Navigating Humanitarian Access During Covid-19: Towards Localization

The Covid-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges in the delivery of humanitarian assistance worldwide. Global lockdowns and travel restrictions hindered humanitarian access for international aid organizations attempting to reach vulnerable populations and impeded the mobility of civilians displaced by armed conflict. As a result of these additional access constraints, national and local humanitarian actors were tasked with increased leadership and responsibility to deliver life-saving assistance. 

To discuss the impact of Covid-19 on humanitarian access, the CSIS Humanitarian Agenda welcomes Dr. Rebecca Brubaker, Senior Policy Adviser and Project Director at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR), Eranda Wijewickrama, Leader at the Humanitarian Advisory Group, and Smruti Patel, Founder and Co-Director of the Global Mentoring Initiative. This discussion launches the recent publication of UNU-CPR’s report on “COVID-19 and Humanitarian Access,” co-authored by Dr. Rebecca Brubaker, Dr. Adam Day, and Sophie Huvé. The panel will explore the findings of this report and the challenges and lessons learned from the transformation of aid provision during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

This event is made possible through general support to CSIS.