Scientific Publication

Humanitarian access negotiations with non-state armed groups. Internal guidance gaps and emerging good practice

Abstract

This paper seeks to provide an overview of the operational challenges and emerging good practices in negotiations on humanitarian access with non-state armed groups (NSAGs) during humanitarian responses in high-risk countries. It draws primarily on research conducted for Secure Access in Volatile Environments (SAVE), a research programme (2013–2016) exploring the question of how to deliver a high-quality humanitarian response amid high levels of insecurity. The research involved extensive fieldwork in four of the most dangerous aid settings during those three years: Afghanistan, South Central Somalia, South Sudan and Syria