Humanitarian practice

Reflection and analysis on challenges and dilemmas linked to the delivery of humanitarian assistance

International balance sheet 2021 – 2022

The war in Ukraine clouds everything

October 2022

First it was the COVID-19 global pandemic, and then the impact of the new fall of Afghanistan into the hands of the Taliban, now it is the war in Ukraine that has captured the world's attention.

Essays & analysis
Humanitarian practice

Trends in Humanitarian Financing

September 2022

Humanitarian financing in the context of rising global need. In 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic continued to overlay other preexisting and emerging crisis risks, driving need and complicating response. Following the rapid rise in demand for humanitarian assistance in 2020, needs remained at historically high levels in 2021.

Essays & analysis
Humanitarian practice

Ukraine: The war of humanitarian double standards

Five examples

September 2022

The war in Ukraine, ongoing in 2022, has led to intense levels of suffering for the population, including civilians wounded and killed, families trying to flee to safer areas, and highly vulnerable persons staying in areas amongst heavily destroyed infrastructure and little available services.

Essays & analysis
Humanitarian practice

Crisis in northern Mozambique

Cabo delgado exhausted after 5 years of conflict

October 2022

The displaced families on Maganja beach in Palma district had been waiting for two years to return to Mocimboa de Praia. Since Mocimboa was taken over by a group now calling itself Islamic State in the Province of Mozambique, these families had been living on a strip of beach a few dozen metres wide.

Essays & analysis
Humanitarian practice

Tigray, the unending wound

An example of impunity in the face of attacks on the medical mission

October 2022

This article aims to outline the risks to which medical humanitarian action in conflict zones, in particular Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), is exposed. Tigray is a painful and open example of the risks we face.

Essays & analysis
Humanitarian practice

Decolonial and anti-racist approaches to humanitarian action

October 2022

After decades of post- and decolonial studies, their critiques of the international system have gained weight in recent years.

Essays & analysis
Humanitarian practice

Nowhere to go

Challenges faced by sexual violence survivors in accessing services in Bangui, Central African Republic

November 2019

Sexual violence (SV) has garnered a lot of attention at international fora in recent months, with millions of dollars in donor funding pledged towards ending this “epidemic”, particularly in areas of armed conflict. However, survivors of SV in CAR aren’t feeling the impact of this momentum due to services often being absent or dysfunctional.

Reports
Humanitarian practice

No eyes on the ground

MSF’s dilemmas of using third party medical data and patient testimonies

By Philippe Latour and Jean-Marc Jacobs

May 2017

In its 45 years history, Médecins Sans Frontières has used its presence in the field and its proximity to patients to bear witness and bring the plight of populations affected by disease, natural disasters and conflicts to the world’s attention.

Articles
Humanitarian practice

Forced to Flee Central America's Northern Triangle

A Neglected Humanitarian Crisis

May 2017

Approximately 500,000 people from the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA) cross into Mexico every year, fleeing violence and poverty. MSF, as a medical humanitarian organization, and through its medical programs, is witness to the reasons that have caused these people to flee from home.

Reports
Humanitarian practice

Aleppo’s Reality: Daily Life under Barrel Bombs

Voices from Eastern Aleppo

March 2015

A Compilation of Testimonies Illustrating the Hardships of Daily Life Caused by Repeated Barrel Bombings and Other Hardships in Eastern Aleppo.

Reports
Humanitarian practice

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