5 Fundamental Principles Of Humanitarian Action: A Blog About The Basics Of Being A Humanitarian
Introduction
People who work in the humanitarian field are some of the most selfless and caring people out there. They work hard to make sure that they help people who need it without bias or judgement. While many people know about the basic principles of humanitarian action, we wanted to take a minute to go over them here so you can understand them too!
Humanity
Humanitarian principles are universal, apply to all people in all circumstances and are the foundation of humanitarian action.
Humanity is the most important principle. Humanitarian action is based on the protection and promotion of human life. In particular:
- People affected by conflict or disaster are entitled to be treated with humanity at all times, including when receiving aid;
- All bodies involved in providing health care must operate according to medical ethics;
- The use of force against civilians is never justified;
Neutrality
As a humanitarian, you must have an understanding of what it means to be neutral. Neutrality is often misunderstood and misused, so this is an important concept to understand.
The most common mistake is the assumption that neutrality means not taking sides or being unbiased in your opinions. This isn’t true at all! Being neutral means giving equal respect and attention to all parties involved in a conflict, no matter how difficult it may be.
Being impartial also does not mean treating everyone equally; rather, it involves paying attention to how different groups are treated differently based on their identity (for example: women and men).
Impartiality
Impartiality is the principle of treating all people equally and without discrimination. Impartiality is a core value of humanitarian action, which ensures that the assistance provided by humanitarian workers and organizations reaches those in greatest need regardless of race, religion, gender or political affiliation. This principle protects and promotes human dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Impartiality is a cornerstone of the humanitarian principles that guide our work around the world:
Independence
- Independence is about being free to make decisions for yourself, your colleagues and the people you serve.
- In humanitarian action, independence means that we are not working for any government or organisation with an agenda. This doesn’t mean we don’t cooperate with governments or non-governmental organisations (NGOs). But it does mean that our work is not influenced by them in any way. For example: if a government says “don’t go there” or “don’t do this” – we won’t follow their instructions.
- It’s important because without independence, humanitarian workers can be manipulated by governments into doing things they don’t want to do – like changing their focus or even putting lives at risk. The best way to ensure independence is through funding from donors who give money without conditions attached – called earmarked funds – rather than general budget support which may come with strings attached.*
Voluntary service
This principle is so important that it’s number one on the list. It refers to the practice of voluntary service and the core value of humanitarian action.
Voluntary service means helping those in need without expecting anything in return, even if there isn’t an immediate reward for your efforts. For example, when you volunteer to teach English at an orphanage or mentor a child through their schoolwork, you’re volunteering your time and skills because you want to help people who have less than you do.
There are many ways to volunteer: giving your time, donating money or goods (like food or clothes), or organizing events like bake sales are all examples of voluntary service. You can also volunteer by teaching someone how to do something (for example: fixing a car engine). As long as it’s something that doesn’t take away from their ability to help themselves later on (like taking care of themselves) then it counts as voluntary service!
Know the basics
“You must learn the basics. The principles of humanitarian action are not difficult to understand; they’re pretty straightforward and simple. But many people don’t know them, so they make mistakes that can be costly and even dangerous. Here’s a quick review:
- Humanitarian principles are not complicated or mysterious—they just require a little knowledge and common sense. For example, if you want to provide food aid in a disaster situation, you will need enough food on hand to feed everyone who is affected by the disaster for two weeks without any interruptions in distribution or access to other sources of food (like markets). You’ll also need information about how much food each person needs per day based on their age, gender, weight etc., which you can get from existing data sets such as those published by the World Health Organization or UNICEF.*
Conclusion
Humanitarian action is about more than just saving lives. It’s about helping people to live their lives with dignity and respect. The five principles listed above are the foundation of all humanitarian work, and they provide guidance for everyone involved—from volunteers to aid workers, from donors and governments to the public at large.
RUCHI RATHOR
Founder & CEO
Payomatix Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
https://payomatix.com/
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