IRIN/HPG Crisis Brief: Aid and the Islamic State
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Download document DUBAI/LONDON, 23 December 2014 (IRIN) - Despite the popular perception that large parts of Iraq are cut off from international aid, new research by IRIN and the Overseas Development Institute’s Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) shows humanitarian assistance is in fact reaching people in areas of the country controlled by militants from the group calling itself Islamic State (IS).
The IRIN/HPG Crisis Brief is a new product designed for aid workers, policy makers and donors to address a gap in current analysis of humanitarian research and action.
Aid agencies have generally kept quiet about their work in IS-controlled areas, but they have distributed aid through local groups and tribal leaders who have developed relationships with militants.
In this brief, we tackle complex questions like whether aid is propping up IS; whether agencies have compromised their principles - and put themselves at risk of criminal prosecution - to gain access; and what lessons we can learn from past experiences in Afghanistan and Somalia to ensure the most vulnerable people in Iraq receive support.
Read the pilot IRIN/HPG Crisis Brief here.