HUMANITARIAN CONGRESS 2024

Rethinking Humanitarianism in Geopolitical Fragmentation

In recent years, the world has seen a significant increase in displacement caused by humanitarian crises: the conflict in Sudan, the war in Ukraine, the renewed conflict in Gaza and Lebanon have aggravated the global situation. We at INTERSOS Lab have closely followed the congress “ Rome Humanitarian Congress - Humanitarianism in Violent and Troubled Times ” to reflect on the issues that emerged. The objective of the congress can be summarized in the words of Kostas Moschochoritis Director General of INTERSOS , who stated that the primary focus was to question the effectiveness and adequacy of support to people and communities in difficulty. The premise is recurrent nowadays: times are hard and reality leads us to have less and less trust in the instruments of international humanitarian law, even recognizing that it is the only instrument left.

The congress highlighted many reflections, highlighting the profound challenges that the humanitarian sector faces in the current geopolitical context, which impacts both access to aid and the ability of organizations to operate safely. Among the reflections expressed, the theme of the decline of international institutions in solving political crises at the root emerged, with a consequent greater recourse to humanitarian responses rather than political solutions, raising questions about the sustainability of this strategy. Another point discussed concerned the growing impunity for violations of international law: they do not stop at the borders of Gaza but contribute to strengthening a global culture of impunity. There is an ever-increasing need for a commitment from states and the international community that is concretized by stopping armaments

Politicization of aid

The politicization of funding has emerged as a key issue in the current debate. The international community shows a clear imbalance : support for the crisis in Ukraine far exceeds that for Afghanistan, Yemen and Sudan, where access to funds is severely reduced. In this context, the role of NGOs is being questioned, underlining that political passivity is no longer an option and that it is not possible to relegate the resolution of problems to the UN, especially at a time when the international community seems to be more focused on the fight against terrorism than on humanitarian action.

Some interventions highlighted the isolation and operational difficulties, particularly in Gaza, where the distribution of aid is increasingly hampered by precarious security conditions . It is essential to remember that NGOs must not be confused with the victims of the crises in which they operate; in fact, humanitarian aid has never been guaranteed by political powers, indeed, it has often been hindered by them.

The congress invites us to rethink humanitarian aid in an increasingly fragmented global context: the future of humanitarian intervention will depend on the ability of organizations to navigate this politicized context, while maintaining coherence with the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence and universality that distinguish humanitarian intervention.

Article written by Veronica Polizza, INTERSOS Lab intern, Oriental University of Naples