Abstract
Humanitarian action is the active provision of aid designed to save lives, alleviate suffering, and restore and promote human dignity in the wake of disasters and during large-scale emergencies. The humanitarian action that is the focus of this entry is the Dunantist tradition of humanitarianism that adheres to the humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality, and independence. In its current form, humanitarian action is enshrined in international humanitarian law and provided by intergovernmental organizations and international nongovernmental organizations. Bioethical issues are numerous and profound. Humanitarian action constantly negotiates between a minimalist and secondary morality, struggling to save lives but also to further human dignity among adversity and animosity. It challenges current arrangements of power and demonstrates an ethic of refusal. The work can be dangerous and aid workers and the populations they aim to serve face resource scarcity, tragic choices, and physical and psychological traumas. Humanitarian organizations struggle to find an ethical foothold under neoliberal globalization, so as to fulfill humanitarian objectives without reinforcing a global economic system that makes life so precarious for so many. While humanitarian action is context specific, it remains a coherent and collective expression of compassion.
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Further Readings
Barnett, M. (2011). Empire of humanity: A history of humanitarianism. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Fox, R. C. (2015). Doctors without borders: Humanitarian quests, impossible dreams of Médecins Sans Frontières. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
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Slim, H. (2015). Humanitarian ethics: A guide to the morality of aid in war and disaster. London: Hurst Publishers.
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Pringle, J., Hunt, M. (2015). Humanitarian Action. In: ten Have, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Bioethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05544-2_235-1
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