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Shaping policy for development

An overview of Lagoro IDP camp in Kitgum District, northern Uganda, 20 May 2007. Manoocher Deghati/IRIN
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  1. Matthew Foley

    Aid and war: a response to Linda Polman's critique of humanitarianism

    Opinion - Articles and blogs - 4 May 2010

    In a rare joint Opinion, the Humanitarian Policy Group at ODI examines criticisms of humanitarian aid in a new book by Dutch journalist Linda Polman. While agreeing that humanitarian aid has had perverse effects, the Opinion argues that the picture is no longer as bleak as suggested. Humanitarian agencies have learned the lessons of the past, and now work in a more professional, coordinated and monitored way than in previous decades.

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  3. Realising protection: The uncertain benefits of civilian, refugee and IDP status

    Publication - Research reports and studies - 31 August 2009
    HPG Reports 28
    Edited by Sarah Collinson, James Darcy, Nicholas Waddell and Anna Schmidt

    Protecting civilians from the worst effects of violent conflict, human rights abuses and persecution lies at the heart of the humanitarian agenda. This report is principally concerned with highlighting the importance of the application and observance of established protection norms by belligerents, governments and international actors – a crucial part of the broader protection picture .

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  5. Providing Aid in Insecure Environments: Trends in violence against aid workers and the operational response (2009 Update)

    Publication - Briefing papers - 6 April 2009
    HPG Policy Briefs 34
    Abby Stoddard, Adele Harmer and Victoria DiDomenico

    In 2008, 260 humanitarian aid workers were killed, kidnapped or seriously injured in violent attacks – the highest yearly toll on record. The majority of these attacks took place in just countries: Sudan, Afghanistan and Somalia. Kidnappings in particular have increased since 2006, increasing 350% compared since 2006. The fatality rate of aid workers from malicious acts alone surpassed that of United Nations peacekeeping soldiers in 2008. In the most violent contexts for aid workers, politically motivated attacks have risen relative to common crime and banditry, as international aid organisations are perceived as part of Western geopolitical interests.

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  6. Where to now? Agency expulsions in Sudan: consequences and next steps

    Publication - Discussion papers - 26 March 2009
    ALNAP Lessons Papers
    Sara Pantuliano, Susanne Jaspars and Deepayan Basu Ray

    This joint ALNAP-HPG paper focuses on the recent expulsion of NGOs from Sudan. It offers a snapshot of what expelled aid agencies were doing, where they were based and the type of assistance they were providing at the time of their departure. It looks at the challenges these agencies had to tackle, how their programmes evolved, the extent to which these agencies had developed contingency plans and the challenges involved in scaling up operations to make up for the shortfall in services. The paper also discusses the immediate implications and suggests ways forward for international NGOs, the UN system and donors.

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  9. Laws of war under threat in densely-populated Gaza

    Opinion - Articles and blogs - 13 January 2009
    The crisis in Gaza raises serious questions about the means and methods of warfare in densely populated areas. Past experiences in Sarajevo, Grozny and Baghdad show how the conduct of war in contexts of high civilian concentration intensifies the consequences for civilian populations. The likelihood of casualties is bound to be higher; damage to civilian infrastructure more likely and in contexts where civilians coexist alongside combatants, distinguishing between the two is problematic.
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