GPPi will evaluate European Commission's humanitarian access strategies

The European Union’s humanitarian aid department, DG ECHO, has asked GPPi to conduct a review of humanitarian access strategies as well as an assessment of access and advocacy strategies in five countries. Conducted from November 2011 to May 2012, the project will show what DG ECHO, its partners and other humanitarian actors have done to enhance access in a wide range of crisis contexts. The project is titled Evaluation and Review of Humanitarian Access Strategies in DG ECHO-funded Interventions.

The increase in attacks against humanitarian aid workers over the past decade is only one of many impediments to accessing populations in need. Other factors – including constraints by host governments, administrative or financial regulations from donors, or the organizations’ internal requirements and regulations – all restrict aid organizations from delivering their services during armed conflict and natural disasters.

Amid growing concern about humanitarian access, aid organizations have adopted new advocacy strategies and revised their operational approaches to deliver essential services under challenging conditions — while adhering to the core principles accepted by the humanitarian community. They face difficult trade-offs when trying to adhere to the core principles accepted by the humanitarian community, such as neutrality and impartiality.

The European Union is one of the world’s largest humanitarian aid donors, and its humanitarian aid department, DG ECHO, funds operations in crisis contexts worldwide. DG ECHO advocates for humanitarian access and strives to preserve or facilitate the humanitarian space necessary to reach affected populations. In addition to its own actions as a donor, the directorate seeks to understand the different access strategies applied by its partners and other humanitarian actors; this is necessary to ensure coherence and better coordination.

The review that GPPi will put together will show what DG ECHO, its partners and other humanitarian actors have done to enhance access in a wide range of crisis contexts. GPPi will review examples of existing good practices as well as recommendations made to donors and implementing agencies. An evaluation of five country case studies will then allow for an in-depth assessment of access and advocacy strategies with a focus on recent DG ECHO-funded action.