There are a number of meanings for humanitarianism: humanitarianism, humanism, the doctrine that people's duty is to promote human welfare.

Humanitarianism is a humanistic approach to the suffering of humanity. It has been used to describe a wide number of activities relating to human welfare.

An informal ideology

Humanitarianism is an informal ideology of practice, whereby people practice humane treatment and provide assistance to others; it is the doctrine that people's duty is to promote human welfare.^[1] Humanitarianism is based on a view that all human beings deserve respect and dignity and should be treated as such. Therefore, humanitarians work towards advancing the well-being of humanity as a whole. It is the antithesis of the "us vs. them" mentality that characterizes tribalism and ethnic nationalism. Humanitarians abhor slavery, violation of basic and human rights, and discrimination on the basis of features such as colour of skin, religion, ancestry, place of birth, etc. Humanitarianism drives people to save lives, alleviate suffering and promote human dignity in the middle of man-made or natural disasters. Humanitarianism is embraced by movements and people across the political spectrum. The informal ideology can be summed up by a quote from Albert Schweitzer: "Humanitarianism consists in never sacrificing a human being to a purpose."

A universal doctrine

Jean Pictet, in his commentary on The Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross points out the universal characteristics of humanitarianism:

The wellspring of the principle of humanity is in the essence of social morality which can be summed up in a single sentence, Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. This fundamental precept can be found, in almost identical form, in all the great religions, Brahminism, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism and Taoism. It is also the golden rule of the positivists, who do not commit themselves to any religion but only to the data of experience, in the name of reason alone.^[2].

Historical examples

Historically, humanitarianism was publicly seen in the social reforms of the late 1800s and early 1900s, following the economic turmoil of the Industrial Revolution in England. Many of the women in Great Britain who were involved with feminism during the 1900s also pushed humanitarianism. The atrocious hours and working conditions of children and unskilled laborers were made illegal by pressure on Parliament by humanitarians. The Factory Act of 1833 and the Factory Act of 1844 were some of the most significant humanitarian bills passed in Parliament following the Industrial Revolution.

In the middle of the 19th century, humanitarianism was central to the work of Florence Nightingale and Henry Dunant in emergency response and in the latter case led to the founding of the Red Cross.

Emergency response

Today, humanitarianism is particularly used to describe the thinking and doctrines behind emergency response to humanitarian crises. In such cases it argues for a humanitarian response based on humanitarian principles, particularly the principle of humanity. Nicholas de Torrente, Executive Director of MSF-USA writes:

"The most important principles of humanitarian action are humanity, which posits the conviction that all people have equal dignity by virtue of their membership in humanity, impartiality, which directs that assistance is provided based solely on need, without discrimination among recipients, neutrality, which stipulates that humanitarian organizations must refrain from taking part in hostilities or taking actions that advantage one side of the conflict over another, and independence, which is necessary to ensure that humanitarian action only serves the interests of war victims, and not political, religious, or other agendas.

"These fundamental principles serve two essential purposes. They embody humanitarian action?s single-minded purpose of alleviating suffering, unconditionally and without any ulterior motive. They also serve as operational tools that help in obtaining both the consent of belligerents and the trust of communities for the presence and activities of humanitarian organizations, particularly in highly volatile contexts.^[3]

Humanitarian Accountability

The work of HAP-International has been key in defining the concept of humanitarian accountability, which has been much debated by the international humanitarian community. HAP-International focuses on two principles and mechanisms: those by which individuals, organizations and States account for their actions and are held responsible for them, and those by which they may safely and legitimately report concerns, complaints and get redress where appropriate. ^{[4] [5]} HAP-International defines accountability in a general sense as the responsible use of power, while ?accountability in humanitarian situations means that the power to help in situations of conflict and disaster is exercised responsibly. ^[6] When implemented, it means that survivors of war or disaster are able to influence decisions about the help they receive and can complain if they feel the ?helping power? was not exercised well.? ^{[7] [8]}

HAP Standard 2007

Working with its partners, disaster survivors and others, HAP-International produced the HAP 2007 Standard in Humanitarian Accountability and Quality Management. This certification scheme aims to provide assurance that certified agencies are managing the quality of their humanitarian actions in accordance with the HAP standard. ^[9] In practical terms, a HAP certification (which is valid for three years) means providing external auditors with access to the organization?s mission statement, accounts and control systems, providing for greater transparency in operations and overall accountability. ^{[10] [11]}

As described by HAP-International, the HAP 2007 Standard in Humanitarian Accountability and Quality Management is a quality assurance tool for humanitarian organizations. By comparing an organization's processes, policies and products to the Standard's six benchmarks, it is possible to measure how well the organization assures quality and accountability in its humanitarian work. Agencies that comply with the Standard:

• declare their commitment to HAP?s Principles of Humanitarian Action and to their own Humanitarian Accountability Framework
• develop and implement a Humanitarian Quality Management System
• provide key information about quality management to key stakeholders
• enable beneficiaries and their representatives to participate in program decisions and give their informed consent
• determine the competencies and development needs of staff
• establish and implement complaints-handling procedure
• establish a process of continual improvement ^[12]

See also

• Humanism
• Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International
• Humanitarian aid
• Humanitarian principles
• Homaranismo
• Misanthrope (opposite)
• Mundialization
• World citizen

Notes

1. ↑ "humanitarianism." WordNet 3.0. Princeton University. 02 Jun. 2007.
2. ↑ Pictet (1979) Humanity
3. ↑ de Torent (2004)
4. ↑ Humanitarian Practice Network - Accountability and Humanitarian Actors: Speculations and Questions
5. ↑ Humanitarian Practice Network - Putting the H into Humanitarian Accountability
6. ↑ http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=78640 - Beneficiary feedback: ?thanks but no thanks??9 June 2008
7. ↑ HAP-International Website - Humanitarian Accountability
8. ↑ Reuters Alernet Website - Can a certificate make aid agencies better listeners? 6 June 2008
9. ↑ Capacity.org - A Gateway for Capacity Development
10. ↑ The Economist - Certifying Aid Agencies, 24 May 2007
11. ↑ Reuters Alernet Website - Can a certificate make aid agencies better listeners? 6 June 2008
12. ↑ HAP-International Website - The HAP 2007 Standard

Sources

• Dictionary.com: Humanitarianism
• de Torrent, Nicholas: "Humanitarian Action Under Attack: Reflections on the Iraq War" Harvard Human Rights Journal, Volume 17, Spring 2004http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/hrj/iss17/index.shtml Retrieved 2007-07-13
• Walter, J. (2003). Focus on ethics in aid. World disasters report, 2003. Geneva, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.http://www.ifrc.org/publicat/wdr2003/index.asp Retrieved 2007-07-13
• Waters, Tony (2001). Bureaucratizing the Good Samaritan: The Limitations of Humanitarian Relief Operations. Boulder: Westview Press.

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