Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Short pieces:

"The humanitarian system celebrates refugee-led organisations, then starves them," The New Humanitarian, 28 April 2026 [text]

Middle East crisis ripple effects strain aid efforts beyond region (UNHCR, May 2026) [text]

Reports:

Health in a World of Crises and Impunity (Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health–Lancet Commission on Health, Conflict, and Forced Displacement, May 2026) [info]

- Note: Unfortunately, the report itself is not open access, but apparently, users can register for free to read the text. Otherwise, the companion website offers executive summaries and policy briefs. A number of launch events have also been scheduled. See also related TNH article.

Standby Partnerships Report 2025 (UNHCR, May 2026) [text]

The state of international humanitarian funding to local and national actors (ODI Humanitarian Policy Group, May 2026) [text]

Journal articles:

"Advocating for a ‘New International Humanitarian Order’: Reform in the Name of Humanity and the Planet during the 1980s," Journal of Humanitarian Affairs, Ahead-of-Print, 14 April 2026 [open access]

"Aiding peace or conflict? The impact of USAID cuts on violence," Science, vol. 392, no. 6799 (May 2026) [free full-text]

- See also related commentary and NPR article.

"Caring humanitarian leadership: Exploring practices through real life experiences," The Humanitarian Leader, vol. 8, no. 1 (2026) [open access]

"Rhetoric vs. reality: The meaningful participation of migrants in humanitarian action," The Humanitarian Leader, vol. 8, no. 1 (2026) [open access]

"Strategies for closing humanitarian programs ethically: insights from a scoping review and analysis of endline reports from the Canadian Red Cross," Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 11:11 (May 2026) [open access]

Voice Out Loud, no. 40 (Dec. 2025) [full-text via ReliefWeb] 

- Issue theme is "Fragility: The Cost of Inaction."

"Where Are Workers? Centring Logistics Labour in Humanitarian Aid Analyses," Journal of Humanitarian Affairs, Ahead-of-Print, 14 April 2026 [open access]

Multimedia:

What it means for humanitarians to be political (Rethinking Humanitarianism, May 2026) [access]

Related posts:

- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance - Pt. 1 (27 April 2026)

- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance - Pt. 2 (27 April 2026)

Regional Focus: MENA

Short pieces:

Despite announced ceasefire, more people are forced to flee their homes in Lebanon (UNHCR, May 2026) [text]

Middle East crisis ripple effects strain aid efforts beyond region (UNHCR, May 2026) [text]

"Palestinians in Gaza mark anniversary of 1948 mass expulsion and say today’s catastrophe is worse," AP News, 15 May 2026 [text]

Tunisia: End Abusive Prosecution of Refugee Aid Workers (HRW, May 2026) [text]

Where Iranians are going under fire – a real‑time picture of displacement (The Conversation, May 2026) [text]

Reports:

An Analysis of Afghan Onward Movements from Iran to Türkiye (UNHCR, May 2026) [text]

Deaths and Displacement in Lebanon: Update on the Human Rights Situation in Lebanon (OHCHR, April 2026) [text]

Overview Report: Practices and policies affecting human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,

including East Jerusalem (7 October 2023 – 31 May 2025) (OHCHR, May 2026) [text]

Protracted Displacement in the Middle East and North Africa (Baker Institute, May 2026) [text]

- A compilation of nine briefs that "examine innovative approaches and state strategies for addressing long-term displacement — from refugee-led responses in Lebanon to climate-focused diplomacy in Egypt and Jordan, and alternative pathways in the United Arab Emirates — offering lessons on governance, inclusion, and durable solutions."

Syrian refugees in Turkey: real prospects for returning to Syria?, Les Analyses du CERI (SciencesPo, April 2026) [text]

Journal articles:

"Navigating access barriers: Strategies for Syrian refugees confronting healthcare challenges in Jordan - A qualitative approach," PLOS Glob Public Health 6(5): e0006136 (May 2026) [open access]

"The Prohibition on Forced Displacement, the Right to Leave, Non-Refoulement and the Right to Return: Four Sides of the Same Coin?," International & Comparative Law Quarterly, vol. 75, no. 1 (2026) [open access]

- "The article posits that a future realisation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination has been coopted by external actors as a justification for infringing, in an immediate and tangible sense, the individual rights of Gazans to leave the strip in order to seek and to enjoy elsewhere protection from rights violations... ."

Related posts:

- Thematic Focus: Gender-related Issues - Pt. 2 (MENA) (11 May 2026)

- Regional Focus: MENA (28 April 2026)

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance - Pt. 1

Short pieces:

The case for prioritising national expertise in humanitarian work (HPN, March 2026) [text]

Cutting Aid Means Cutting Rights: Who Decides Which Rights Matter for Internally Displaced Persons? (RID Blog, April 2026) [text]

- Focuses on Haiti and South Sudan.

Internal Displacement in the Context of Hyper Prioritisation (RID Blog, March 2026) [text] 

International aid fell sharply in 2025, says OECD (OECD, April 2026) [text]

- See also related TNH article.

New initiative to strengthen global humanitarian surge capacity (NRC, April 2026) [text]

A Personal Reflection: National Ownership and Localisation in Displacement Contexts – Are We Ready? (RID Blog, April 2026) [text]

Some Questions for Congress About Trump’s Request for Funding for the Board of Peace (Just Security, April 2026) [text]

USAID Spending at the Country and Sector Level: What Happened in Fiscal Year 2025? (CGD Blog, April 2026) [text]

- See also related posts on who is getting new US foreign assistance contracts and Trump’s proposed FY27 foreign assistance budget.

The Washington Post’s Optimistic Read on Aid Cuts Doesn’t Hold Up (CGD Blog, April 2026) [text]

With over 1,000 aid workers killed in 3 years, often at the hands of Member States, UN Relief Chief demands accountability (OCHA, April 2026) [text]

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance (26 March 2026)

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Opportunity:

Lecture: Lessons from the Field: Safe Programming and Safeguarding in Humanitarian Work, Cairo, 14 January 2026 [info]

Short pieces:

"2025 Was Uniquely Bad for Poor Countries," Time Magazine, 18 Dec. 2025 [text]

"Abrupt transitions: The Global Humanitarian Overview pushes a dangerous trend," The New Humanitarian, 11 Dec. 2025 [text]

Complying with IHL in Large-scale Conflicts Blog Series (Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog, 2025) [access]

Update on Lives Lost from USAID Cuts (CGD Blog, Dec. 2025) [text]

"US ‘adapt, shrink or die’ terms for $2bn aid pot will mean UN bowing down to Washington, say experts," The Guardian, 1 Jan. 2026 [text]

"What’s shaping aid policy in 2026," The New Humanitarian, 7 Jan. 2026 [text]

**For more updates on developments in this area, sign up for one or more of The New Humanitarian's various newsletter options (such as Inklings and weekly "cheat sheets"), as well as IHSA's weekly selection of humanitarian blog posts.

Reports & journal articles:

2025 Global Protection Forum Report (Global Protection Cluster, Jan. 2026) [text via ReliefWeb]

2026 Emergency Watchlist: New World Disorder (International Rescue Committee, Dec. 2025) [access]

- See also related article.

Humanitarian year in review: shocks and reverberations (ALNAP, Dec. 2025) [text]

"Moral injury among humanitarian aid personnel: a preliminary examination of associations with rumination and mental health," Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 11:1 (Jan. 2026) [open access]

"Supporting self-reliance for displaced and host populations: insights from the Self-Reliance Index across 16 countries," BMJ Global Health, vol. 10, no. 12 (Dec. 2025) [open access]

Multimedia:

*Funding crisis, UN reform and the future of humanitarian work, 6 Nov. 2025 [access]

Humanitarian Assistance in a Time of Deep Foreign Aid Cuts, 9 Jan. 2026 [access]

What we’ve learned so far: Key takeaways for 2026 (Rethinking Humanitarianism Podcast, Jan. 2026) [access]

Resource:

The Aid Report: Documenting the Real-world Impacts of U.S. Foreign Aid Cuts [access]

- This news site combines "original reporting, verified crowdsourced updates, and curated data and stories from credible sources to provide a clear, evidence-based view of what’s happening on the ground — across sectors, around the world. Our goal is to inform the debate about the future of U.S. international aid. We do that by delivering real-time intelligence on the human and national security effects of aid decisions for policymakers, journalists, researchers, and the general public.

*UPDATED

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance (9 Dec. 2025)

Regional Focus: MENA

Short pieces:

Central Mediterranean deaths at 370 this year, with 300 missing (InfoMigrants, Aug. 2025) [text]

- Focuses on Libya.

"How Israel’s new NGO registration rules seek to divide the international aid response," The New Humanitarian, 25 Aug. 2025 [text]

“Humanitarian” Killing Zones (EJIL: Talk Blog, Aug. 2025) [text]

UNHCR deputy chief calls for support to end displacement for millions of Syrians (UNHCR, Sept. 2025) [text]

"U.S.-run ‘Gaza Riviera’: Post-war redevelopment plan sees ‘voluntary relocation’ of millions," CNBC, 1 Sept. 2025 [text]

"Why are Yemen's Houthi group targeting aid workers?," DW, 1 Sept. 2025 [text]

Reports & journal articles:

"Cultural Rights and Social Inclusion: Reflections on the Engagement of Refugee Communities in Egyptian Museums," Curator: The Museum Journal, Early View, 13 Aug. 2025 [open access]

"'The dog that barks doesn’t bite'? Non-performativity in migration diplomacy: EUropean-Lebanese engagement on refugee return to Syria," Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Latest Articles, 20 Aug. 2025 [open access]

"Drowned in Silence: North African complicity in Mediterranean migrant deaths?," Revue Hijra : La Revue Marocaine du Droit d’Asile et Migration, no. 3 (July 2025) [full-text]

"From conditionality to weaponisation: the transformation of aid in Palestine post-October 2023," Third World Quarterly, Latest Articles, 31 July 2025 [open access]

Gaza Strip: Famine confirmed in Gaza Governorate, projected to expand (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, Aug. 2025) [access via ReliefWeb]

- See also related FEWS NET Alert and articles in TNH and The Telegraph. 

"Persisting in Dispossession: Palestinian Dialect, Identity, and 75 Years of Exile in Lebanon," QRP: Quarterly on Refugee Problems - AWR Bulletin, vol. 64, no. 2 (2025) [open access]

Racing against rumours: Understanding harmful information on humanitarian needs and response in Lebanon (CDAC Network, July 2025) [access via ReliefWeb]

- Available in English and Arabic.

"Reflections on refugee political subjectivation: the case of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon," CONfines de Relaciones Internacionales y Ciencia Política, vol. 21, no. 41 (2025) [open access]

"Refuge, Return, Repeat: A Perpetual Calculus for Palestinian Refugees from Syria Post-Assad," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Latest Articles, 21 Aug. 2025 [Academia]

"Refugee policy narratives of political parties in Turkey," Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Latest Articles, 4 Sept. 2025 [open access]

- "Examines the diverging narratives of the governing and opposition parties in Turkey about Syrian refugee policies between 2011 and 2023."

Related post:

- Regional Focus: MENA (13 Aug. 2025)

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Short pieces:

Accelerating Refugee Inclusion Amidst Devastating Aid Cuts (CGD Blog, June 2025) [text]

Breaking system inertia: why the humanitarian reset must prioritise civilian protection (HPN, July 2025) [text]

Cuts to USAID: The Fallout Continues (Global Policy Blog, June/July 2025) [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

- See also related CGD blog post.

How aid cuts may be affecting humanitarian workers (The Conversation, June 2025) [text]

["Humanitarian Reset" articles in The New Humanitarian]

- "Beyond the reset: Five priorities for genuine humanitarian transformation," 19 June 2025 

- "Humanitarian protection needs a reset, too," 17 June 2025

- "If not a humanitarian 'reset', then what?," 23 June 2025

- "Reset, reform, or repeat? Humanitarianism’s reboot searches for the right script," 16 June 2025

- "Why refugee-led organisations are key to the humanitarian reset," 9 July 2025

The Ongoing Crisis in US Foreign Assistance Delivery (CGD Blog, July 2025) [text]

- See also earlier related blog post.

"Really, Secretary Rubio? I’m Lying About the Kids Dying Under Trump?," New York Times, 31 May 2025 [text]

The UN Relief Chief Makes a Splash, but is He Right for the Job? (PassBlue, May 2025) [text]

UNHCR steadfast in refugee protection as it completes review of operations, structures and staffing (UNHCR, June 2025) [text]

- Related note: So far, UNHCR has closed/is planning to close field offices in: Constanța, Romania; Suceava, Romania; Laayoune, Western Sahara; four in Mexico; Tindouf, Algeria; and Trinidad & Tobago, as well as some UNHCR-supported community centers in Syria.

What happens when humanitarian aid is cut or delayed? (VoxDev, June 2025) [text]

Why Humanitarianism Continues Despite the Famine of Resources: The dreadful logic of suffering (International Development Blog, June 2025) [text]

"Why pivoting to local partners is best for one cash-strapped UK charity," The New Humanitarian, 5 June 2025 [text]

Reports:

Costs of Immunization Services in Humanitarian Settings (International Rescue Committee, June 2025) [text via ReliefWeb]

Flexible Funding in 2024 (UNHCR, June 2025) [access]

Global Humanitarian Assistance Report 2025 (ALNAP, June 2025) [access]

- Follow link for report and launch event recording.

The IASC Humanitarian Reset examined: A strategic briefing for NGOs (ICVA, updated June 2025) [access]

- See also related planning paper.

Lives at Risk: Chaotic and Abrupt Cuts to Foreign Aid Put Millions of Lives at Risk (Amnesty International, May 2025) [access]

Putting the Humanitarian Principles into Practice: A Practical Guide for Humanitarian NGO Leaders (ICVA, May 2025) [text via ReliefWeb]

Reckoning and Renewal: A Future-ready Humanitarian System (Grand Bargain Ambassadors, July 2025) [access]

Journal articles & book chapters:

"Development of supplier evaluation framework for resilient and sustainable humanitarian supply chains," Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management, EarlyCite, 6 May 2025 [open access]

"Evaluating protection, inclusiveness and dignity in humanitarian aid: a systematic literature review," Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management, EarlyCite, 24 June 2025 [open access]

"Evaluating the impact of two decades of USAID interventions and projecting the effects of defunding on mortality up to 2030: a retrospective impact evaluation and forecasting analysis," The Lancet, Online First, 30 June 2025 [open access]

- See also related CNN article.

"Humanitarian observatories: insights for reforming humanitarianism from below," Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 10:10 (June 2025) [open access]

"The impact of US foreign aid cuts on global health," Chapter in The economic consequences of the second Trump administration: A preliminary assessment (CEPR Press, June 2025) [full-text]

- Scroll to p. 459.

Multimedia:

An interview with UN relief chief Tom Fletcher (Rethinking Humanitarianism Podcast Series, 10 July 2025) [access]

What’s missing is a relationship with the grassroots (Power Shift Podcast Series, 5 June 2025) [access]

Resource:

ReliefWeb Submit: Share Your Updates with the Humanitarian Community [info]

- "A new service that allows UN partners to directly contribute content to ReliefWeb through a simple and secure submission form."

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance (27 May 2025)

Regional Focus: MENA

Opportunity:

Short course: Palestinian Refugee Issues, Cairo, 25-28 May 2025 [info]

- Apply by 15 May 2025.

Short pieces:

*Besieged, Humanitarian Access Snapshot #11 (ActionAid et al., April 2025) [text via ReliefWeb]

Don’t look away (The New Humanitarian) [access]

- Series of first person articles by Palestinians in Gaza.

"Gaza: Acts of war bear hallmarks of atrocity crimes, warn UN humanitarians," UN News, 28 March 2025 [text]

- See also related OHCHR briefing note.

*Libya: Ten NGOs suspended due to 'hostile support of migrants' (InfoMigrants, April 2025) [text]

*Limited Protection: Israel’s High Court of Justice Rejection of Gaza Humanitarian Aid Petition (Just Security, April 2025) [text]

New Israeli Guidelines Threaten to Eliminate Humanitarian Action in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Almost Entirely (Just Security Blog, April 2025) [text]

- See also related blog post.

Palestine Red Crescent urges probe into Israel’s killing of aid workers, seeks missing staffer (JURIST News, April 2025) [text]

"Tunisia dismantles sub-Saharan migrant camps and forcibly deports some," Reuters, 5 April 2025 [text]

Tunisia: Hundreds of migrants intercepted at sea are nowhere to be found (InfoMigrants, April 2025) [text]

UNHCR: Needs intensify as 400,000 Syrians return (UNHCR, April 2025) [text]

- Note: References the "Syria is Home" digital information platform, which provides "timely and impartial information on the return process including legal steps, identification documents, access to housing, health care, education and more." 

UNHCR Commends Egyptian Government for Extending Refugee Residence Permits to One Year (UNHCR, April 2025) [text]

New open access book:

"Suis-je un réfugié?" Les stratégies de survie de Syriens dans les espaces urbains en Turquie et en Jordanie (Presses de l’Inalco, 2024; OA in April 2025) [open access]

- "Entre 2011 et 2024, plus de 6 millions de personnes ont dû quitter la Syrie. Une grande partie d’entre elles se sont réfugiées dans les pays voisins, notamment en Turquie et en Jordanie. En s’appuyant sur de nombreux entretiens et sur une observation critique des organisations humanitaires qu’elle a pu rejoindre, l’autrice rend compte des stratégies de survie adoptées par les individus en exil dans ces deux pays. S’ils subissent des discriminations du fait de leur statut, ces dernières ne sont pas les mêmes pour tous puisqu’elles se croisent avec d’autres dimensions de leur identité. Leurs stratégies de survie sont donc elles-mêmes traversées par des rapports sociaux de race, de classe et de genre. Alors que la chute du régime de Bachar al-Assad a suscité l’espoir d’un retour, mais aussi la crainte de la remise en question de leur statut pour de nombreux réfugiés syriens, ce livre vise à rendre compte de l’expérience de l’exil dans toute sa complexité."

Reports:

Displaced Communities, Forgotten People: Israel’s Forcible Transfer of Palestinians in the West Bank (Physicians for Human Rights, April 2025) [access via ReliefWeb]

- Available in English, Arabic and Hebrew.

Expansion of the Gaza Buffer Zone: Strategic Patterns and Humanitarian Impact (SARI Global, April 2025) [text via ReliefWeb]

From Libya to Syria: Navigating Displacement Crises Post-Regime (USCRI, April 2025) [text]

Guidance for Humanitarian Aid Workers Negotiating the Stay of IDPs on Private Land in Gaza (Global Protection Cluster, April 2025) [text via ReliefWeb]

Internally Displaced Persons in Lebanon: Perspectives on Return and Future Intentions (IOM, March 2025) [text]

Protection Landscape in Syria: A Snapshot (Global Protection Cluster, March 2025) [text via ReliefWeb]

Situation Report on International Migration in the Arab Region 2025 - Migration-development nexus: pathways to prosperity (UN ESCWA & IOM, April 2025) [access via ReliefWeb]

- Available in English and Arabic.

Syrians Barometer 2023: A Framework for achieving social cohesion with Syrians in Turkey (MÜGAM & UNHCR, Aug. 2024; posted April 2025) [text]

- See earlier editions here.

Untraceable: Border practices and enforced disappearance in Morocco (ASGI & Univ. of Genoa, March 2025) [access]

Journal articles:

"Are We All Post Traumatic Yet? A Critical Narrative Review of Trauma Among Arab Refugees," International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services, OnlineFirst, 13 April 2025 [open access]

- "Our article reviews conceptual articles from the last three decades that propose alternative frameworks to understand trauma and traumatic stress among Arab refugees in the Arab region."

"Return of Syrians: Myth or Reality," Border Crossing, vol. 15, no. 1 (2025) [open access]

- Focuses on Turkey.

Resource:

Protecting the Human Rights of Migrants at Sea: A Course on the International Law of Maritime Jurisdiction, Interception, and Search and Rescue for the Middle East and North Africa - Facilitator’s Guide (IOM, Feb. 2024) [access]

- See also related e-course.

*UPDATED

Related post:

- Regional Focus: MENA (28 March 2025)

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Opportunities:

2025 Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks, 17-28 March 2025 [info]

- Note: "The first week (17 – 21 March) will be held remotely, the second week (24 – 28 March) will be organised face-to-face at the CICG in Geneva." See also more info via ODI.

Short pieces:

"Aid and Policy," The New Humanitarian [access]

- See recent opinion pieces and news reports relating to the state of humanitarian aid and the impact of the US aid freeze.

Burden-shedding: the unravelling of the OECD aid consensus (Devpolicy Blog, Match 2025) [text]

Frontline workforce: challenges, contributions and the path forward (Humanitarian Practice Network, March 2025) [text]

Is this the end of aid as we know it? (The Interpreter Blog, March 2025) [text]

Protecting frontline humanitarians: Australia’s role as a middle power (The Interpreter Blog, March 2025) [text]

Protection of civilians in armed conflict at sea: developing a humanitarian maritime coordination system (Humanitarian Practice Network, Feb. 2025) [text]

Rubio announces that 83% of USAID contracts will be canceled (Goats & Soda Blog, March 2025) [text]

- See also earlier related AP News article.

Supreme Court denies Trump request to block $2 billion foreign-aid payment (SCOTUSBlog, March 2025) [text]

TNH Inklings Newsletter (Feb. & March 2025) 

- The problem with aid salaries and aid cuts [text]

- What’s the humanitarian gameplan? [text]

- Why are NGOs cutting staff faster than the UN? [text]

"Trump overstepped his constitutional authority in freezing Congress’ funding for USAID, judge says," AP News, 11 March 2025 [text]

- See also 

U.S. Foreign Aid Freeze & Dissolution of USAID: Timeline of Events (Kaiser Family Foundation, March 2025) [text]

- See also related NYT article.

Reports & journal articles:

[ACAPS Reports on Implications of USAID Cuts and Funding Freeze]

- Democratic Republic of Congo

- Ethiopia

- Sudan

Beyond the Targets: An ambitious agenda to put aid back on track (Oxfam, March 2025) [text]

Closing programs whilst continuing to keep people safe: what to consider (Bond, March 2025) [text via ReliefWeb]

Lives on the Line: The human impact of US Foreign Aid Shifts (ICVA, March 2025) [text]

- See also ICVA's related resource page.

"Transmission in interprofessional humanitarian teamwork: a scoping review," Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 10:3 (March 2025) [open access]

USAID Funding Freeze and Its Impact on the Humanitarian Response in Syria (Northwest Syria NGO Forum, Feb. 2025) [text via ReliefWeb]

Multimedia:

The Aid System is Collapsing. Now What? (The Horn Podcast Series, March 2025) [access]

Related posts:

- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance - Pt. 1 (22 Feb. 2025)

- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance - Pt. 2 (22 Feb. 2025)

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance - Pt. 1

More on the dismantling of USAID & fallout from the US aid freeze:

News & commentary

• How the gutting of USAID is reverberating around the world: Worry, despair, praise (NPR's Goats & Soda Blog, 11 Feb. 2025) [text]
• Which Countries are Most Exposed to US Aid Cuts; and What Other Providers Can Do (CGD Blog, 11 Feb. 2025) [text]
• "Fifty countries affected by USAID freeze, says WHO," BBC News, 12 Feb. 2025 [text]
• "Thoughts on aid dependency amid the Trump chaos," The New Humanitarian, 12 Feb. 2025 [text]
• The US administration assault on DEIA is an assault on the humanitarian principles of humanity and impartiality (HPN, 12 Feb. 2025) [text]
• Supporting Freedom and a Foreign Aid Freeze are Incompatible — But Perhaps the Point? A Case Study (Just Security Blog, 13 Feb. 2025) [text]
• A judge orders a temporary thaw to Trump's foreign aid freeze. What will that mean? (NPR's Goats & Soda Blog, 14 Feb. 2025) [text]
• "US aid freezes escalate Syria’s crisis," The New Humanitarian, 17 Feb. 2025 [text]
• "Myanmar in 'polycrisis' as US aid freeze compounds long-term donor neglect," The New Humanitarian, 18 Feb. 2025 [text]
• "Why reform isn’t enough: From rethinking to remaking humanitarianism," The New Humanitarian, 18 Feb. 2025 [text]
• "IRC cutting thousands of staff after US aid freeze," The New Humanitarian, 19 Feb. 2025 [text]
• Which Agreements Are Being Terminated by USAID? (CGD Blog, 19 Feb. 2025) [text]
• Why the crisis in global aid is bigger than Trump (ODI Insights, 19 Feb. 2025) [text]
• Humanitarian Reset: Message from Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher to the humanitarian community (OCHA, 20 Feb. 2025) [text]
• The impact of the USAid funding freeze: what we know so far (Bond, 20 Feb. 2025) [text]
• Philanthropists urged to ‘step up’ as emergency funds launch to plug USAID freeze (Alliance Blog, 20 Feb. 2025 [text]
• "Trump administration is flouting an order to temporarily lift a freeze on foreign aid, judge says," AP News, 20 Feb. 2025 [text]
• What’s next for USAID? (The Interpreter Blog, 20 Feb. 2025) [text]
• "Who’s erasing DEI from their websites?," The New Humanitarian, 20 Feb. 2025 [text]
• "‘The impact has been devastating’: how USAid freeze sent shockwaves through Ethiopia," The Guardian, 21 Feb. 2025 [text]
• "In potential showdown, aid groups demand court find USAID, State officials in contempt," NPR, 21 Feb. 2025 [text]
• "Judge clears way for Trump administration to pull thousands of USAID staffers off the job," AP News, 21 Feb. 2025 [text]
• US aid freeze: A catastrophe looming for the Horn of Africa (ECPR, 21 Feb. 2025) [text]
• "U.S. exempts security funds from aid freeze — but little for humanitarian programs," Reuters, 21 Feb. 2025 [text]
• ‘We’re Just Keeping Everybody Alive’: The Damage Done by the U.S.A.I.D. Freeze (Refugees International, 21 Feb. 2025) [text]
• "As the U.S. Exits Foreign Aid, Who Will Fill the Gap?," New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025 [text]

Other resources

• Haiti: Anticipated implications of US funding freeze (ACAPS, 21 Feb. 2025) [text]
• The Impacts of the US Funding Suspension: ICVA Survey Findings (ICVA, 18 Feb. 2025) [text] (see also related Reuters article)
• If not (US) aid, then what?, 19 Feb. 2025 [access]
• US Funding Suspension Resource Page (ICVA, regularly updated) [access]
• What Americans think about foreign assistance: Findings from a new public opinion survey, 18 Feb. 2025 [access]

Related posts:

- Round-up: More on USAID Shutdown & Consequences of Aid Freeze (incl. on the US) (11 Feb. 2025) 

- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance (30 Jan. 2025)

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Opportunities:

Panel discussion: Revolution and rupture: humanitarianism and human rights in Syria and Myanmar, London/Online, 30 January 2025 [info]

Webinar: Using evidence to make humanitarian aid more effective, 28 January 2025 [info]

Short pieces:

"Humanitarian crises that demand your attention now," The New Humanitarian, 8 Jan. 2025 [text]

- See also related article on trends that will create new humanitarian needs.

Impartiality – a principle that needs practice (HPN, Dec. 2024) [text]

The Indian Ocean tsunami & humanitarian action: 20 years later (ALNAP Commentary, Dec. 2024) [text]

Space for engagement: rethinking the humanitarian role (HPN, Jan. 2025) [text]

Reports:

Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD) Codebook (Humanitarian Outcomes, updated Jan. 2025) [text via ReliefWeb]

Harnessing evidence and learning for people-centred humanitarian action (ALNAP, Dec. 2024) [text]

The status of frontline humanitarian workers (Humanitarian Aid International, Dec. 2024) [text via ALNAP]

Toolkit for clean energy access in displacement settings: New approach to building a participatory and inclusive marketplace for sustainable energy solutions (IOM, 2024) [text]

Journal articles:

"Accountability and objectivity: Humanitarian narratives at the intersection of evidence and localisation," Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 9:17 (Dec. 2024) [open access]

"Designing a humanitarian relief logistics network considering the cost of deprivation using a robust-fuzzy-probabilistic planning method," Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 9:19 (Dec. 2024) [open access]

"The effectiveness of humanitarian aid in conflict zones: practitioner views on the transition from in-kind assistance to multi-purpose cash transfers," Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 10:2 (Jan. 2025) [open access]

"Tacit engagement in humanitarian action: making sense of silence and secrecy in humanitarian negotiations," Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 10:1 (Jan. 2025) [open access]

The Wilson Quarterly (Fall 2024) [full-text]

- Issue theme is "Confronting Unprecedented Humanitarian Needs."

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance (12 Dec. 2024)

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Opportunity:

Webinar: Cross-border Legal Aid Interventions in Humanitarian Contexts: Sharing Good Cross-Border Practices, 20 November 2024 [info]

- See related concept note.

Short pieces:

"Humanitarians: Stop using fear of migration to drive fundraising and advocacy," The New Humanitarian, 15 Oct. 2024 [text]

Prioritising health in humanitarian work: the need for comprehensive and inclusive research [text]

Protecting essential service personnel is a vital part of humanitarian action (Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog, Oct. 2024) [text]

Redefining leadership in humanitarian action between Global North and Global South (Humanitarian Practice Network, Oct. 2024) [text]

"What lies ahead for the UN’s new relief chief," The New Humanitarian, 11 Oct. 2024 [text]

New open access book:

Forced Migration and Humanitarian Action: Operational Challenges and Solutions for Supporting People on the Move (Routledge, Oct. 2024) [open access]

- "This book investigates how the evolving situation of different forced migrants is accounted for and addressed in humanitarian action in order to improve their access to support and assistance. Bringing together case studies from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific, this book focuses on a diversity of operational modalities and types of assistance provided by both traditional and non-traditional humanitarian actors to address the specific needs of displaced children, women, people with disabilities and older people, as well as trafficked migrant workers. This book adopts a broad perspective on humanitarian action, acknowledging how its boundaries are challenged and expanded in forced migration contexts. Its operational and theoretical insights will be useful for a range of readers, from humanitarian and migration researchers and students to practitioners and policymakers."

Reports:

*Beyond the Numbers: Balancing Innovation, Ethics, and Impact (ALNAP, Oct. 2024) [text via ReliefWeb]

The Broken Lens: Antimicrobial Resistance in Humanitarian Settings (Médecins Sans Frontières, Nov. 2024) [text via ReliefWeb]

Falling short? Humanitarian funding and reform (Development Initiatives, Oct. 2024) [text]

- See also related article in The New Humanitarian.

Neutrality, Access, and Making Localisation Work (Global Interagency Security Forum, Nov. 2024) [text via ReliefWeb]

*Roadmaps for Energy Access in Displacement Settings (READS) Programme (UNITAR) [access]

- Follow link for reports and other information about the project.

Strengthening Legal Aid and Access to Justice in Humanitarian Settings: A compilation of learning on relevant strategies and effective practices (Global Protection Cluster, Nov. 2024) [text]

Journal articles:

"Hunger in global war economies: understanding the decline and return of famines," Disasters, Early View, 15 Oct. 2024 [open access]

Journal of Humanitarian Affairs, vol. 5, no. 3 (Oct. 2024) [open access]

- Mix of articles.

*"Qualitative versus quantitative impact communications in humanitarian appeals: Findings from a field experiment," Economics Letters, vol. 243 (Oct. 2024) [open access]

"Understanding leadership challenges faced by humanitarian aid workers: insights from the experiences of NNPHL training participants," Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 9:15 (Oct. 2024) [open access]

*UPDATED

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance (7 Oct. 2024)

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Short pieces:

Addressing protection in humanitarian evaluations: what ALNAP ’s new guidance needs to achieve (ALNAP Commentary, Aug. 2024) [text]

Humanitarian reform beyond the mega-crisis (HPN, Aug. 2024) [text]

"International aid agencies pay the price for boom and bust," The New Humanitarian, 29 Aug. 2024 [text]

The Need for Humanitarian Research: Addressing Emerging Challenges in a Complex World (Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Sept 2024) [text]

"Save the Children staff dissatisfied with leadership amid restructuring: survey," The New Humanitarian, 29 Aug. 2024 [text]

A seven-step guide to escaping mental health distress as a humanitarian practitioner (HPN, Aug. 2024) [text]

"'The world’s simply not noticing': 2024 likely to be deadliest year for aid workers," The Guardian, 9 Sept. 2024 [text]

Reports:

Cracks in Coordination: Trust and Engagement in Humanitarian Country Teams (ICVA, Sept. 2024) [text]

CrisisInSight Humanitarian Access Overview (ACAPS, July 2024) [text via ReliefWeb]

Humanitarian Leadership: A Literature Review (International Rescue Committee, May 2024) [text via ReliefWeb]

Promising Evidence of Coordination Across the Humanitarian–Development Nexus, BASIC Research Research Briefing, no. 3 (Institute of Development Studies, Aug. 2024) [text]

Step-by-Step Guide for Hosting Assistance to People Affected by Crisis (IFRC, July 2024) [text]

Journal articles:

"Ethical framework and inclusivity: research mechanics of difficult-to-reach migrants in civil military context," Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 9:11 (Sept. 2024) [open access]

"'For them it’s not the work, it’s the life': humanitarian leadership development in the Global South," Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 9:10 (Aug. 2024) [open access]

"Integrating social sciences in community engagement in humanitarian action: benefits and challenges seen from the field," Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 9:12 (Sept. 2024) [open access]

 Muslim Humanitarianism Review, vol. 1, no. 1 (2024) [open access]

- New journal "dedicated to fostering scholarly dialogue and advancing research in the field of humanitarian affairs, philanthropy, civil society, public affairs and Muslim humanitarianism."

"'Strange' affinities: Iṣlāḥ and British Muslim volunteers in the Syrian war," American Ethnologist, Early View, 7 Sept. 2024 [open access]

Resource:

Humanitarian Takeaways (CHA & ICVA) [access]

- A "collection of selected and summarised materials on relevant topics for the humanitarian sector." Initial issues available on the Centre for Humanitarian Action (CHA) website.

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance (19 Aug. 2024)

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

News: World Humanitarian Day, 19 August 2024

This year's theme is "Act for Humanity." From the Aid Worker Security Report: "In 2023, more aid workers died by violence than in any previous year on record, with 280 fatalities reported in 33 countries. More than half of these deaths (163) were aid workers killed in the first three months of the conflict in Gaza, mostly as a result of airstrikes."

- World Humanitarian Day: UN demands action as aid worker deaths hit record high (OCHA, Aug. 2024) [text]

- Honouring humanitarian workers around the world (OHCHR, Aug. 2024) [text]

- Humanitarians in the line of fire: when acting for humanity proves deadly (ODI Insights, Aug. 2024) [text] 

- Open Letter to the Member States of the UN General Assembly, on behalf of the IASC Principals (Aug. 2024) [text]

- What is World Humanitarian Day and why is it important? (WEF Blog, Aug. 2024) [text]

- "World Humanitarian Day: What it means to be an aid worker today," UN News, 19 Aug. 2024 [text]

Short pieces:

Filling the Gap: Refugee-to-Refugee Aid and the Role of Faith Actors in Humanitarian Settings (Wilson Center, Aug. 2024) [text]

"IRC cuts staff amid budget shortfall," The New Humanitarian, 7 Aug. 2024 [text]

"Save the Children to cut hundreds of jobs as funding gap looms," The New Humanitarian, 12 Aug. 2024 [text]

Reports & journal articles:

Guidance Note: Humanitarian Action for Different At-Risk Groups in Displacement (Japan International Cooperation Agency, April 2024) [text via ReliefWeb]

- Synthesizes findings from the "Research on the Evolving Humanitarian Action for Forced Migration" project.

"Imperfect relief: Challenges to the impartiality and identity of humanitarian action," International Review of the Red Cross, FirstView, 25 March 2024 [open access]

"It's all relative: The origins, legal character and normative content of the humanitarian principles," International Review of the Red Cross, FirstView, 17 Aug. 2023 [free full-text]

"Moral Distress in Humanitarian Aid Workers: How Decolonising Aid Benefits Us All," Intervention: Journal of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Conflict Affected Areas, vol. 22, no. 1 (April 2024) [open access]

"Practice versus perception: A discussion of the humanitarian principle of independence in the context of migration," International Review of the Red Cross, vol. 106, no. 925 (April 2024) [full-text]

"'Sticking together while standing one's own ground': The meanings of solidarity in humanitarian action," International Review of the Red Cross, FirstView, 20 March 2024 [open access]

"Translating survivor-centredness into pedagogical approaches to training on sexual violence in conflict and emergency settings: A case study," International Review of the Red Cross, FirstView, 22 Jan. 2024 [open access]

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance (6 Aug. 2024)

New Issues of Alt. Hum., EJML, ERS, IJMBS, Intl. Migr., Intervention, JEMS, Migr. Pol. Pract., Pun. & Soc., QRP, Ref. Watch

*Reminder: Postprints of articles published in the journals below that are marked with an asterisk can be archived/deposited in a repository immediately after publication (like the Forced Migration Research Archive) - i.e., there is no embargo period! This allows authors to provide open access to their scholarly journal articles without having to pay costly publication fees. Please refer to this earlier blog post for more information.

Alternatives Humanitaires = Humanitarian Alternatives, no. 26 (2024)  [Eng. full-text] [Fr. full-text]

- Issue theme is "Travail humanitaire: entre progrès évidents et défis persistants = Humanitarian work today: an overview."

Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 47, no. 12 (2024) [contents]

- Special issue on "Mapping the Internal Border." Focuses on Europe. The introduction and four articles are open access.

!*European Journal of Migration and Law, vol. 26, no. 3 (Aug. 2024) [contents]

- Mix of articles with two that are open access.

International Journal of Migration and Border Studies, vol. 8, nos. 1-2 (2024) [contents]

- Special issue on "Coloniality of Bordering and Belonging: Everyday Bureaucratic and Legal Violence Through Nation State Governance." The editorial and book review are freely available and two articles are open access.

International Migration, vol. 62, no. 4 (Aug. 2024) [contents]

- Special issue on "'In-betweeners' in turbulent times: Migrants in the epicentre of diverse 'crises' in the Americas and Europe." Six of these articles are open access as well as two general articles and two commentaries.

Intervention: Journal of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Conflict Affected Areas, vol. 22, no. 1 (April 2024) [open access]

- Mix of articles.

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 50, no. 14 (2024) [contents]

- Mix of articles, with 12 that are open access.

Migration Policy Practice, vol. XIII, no. 2 (July 2024) [open access]

- Mix of articles.

Migration Politics, vol. 3, no. 1 (2024) [open access]

- Mix of articles.

*Punishment & Society, vol. 26, no. 3 (July 2024) [contents]

- Special issue on "Changing Detention," with three open access articles.

QRP: Quarterly on Refugee Problems - AWR Bulletin, vol. 63, no. 2 (2024) [open access]

- Mix of articles.

Refugee Watch: A South Asian Journal on Forced Migration, no. 63, spec. issue (Dec. 2023) [full-text]

- Special issue on "Migrant Asia."

!UPDATED

Tagged Periodicals.

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Surveys:

ALNAP: Accessing online libraries and databases for humanitarian learning [info]

ReliefWeb 2024 [info]

- The ReliefWeb team is seeking user feedback on the humanitarian platform in advance of its 30th anniversary. 

Short pieces: 

Principles under pressure: have humanitarian principles really stood the test of time? (Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog, July 2024) [text]

The tricky delivery of aid and access in conflicts and crises (The Interpreter Blog, July 2024) [text]

"Why these 10 humanitarian crises still demand your attention," The New Humanitarian, 17 July 2024 [text]

New open access book:

Care in a Time of Humanitarianism: Stories of Refuge, Aid, and Repair in the Global South (Berghahn Books, Aug 2024) [open access]

- "The vast majority of forced migrants & refugees seek shelter and respite in countries of the Global South, where humanitarian spaces and practices of care are no exceptions to international humanitarianism but rather part of a project founded on hybrid forms of care that include local and vernacular practices. Care in a Time of Humanitarianism presents complex histories of forced migration and humanitarianism in an accessible way. It applies a comparative approach to highlight the diverse cultural and religious traditions of care that are adopted across the Global South for the 'distant others'."

Reports:

The Added Value of Faith Actors in Localisation: Opportunities and Barriers in Humanitarian Action (Samuel Hall & Islamic Relief, July 2024) [access]

- Follow link for executive summary and full report which "explores and analyses the unique contributions and challenges faced by faith actors (FAs) in humanitarian settings across Afghanistan, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Palestine, and Mozambique."

Catalogue of quality funding practices to the humanitarian response: A reference tool for policymakers and practitioners to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of programming, 2nd ed. (Norwegian Refugee Council & Development Initiatives, July 2024) [text]

Five Factors Driving Neglected Crises (Integral Alliance et al., July 2024) [access via ReliefWeb]

- Follow link for related documents and other language versions; see also French version.

Passing the Buck: The Economics of Localizing Aid in Ukraine (Refugees International & Share Trust, July 2024) [access]

- Available in English and Ukrainian.

Prioritizing Partnerships: Modelling an alternative international humanitarian response in the Ukraine crisis (Oxfam, July 2024) [text]

Protection Leadership: The Role of UNHCR in Humanitarian Crises (UNHCR, July 2024) [text]

Underfunded Report 2024: The implications of underfunding UNHCR's activities in 2024 (UNHCR, July 2024) [access]

Journal articles & book chapters:

Alternatives Humanitaires = Humanitarian Alternatives, no. 26 (2024)  [Eng. full-text] [Fr. full-text]

- Issue theme is "Humanitarian work today: an overview."

"Between aid and rights: Humanitarian international NGOs responding to the crisis of European refugee protection," Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft, Latest Articles, 9 July 2024 [open access]

"Envisioning the humanitarian-development-peace nexus in the Rohingya response in Bangladesh: Implementation challenges and suggestions for the future," Development Policy Review, Early View, 29 July 2024 [open access]

"Humanitarian Action: Does the Nordic Model Make a Difference?," Chapter in Nordic Peace in Question: A Region of and for Peace (Routledge, July 2024) [open access]

"Public discourse narratives: from ‘Secret Aid Worker’ discontent to shifting power in humanitarian systems," Disasters, Early View, 15 July 2024 [open access]

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance (8 July 2024)