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FOREWORD For humanitarian workers, the ability to negotiate with all actors in situations of crisis or conflict is essential to effective and timely provision of humanitarian assistance and protection. Indeed, where the humanitarian imperative dictates, negotiation – conducted in an independent, impartial and neutral manner – can sometimes be a humanitarian necessity! Every day, humanitarian workers are faced with situations that require some form of negotiation, from seeking agreement on how best to access those in need, to reaching an understanding with other actors of how best to protect civilians in times of armed conflict. This often involves interaction with non-state armed groups. The absence to date of a structured approach to humanitarian negotiations with armed groups resulted in these interactions having been undertaken in an ad hoc manner, sometimes with less than optimal outcomes. For that reason I am delighted to present this Manual on Humanitarian Negotiations with Armed Groups, which provides a much-needed structured approach to humanitarian negotiations in a clear and user-friendly manner. I am confident that this Manual and the accompanying set of Guidelines will become essential guides for humanitarian practitioners in the field. The project to develop these negotiation tools was made possible through the generous support of the Government of Switzerland, the primary sponsor of this project, and of UNICEF and UNDP. The project also benefited immensely from the active participation of several IASC members as well as academic reviewers and field colleagues in a number of organizations. Finally, I would like to commend the authors for their excellent work; they have managed to combine new negotiation techniques with lessons drawn from field experiences to provide us with a structured, easy-to-follow approach to humanitarian negotiations with armed groups. Jan Egeland
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OCHA United Nations © 2006 |