Legal foundations for humanitarian access in situations of armed conflict

International humanitarian law (IHL) establishes a number of provisions designed to enhance protections for civilians in armed conflict. The provision of humanitarian assistance, and securing the requisite humanitarian access to do so, are critical to addressing the suffering of the civilian population. IHL provides a legal basis for humanitarian actors to engage with parties to the conflict. It presents a common set of concepts, principles, and terminology that can inform negotiations as well as policy and operational decisions. Understanding what IHL says – and does not say – in terms of humanitarian access is critical for humanitarians. This session of the PHAP Online Learning Series on Humanitarian Law and Policy introduces the concept of humanitarian access and highlight the relevant IHL terminology and rules and presents some of the key challenges to this concept.