventions that
are either not needed or not appropriate.
b) Appropriateness
Appropriateness refers to the requirement that aid interventions be culturally, socially, and
contextually appropriate for the served populations. This will involve designing interventions that
respect local traditions and conditions.
c) Efficiency
Efficiency refers to the best utilization of resources such as time, money, and personnel with minimal
waste and delays. Efficiency at a high level is crucial for ensuring that aid reaches those in need in a
timely and cost-effective way.
d) Effectiveness
Effectiveness is a measure of the realization of objectives and delivery of results from the
humanitarian aid. Monitoring and evaluation are vital in establishing if an intervention has achieved
its goals.
e) Sustainability
Sustainability involves the long-term impact of the interventions. It considers the extent to which aid
contributes to the long-term enhancement of the community's capacity to restore and recover from
the crisis

Page 6 of 8
REFERENCES
Bennett, C. (2019). Humanitarian response: Lessons in coordination. Global Humanitarian
Assistance.
Harmer, A., & Macrae, J. (2004). Humanitarian action and the global agenda. The Journal of
Humanitarian Assistance.
Houghton, R. (2017). Humanitarian aid and development: Bridging the gap. Oxford University
Press.
Lischer, S. K. (2016). Humanitarian diplomacy in conflict zones. Peacekeeping and International
Relations, 24(1), 19-33.
Macrae, J., & Harmer, A. (2013). Humanitarian assistance in a changing world. The Journal of
Humanitarian Action, 18(2), 58-72.
Méndez, P. (2017). The role of armed groups in humanitarian diplomacy. International Review of
the Red Cross, 99(906), 811-830.
Pictet, J. (2019). The principles of humanitarian assistance. Cambridge University Press.
Régnier, P. (2017). Humanitarian diplomacy: A critical perspective. Journal of Humanitarian
Affairs, 22(3), 45-60.
Robinson, E., & Lee, C. (2018). Efficiency and humanitarian interventions. Journal of Humanitarian
Studies, 10(4), 256-269.
Slim, H. (2015). Humanitarian ethics: A guide to the morality of aid in war and disaster. Oxford
University Press.
Sphere Project. (2018). Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in
Humanitarian Response. Sphere Association.
Terry, F. (2002). The political economy of humanitarian assistance. New York University Press.

Page 7 of 8
UNHCR. (2020). The impact of education in humanitarian settings. United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees.

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