Humanitarian Action in 2021: Tensions, Trade-Offs and Dilemmas

Humanitarian action in the major emergencies of 2021 has been beset by obstacles, tensions and trade-offs, particularly in terms of balancing efforts to access populations in need and advocating for their rights and protection.

Against a backdrop of escalating conflict in Ethiopia and famine conditions in the Tigray region, humanitarian assistance has been blocked, agencies suspended, and aid workers expelled. Questions about the complicity of humanitarian actors are also being raised in Myanmar as access to opposition-held areas is heavily restricted and aid agencies have remained largely silent on the violence. International aid to Afghanistan is now limited to humanitarian assistance. A humanitarian catastrophe is predicted in Afghanistan as the economy has gone into rapid decline following the Taliban takeover, and yet humanitarian efforts are largely gridlocked due to multiple challenges.