Principles of Humanitarian Aid

A child with food, supplies, and water from Concern Worldwide and other humanitarian organizations in Tomping, a UN base.

There are several principles for humanitarian aid, originally set out by the United Nations General Assembly.

1. Humanity

The principle of humanity means that we must seek to address human suffering wherever it is found, paying particular attention to those who are most vulnerable.

For Concern, this also means that, in every country we operate, our local offices must be prepared to respond to emergencies in a timely and effective manner. We all have a right to a life with dignity.

2. Impartiality

Our responses must be provided solely on the basis of identified need, without discrimination between or within affected populations. This is the basis of all “needs-based” programming. It requires us to assess the impact of disasters and to design programs to support those left most in need in their wake.

3. Neutrality

We must ensure that our responses don’t favor any side in a conflict, or engage at any time in any political, racial, religious, or ideological controversies. This is perhaps the most challenging of these four principles.

4. Independence

The sole purpose of humanitarian activities and assistance is the relief and prevention of suffering caused by crisis. This means we must respond in a manner that is not influenced by political, economic, or military objectives. Humanitarian organizations create and implement policies independent of government policies or actions (hence the term NGO, or “non-governmental organization”).

More Codes & Policies

  • A woman collects blankets, a tarpaulin, and other necessities.

    Core Humanitarian Standard

    The Core Humanitarian Standard is an internationally-recognized standard of nine commitments. All organizations and individuals involved in humanitarian response can use these standards to improve the quality and effectiveness of their work.

  • Joze Paulino and Gomez Dies push a bicycle loaded with charcoal across a flooded river near Nhamatanda, Mozambique.

    Disaster Relief Code of Conduct

    Prepared by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent and the ICRC, the Disaster Relief Code of Conduct ensures that we maintain a high standard of behavior, effectiveness, and impact when responding to a disaster.

  • Concern worker chatting to a man

    Dóchas Code of Conduct

    The Dóchas Code of Conduct ensures that we are accurately and fairly representing the people and communities we serve in all of our imagery and messaging.