Providing Humanitarian Assistance: Aid modalities and On-the-ground Realities

The delivery of humanitarian assistance is a complex endeavor. It requires cooperation among donor governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local governments, and, at times, local non-state actors. Coordination and cooperation are complicated both by the security, infrastructural, and political realities on the ground but also by the legal, fiduciary, operational and logistical requirements and procedures of donor governments and international organizations. Humanitarian aid providers must navigate these complex contexts and rules while negotiating access to humanitarian settings and calculating their legal, fiduciary, security and reputational risks.

This panel will provide key perspectives on the full spectrum of these risks and constraints, from the point of view of policy advisors, government agencies, donors and implementers. Each panelist will describe efforts to work within these constraints, identify successes and challenges, and discuss prospects for reform.

Panelists: Jacob Kurtzer, Director and Senior Fellow, Humanitarian Agenda, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); Jennifer Hendrixson White, Senior Policy Advisor U.S. Mission to the United Nations (Washington), Department of State; Taylor Stager, Deputy Director (Acting), Office of Humanitarian Business and Management Operations, Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, USAID; Brian White, Vice President and General Counsel, Save the Children.

Moderator: Amit Khardori, Professorial Lecturer, The George Washington University and Attorney Advisor, USAID