Right to aid. rethinking humanitarian operations
Aid should serve people, not power. We proved how to bypass those who block it.
The problem.
In conflicts like Syria, Myanmar, and Ethiopia, authoritarian regimes block, divert, or manipulate humanitarian aid, using starvation as a weapon of war. Traditional aid systems failed to find ways around these barriers, leaving millions without help.
THE NTL METHOD in Action:
Parse
▶︎ Mapped out and investigated how regimes obstruct aid, documenting state-led denial tactics.
Promote
▶︎ Shared findings with policy forums, humanitarian organizations, and government agencies, shifting the conversation on aid access.
Propose
▶︎ Developed actionable strategies to bypass aid restrictions, such as cross-border aid delivery, covert operations, defending the right to aid, and supporting and scaling local and mutual aid.
Pilot
▶︎ These strategies have been adopted by humanitarian agencies, leading to funded, scalable hyper-local aid models in multiple conflict zones.
The Impact
✔ Equipped governments, NGOs, and donors with strategies to navigate aid denial, ensuring lifesaving assistance reaches people even in high-risk environments.
✔ Shaped international policy discussions on cross-border aid and alternative delivery mechanisms.
✔ Legitimized and scaled local and mutual aid networks, ensuring communities can support themselves when traditional aid fails.
NTL Takeaway
We don’t just identify barriers—we design ways around them to ensure aid serves people, not power structures.
Sources
• Emma Beals' Research on Aid Access: Rethinking Aid • Policy Paper on Aid Access: Convoys, Cross-border, Covert-Ops • Discussion on Humanitarian Blackmail: Foreign Affairs – Humanitarian Blackmail • Lessons for Practitioners: IRIN News – Towards Better Access in Sudan