Mozambique: A case study in the role of the affected state in humanitarian action

The key research questions identified for this project were:
• What role should governments play in the coordination of humanitarian actors and how
do state coordination roles relate to international actors?
• How do international humanitarian actors assess the capacity of the state to respond to
disaster and make decisions about when it is or is not appropriate to substitute for the
state?
• What is the appropriate role of nongovernmental actors in influencing the state
to fulfil its responsibilities to assist and protect citizens affected by disasters?
• What are the perceptions of government officials involved in particular disaster
responses about international humanitarian actors and vice versa?
• What capacities do states have to respond to disasters and legislate for and coordinate
international actors at both national and local levels?
• How can tensions between the desire of states to ensure the accountability of
humanitarian organisations and the concern of humanitarian actors to maintain
independence be resolved?