Aid environment

from the perspective of the broader aid ecosystem

Emergency gap series 01

April 2016

This first paper lays out MSF’s concern about the lack of sufficient and adequate humanitarian response capacity in the acute phase of a conflict.

Emergency gap series 05

January 2017

This paper offers a reflection on the subject of risk acceptance, and some of the underlying factors that –apart from the actual security threat– influence security decision-making in the humanitarian sector.

Case study

November 2016

This case study of the ‘humanitarian system’s’ response to a conflict driven displacement crisis in the Diffa region of Niger explores if there is an ‘Emergency Gap’. This report concludes that there has been a gap in what could reasonably be expected in terms of effective humanitarian response, and that the reasons for this gap are found in an analysis of the internal dynamics of the system as much as in any external constraints.

Emergency gap series 04

December 2016

The new WHS paradigm offers a vision for humanitarian action that takes coherence too far, effectively merging humanitarianism into the overarching aid project of the SDGs. The aid sector must work to strengthen complementarity across responders, while preserving the critical distinctions between humanitarian and other forms of action.

Emergency gap series 03

November 2016

This paper analyses the role of national and local actors in humanitarian action based on MSF’s experiences in areas within conflict affected countries where the most urgent needs are found.

Case study

May 2016

The humanitarian community has failed to adequately respond to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. This report examines how humanitarian organisations responded to the crisis in 2015 and analyses the obstacles and enablers to aid delivery. Four themes have been explored in detail: humanitarian leadership; political issues and negotiated access; security management; and resources.

Emergency gap series 02

April 2016

The role of humanitarian aid is to assist populations in dire need, such as those suffering the consequences of conflict. But the system does not always work. In some recent humanitarian crises the humanitarian system has failed to deliver needed aid. One such failure has been the Yemen response.