Trust, Risk and Learn Humanitarian Assistance Given by The Netherlands

Dutch humanitarian policy is founded on the humanitarian imperative and follows a needs-based approach. This means that nothing should override the principle of taking action to prevent or alleviate humanitarian suffering arising from disaster or conflict. It also means that priorities are determined by the humanitarian needs of people affected by crisis.

From 2015 to 2021, the Netherlands spent close to EUR 3 billion on humanitarian assistance, more than 15% of its entire official development assistance expenditure. IOB has evaluated to what extent Dutch policy succeeded in achieving its humanitarian goals in the six-year period 2015 – 2021.

We looked at two means for achieving better outcomes for people in need: funding and diplomacy. We also assessed Dutch performance on three newer policy demands that are growing in importance: localisation (interpreted as locally led humanitarian action), innovation (understood as innovative activities that provide improved solutions for people in crisis) and the nexus (ways of working that strengthen links between humanitarian aid and long-term development).

 The research was intended to shed light on three significant aspects of “good humanitarian donorship”: striking a balance between (1) the trust invested in experienced humanitarian partners, (2) the risk associated with their work and (3) the need to learn to share that risk, resources and influence more fairly with local partners, so as to improve the support given to the people who need it. The main question guiding the evaluation was "To what extent does Dutch humanitarian policy contribute to achieving humanitarian goals, and how does it do so?"