Paper details

Paper authors	Chin Ruamps
In panel on	Trust in Humanitarian Action
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

This paper will consider the non-instrumental reason for humanitarian agencies to stay and continue to assist those who are currently under the help of them, that is, the affected population’s trust in humanitarian agencies and humanitarian agencies’ obligation to fulfil affected population’s reasonable expectations (of humanitarian agencies’ continued assistance).

The affected population’s expectations of relief aid and humanitarian assistance vary from context to context and are heavily associated with how the aid and assistance functions (Harvey & Lind, 2005). However, in situations where aid has been delivered for a period of time on a regular basis, the affected population who are currently under the help of humanitarian agencies can be led to form reasonable expectations of the continued provision of relief aid. Being able to rely on aid makes it more likely that the affected population will form expectations of the continued provision of aid. However, it need not be the only means to create their expectations. For instance, the affected population can be led to form reasonable expectations that humanitarian agencies will not ignore their expectations and will take care of them, given humanitarian agencies’ certain behavioural tendencies, as well as their trust in the nature of humanitarian agencies’ works and humanitarian agencies’ humanitarian characters.

I will call this view the ‘Reasonable Expectation Account’. To be more specific, the Reasonable Expectation Account will argue that (i) humanitarian agencies have invited the affected population in question to trust that they will continue to take care of them through engaging in humanitarian relief assistance voluntarily and knowingly. The Reasonable Expectation Account will then establish that (ii) an obligation that demands humanitarian agencies fulfil the affected population’s expectations is activated because humanitarian agencies are culpable for creating their reasonable expectations.

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