Humanitarian Policy Group

Humanitarian Policy Group
Name	Humanitarian Policy Group
Formation	1998
Type	Research unit
Headquarters	London
Parent organization	Overseas Development Institute
Fields	Humanitarian studies, humanitarian assistance, disaster response, conflict analysis

Humanitarian Policy Group is a research unit established to analyze humanitarian action, humanitarian aid, humanitarian reform and humanitarian coordination. It produces policy-oriented research on humanitarian crises, refugee response, disaster risk reduction and humanitarian financing to inform policymakers, humanitarian agencies, development organizations and academic institutions. The group engages with international organizations, national authorities, non-governmental organizations and donor agencies to translate evidence into operational guidance and strategic advocacy.

History

The unit was founded within the Overseas Development Institute in 1998 during debates following the Rwandan genocide, the Bosnian War, and the Great Lakes refugee crisis that reshaped international responses. Early work addressed reforms proposed after the Balkan conflicts, reflecting lessons from the United Nations operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. Throughout the 2000s the program evaluated responses to the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami (2004), the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, the Haiti earthquake (2010), and the Horn of Africa drought (2011), engaging with actors like the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Subsequent research examined the humanitarian consequences of the Arab Spring, the Syrian civil war, the Yemen crisis, and the South Sudan conflict, informing discussions at the World Humanitarian Summit and within the United Nations Security Council.

Mission and Objectives

The group's mission emphasizes evidence-based analysis to improve humanitarian policy, humanitarian practice, humanitarian rights and humanitarian protection in complex crises. Objectives include evaluating humanitarian financing instruments used by the World Bank, assessing humanitarian access in contexts involving the African Union and regional organizations such as the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and scrutinizing accountability mechanisms tied to the International Criminal Court and humanitarian law instruments. It seeks to bridge research and practice by engaging with agencies like Save the Children, Oxfam, Médecins Sans Frontières, CARE International, and national red cross societies.

Research and Publications

The group publishes policy papers, briefing notes, working papers and reports analyzing humanitarian trends, humanitarian architecture and humanitarian professionalism. Topics have included cash-based assistance linking World Food Programme cash transfer pilots, contingency planning for UNHCR-led refugee operations, and evaluations of humanitarian needs assessments used by ReliefWeb and the Global Protection Cluster. Publications examine the humanitarian implications of climate-related disasters such as the Typhoon Haiyan response in the Philippines, urban displacement in the Syrian Arab Republic and shelter programming after the Nepal earthquake (2015). The unit has contributed to debates on humanitarian financing instruments like the Central Emergency Response Fund, the Grand Bargain compact, and pooled funding mechanisms coordinated by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations. Its peer-reviewed and policy outputs are cited by institutions including the International Rescue Committee, Human Rights Watch, Refugees International, and academic journals hosted at universities such as London School of Economics, Harvard University, and University of Oxford.

Policy Influence and Impact

Research has informed donor policies at agencies such as the UK Department for International Development, the United States Agency for International Development, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. Advisory engagements have involved the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Development Programme, and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in reforming coordination mechanisms used in responses to crises like the Libyan civil conflict, the Iraq insurgency, and the Central African Republic conflict. Influence extends to regional bodies including the African Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank on disaster risk reduction programming. The group's analyses have contributed to humanitarian standards discussions involving Sphere Project guidelines, the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability, and donor consortia negotiating the Grand Bargain outcomes.

Organizational Structure and Funding

Hosted by the Overseas Development Institute, the unit comprises researchers, program managers and communications staff collaborating with visiting fellows from institutions like King's College London, University College London, Johns Hopkins University, and Columbia University. Funding sources have included national development agencies such as the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, philanthropic foundations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Oak Foundation, and multilateral funds such as the European Commission Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations and the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund. The organizational model balances core institutional support from the Overseas Development Institute with project grants from international donors and philanthropic partners including Open Society Foundations.

Partnerships and Collaborations

The group maintains partnerships with humanitarian and development actors like International Organization for Migration, UNICEF, World Health Organization, ActionAid, Mercy Corps, and Concern Worldwide. Collaborative research has engaged academic centers such as the Humanitarian Futures Programme at King's College London, the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University, and think tanks including the Chatham House and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. It has worked with policy networks like the European Policy Centre and the Global Public Policy Institute on issues including humanitarian diplomacy, humanitarian logistics, and civil-military coordination involving actors such as NATO and the African Union Mission in Somalia.

Notable Projects and Case Studies

Notable projects include evaluations of cash programming in responses to Typhoon Haiyan and the Somali drought, case studies of protection challenges in the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar and displacement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and policy reviews of aid modalities after the Nepal earthquake (2015) and the Haiti cholera outbreak. Casework examining humanitarian access in besieged cities referenced Aleppo and Homs in the Syrian conflict, while disaster preparedness projects engaged national emergency platforms in Philippines, Bangladesh and Pakistan following Cyclone Sidr and Cyclone Amphan. The group has also led syntheses on urban humanitarian response drawing on experiences from Beirut after the 2020 Beirut explosion and from protracted displacement in Gaza.

Category:Humanitarian aid organizations