The idea of protective humanitarian assistance: the role and responsibilities of non-mandated actors

The aim of this article is to highlight the substantial role that non-mandated humanitarian organisations play in terms of protection. It points out that the ethical responsibility of humanitarians means that they need to develop relief assistance which takes into account its consequences in the short, medium and long term and places individual rights at the heart of assistance. It also argues that the extraterritorial effect of certain rights means that humanitarian organizations and their staff are legally responsible in several areas of protection. It then presents a certain number of tools developed by humanitarian organizations to ensure that their assistance is increasingly protective and highlights the areas of activity in which improvements still need to be made.