Our podcast’s 2nd series of episodes looks at the neutrality of aid

23/10/2023

For a number of years, certain humanitarian actors and observers of the humanitarian sector have begun to question the principle of neutrality and whether it is applicable to all actors. This questioning of one of the founding principles of international aid inherited from Henry Dunant is notably due to the emergence of alternative forms of localised aid and solidarity all over the world. The recent events in Ukraine, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories have made this questioning all the more necessary, so that aid organisations can find the right approach between operational constraints and the risk of being manipulated.

Word no. 2: ‘neutrality’

1/3 – ‘The neutrality of aid – a notion that needs to be redefined’: Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier (Médecins sans Frontières)

This second series of episodes looks at neutrality, which has been one of the main principles of the sector since the birth of modern humanitarian aid, but which is often criticised today.

Given the fact that it is being questioned by numerous actors, we wanted to explore the principle and its relevance, first by recalling where it comes from and clarifying a term that is sometimes used in an inappropriate or ambiguous way.

To introduce the subject, we invited Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, author of ‘The Practical Guide to Humanitarian Law’, who was Médecins sans Frontières’ Legal Director for 32 years. Françoise is currently MSF’s strategic advisor on International Humanitarian Law.

2/3 – ‘Neutrality and aid localisation’: François Grünewald (Groupe URD)

In many contexts today, including Ukraine, there are a growing number of local actors and citizen-based, mutual aid networks who challenge ‘traditional’ aid implemented by ‘conventional’ or ‘international’ organisations, sometimes going as far as to express a certain fatigue with, or even rejection of, this system.
As Hugo Slim has said, there are ‘humanitarians’ who challenge the apolitical dogma of neutrality and who have introduced other approaches to emergency assistance.

To address these issues from an operational angle, we spoke to François Grünewald, founder and Honorary President of Groupe URD, who had just returned from a second mission to Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict.

3/3 – ‘From the principle of neutrality to the need to be radical’: Agnès Golfier (Fondation Danielle Mitterrand)

To conclude this series on the neutrality of aid, we wanted to hear the point of view of an organisation with a relatively unusual way of operating: the Fondation Danielle Mitterrand.
Central to its identity and its founding principles is the importance of allowing those affected by crises and oppression of all kinds to express themselves. It also supports ‘radical and exemplary projects that highlight alternatives to the dominant system’. But is being radical compatible with the imperative of neutrality?

To discuss these questions, we spoke to Agnès Golfier, Co-Director of the Fondation Danielle Mitterrand.

This series of episodes on neutrality follows on from the discussions during our Spring School on Humanitarian Aid which took place in June 2023 on the theme: ‘Humanitarian aid today: the end of political innocence?’ The content of these discussions features in the latest issue of our review Humanitarian Aid on the Move, which is due to be published very soon!

See all the episodes of ‘L’humanitaire pris aux mots’: click HERE !