OCHA on Message: Humanitarian Diplomacy (August 2024)

What is humanitarian diplomacy?

Humanitarian diplomacy refers to a range of diplomatic measures to influence decision makers, parties to armed conflict, and any actor with the ability to help prevent, mitigate and resolve humanitarian crises in the interests of people in need.

Humanitarian diplomacy requires nurturing relationships at the highest level. It can be used to negotiate access and help influence actors who are impeding humanitarian access, including State actors and non-State armed groups. It can be used to raise protection issues or respond to global humanitarian issues. And it can help find solutions to prevent, mitigate or reduce humanitarian need.

Humanitarian diplomacy differs from but is supported by public and private advocacy. Humanitarian diplomacy relates primarily to private and discreet political engagement to seek agreements on humanitarian issues, while advocacy is a coordinated messaging strategy to influence decisions. Public or private advocacy could be mobilized to support humanitarian diplomacy efforts.

Humanitarian diplomacy and humanitarian negotiations are interdependent. Humanitarian diplomacy is a broader instrument under which humanitarian negotiations fall. Effective humanitarian diplomacy requires humanitarian negotiations and mediation. Likewise, humanitarian negotiations greatly benefit from humanitarian diplomacy – increasing their chances of success. Both can be undertaken simultaneously by different stakeholders at different levels.