VOICE Out Loud Newsletter Vol. 6

Humanitarian NGOs have not traditionally engaged in advocacy nor taken a strong position on politically controversial issues. Carrying out advocacy was feared to compromise commitment to the humanitarian principles, above all independence and impartiality, which are considered the key to the acceptance by the affected populations. Increasingly, the changing environment for humanitarian action and new actors have required NGOs to relate to issues that are having an impact on the delivery of aid. Also, humanitarian advocacy has started taking shape in relation to operational reality on the ground.

Many VOICE member organisations have established positions on and advocate for themes that are directly linked to their operations. Articles on reproductive health and disaster risk reduction are examples of these. This newsletter highlights also some of the wider issues; new actors such as private security companies, and the issue of protection. The different articles present reasons for advocacy in the humanitarian field. They show the variety of audiences and levels of dialogue that NGOs use to promote their messages. The concerns and consequences of advocacy at the operational reality are also discussed.