Evolving Operational Contexts and the Role of the Private Sector in Humanitarian Action: Literature Review

The aim of this paper is to provide a broad based
overview of some of the trends and issues in the
existing literature around the evolving engagement
of the private sector in humanitarian action and the
interface of the private sector with civil-military
actors in disasters and conflict. A number of themes
are covered in the review including how the
resources of the private sector and the military can
be tapped more systematically and strategically to
support the humanitarian sector to augment its
capacity to address today’s and tomorrow’s
challenges. A second theme is ‘trilateral’ interface
between of the private sector and civil-military
actors. A third theme briefly looks at some of the
trends and patterns of the private sector’s pattern of
engagement in international development and
potential relevance to humanitarian action.