The three pillars of humanitarian space in Chad

01/09/2010

It is essential that humanitarian workers are able to access populations in the areas affected by a crisis, with an acceptable level of freedom in order to evaluate assistance and protection needs, and to respond to those needs without the aid being subverted or used for other ends. Populations themselves must also have the space to develop their own survival strategies and coping mechanisms. Humanitarian space, for both populations and aid workers, is defined by the interplay of these related issues. In Eastern Chad, this humanitarian space continues to be threatened and destabilized by a series of different factors.