The Politics of Principle: The Principles of Humanitarian Action in Practice

The idea of humanitarian principles is that the way in which soldiers and politicians wage war should be limited by a concern for humanity. This research project examined what humanitarian principles mean for humanitarian agencies and evaluated the impact field-level experiments in a ‘principled approach’ have had on agency practice and the behaviour of belligerents.

The study investigated the Joint Policy of Operation and the Principles and Protocols of Humanitarian Operation in Liberia, the Agreement on Ground Rules in South Sudan, and the legal basis for the principles of humanitarian action.

The report concludes that the primary responsibility for ensuring respect for humanitarian principles in conflict rests with the warring parties. International and regional political and economic actors also play a key role in providing incentives and disincentives for abuse. Thus, policy reforms – in terms of a principled approach in foreign policy, the role of regional powers in conflict, the development of international humanitarian law and the International Criminal Court, the role of multinational companies, use of sanctions, regulation of the arms trade, and the criteria for the use of force – are much more significant in promoting respect for humanitarian and human-rights principles than are the activities of humanitarian agencies.