FAQs: Humanitarian Actors

An NGO is a non-profit, independent organization working to address humanitarian, human rights, social, environmental, or development issues. NGOs can provide services, advocate for policy change, and deliver aid during crises. Examples of humanitarian NGOs include Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Oxfam, and Save the Children.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) coordinates global emergency responses. It brings together governments, UN agencies, NGOs, and local actors to ensure aid is delivered effectively. OCHA also manages information, advocates for people in need, and develops humanitarian policies.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) ensures that the many different organizations in an emergency work together. It gathers and shares information, mobilizes funds, develops policies, and advocates for the needs of affected people. OCHA also supports field teams and coordinates the UN’s cluster system.

• Governments are those primarily responsible for providing humanitarian aid, e.g. in natural disasters. International organizations and international NGOs come in, when governments are incapable or for other reasons do not provide the necessary relief aid.
• Governments are the main funders of internationally coordinated aid.

Most groups adhere to the core humanitarian principles and have strict rules, regular audits, and public reports. They also work with local communities to ensure the aid provided is what people actually need.

The cluster system is a UN coordination mechanism that brings together organizations working on specific sectors of aid. For example, there are clusters for health, food, shelter, education, and WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene). Each cluster is led by a designated UN agency or NGO and ensures that efforts are not duplicated and that gaps are filled.

The IASC is the UN’s top humanitarian coordination forum. It brings together the heads of UN agencies, NGOs, the Red Cross/Red Crescent, and other partners to agree on policies, set priorities, and strengthen global emergency responses. It was established in 1992 and remains the main platform for humanitarian leadership and decision-making.

Some of the largest humanitarian international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) delivering humanitarian aid include: Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), Save the Children, International Rescue Committee (IRC), Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Oxfam, and CARE International.

The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) provides flights for humanitarian workers and light cargo to remote or dangerous areas where no safe land or commercial air travel exists. Managed by the World Food Programme, UNHAS ensures that life-saving projects can reach otherwise inaccessible communities.

ECHO (European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations) is the European Union’s humanitarian arm. With one of the world’s largest aid budgets, it funds emergency relief projects run by NGOs, UN agencies, and the Red Cross/Red Crescent. Established in 1992, ECHO provides assistance based strictly on need.

The ERC is a key figure within the United Nations system responsible for coordinating international humanitarian efforts in response to emergencies. As the head of OCHA, the ERC oversees the global humanitarian response, advocates for access to affected populations and mobilizes resources.

The Emergency Relief Coordinator is the UN's top official for emergency response, representing the international humanitarian community in discussions with governments and other stakeholders.

At the global level, the UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) leads coordination through the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), which brings together UN agencies, the Red Cross/Red Crescent, and NGOs. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) supports this by managing information, funding mechanisms like CERF, and the cluster system. Together, these ensure aid agencies work in a unified, efficient way.

Aid organizations coordinate through several mechanisms. Among them:

• The cluster system, which groups agencies by sector (health, shelter, food, WASH, etc.) to share information and divide responsibilities.
• Humanitarian Country Teams (HCTs), chaired by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, where senior leaders agree on strategies and priorities.
• Information-sharing platforms (like OCHA’s situation reports and humanitarian response websites) that help agencies avoid duplication and identify gaps.

Advocacy ensures that the voices and needs of crisis-affected people are heard by decision-makers. It can include calling for respect for international law, pushing for more funding, or highlighting neglected emergencies. Advocacy helps mobilize resources and political will.

The Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) is the senior UN official in a crisis-affected country. They assess whether international help is needed and ensure that aid organizations work together effectively. The HC chairs the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), which includes UN agencies, NGOs, and the Red Cross/Red Crescent.

The Humanitarian Country Team is a strategic and operational decision-making and oversight forum in each country facing a humanitarian crisis, established, led and chaired by the Humanitarian Coordinator. The HCT is composed of representatives from UN agencies, international NGOs and the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement.

A humanitarian worker is anyone engaged in delivering aid, relief, or protection to people affected by crises. They may be doctors, engineers, logisticians, social workers, or volunteers. Many are from local communities, while others work internationally. Humanitarian workers are protected under international law, but often face significant risks in conflict and disaster zones.

They often deal with:

• Dangerous environments (conflict zones, epidemics)
• Limited access (blocked roads, damaged infrastructure, extreme weather events)
• Shortages of funding and supplies
• Stress and emotional strain from witnessing suffering
• Witnessing atrocities, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide

A record of 383 aid workers were killed in 2024, following an upsurge in killings from 116 in 2022 to 280 in 2023. Most of those killed were local staff serving their communities and were attacked in the line of duty or in their homes. State actors were the most common perpetrators in 2024, with the majority of humanitarian workers killed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip.

Aid workers and humanitarians often face difficult choices where every option carries risks. For example:

• Risking their own lives to save others, such as working in wars, conflict zones or during disease outbreaks.
• Allocating limited aid, where the most vulnerable may be prioritized, but others in urgent need are left without support — like feeding the starving while the hungry go without.
• Protecting staff sometimes means suspending operations, even though affected people remain in desperate need.
• Balancing neutrality with advocacy, when speaking out against violations of humanitarian law and calling for protection could reduce access to affected people.
• Negotiating with armed groups to gain access, which may unintentionally legitimize them.
• Engaging with perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide, without being implicated in these crimes.

No. A national Red Cross/Red Crescent society is neither a governmental institution nor a non-governmental organization (NGO) but rather a unique entity with a specific auxiliary role to public authorities in the humanitarian field, operating under a special legal status defined by national legislation and international law. NGOs, on the other hand, are independent, non-profit organizations that operate outside of government control and typically focus on humanitarian, human rights, or development issues.

The key differences include: 

• A National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society is officially recognized by its national government and operates as an auxiliary to the public authorities in the humanitarian field, providing government functions, though it is not a governmental institution.
• Red Cross societies are unique types of organization that operate with a special mandate under international humanitarian law, specifically the Geneva Conventions, which gives it a unique legal status and protects its operations in conflict zones. This special mandate allows it to access areas that may be restricted for other organizations.
• A National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society works in partnership with public authorities, while a non-governmental organization (NGO) is a non-profit, independent organization - free from government control - working to address humanitarian, human rights, social, environmental, or development issues.