Paper details
| Paper authors | Marnie Lloydd, Senior Lecturer, Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand) |
| In panel on | Beyond Trust: Rethinking Humanitarian Legitimacy in Times of Grassroots Power |
| Paper presenter(s) will be presenting |
In-Person / |
Abstract
The growing trust gap between affected populations and traditional humanitarian institutions, and the related call for localized approaches, as described in this panel description, have also seen traditional humanitarian principles - particularly neutrality - being put under intense pressure. In contexts such as Ukraine, Myanmar and Gaza, the notion of solidarity, although not new to the humanitarian sector, has re-emerged in recent discussions about effective, legitimate and ethical humanitarian action.
As a practitioner-academic, my research over the past few years has given significant time/thinking to the notion of ‘solidarity’ in relation to armed conflict, humanitarian action and international law. 'Solidarity' is a crucial concept that is referred to regularly, especially in relation to the debates about localization, citizen-led and informal actions. However, it can also hold multiple, sometimes fuzzy, meanings, which can appear at times to be in tension with traditional humanitarian principles such as neutrality and impartiality.
This paper argues that if humanitarianism has to adapt to these important shifts, the notion of what exactly we mean when we talk of 'solidarity' in this setting deserves careful reflection. While solidarity demands respect for the variety of operational principles and practices of diverse actors within the humanitarian 'ecosystem', I argue that what is considered ‘humanitarian’ still needs some careful limits, especially regarding impartiality. That is because solidary action involves not only a political stance but also solidary and respectful working methods amongst different types of humanitarian actors. Impartiality, in particular, seems to remain key.
My paper uses transdisciplinary perspectives in political philosophy, ethics, international law and humanitarian studies to examine and understand the multiple ways ‘solidarity’ is used in practice in today's humanitarian contexts, and why they are important. The talk will build on my article published in the International Review of the Red Cross on this topic.
