The Centre supports more deliberate, principled, and effective humanitarian diplomacy at both the frontline and the highest political levels.

Alongside this, we are building the evidence base on what works in humanitarian diplomacy, supporting humanitarian diplomacy with armed groups, and advising those with the power to change how humanitarian diplomacy is funded, practiced, and understood.

What we mean by Humanitarian Diplomacy

The Centre defines humanitarian diplomacy as the use of negotiation, dialogue, and political engagement, at both frontline and high diplomatic levels, to secure and sustain access for humanitarian operations.

But there is no precise consensus on the definition of humanitarian diplomacy. Different actors, depending on their mandates or objectives, may define it more narrowly or broadly.

The links between Humanitarian Diplomacy, reducing violence and building peace

Humanitarian diplomacy is distinct and independent from, but can complement, political, peacebuilding and mediation efforts. Humanitarians should not be instrumentalised by peace processes. Indeed, humanitarian action derives its legitimacy and access from being perceived as neutral, impartial, and independent.

But our work shows that humanitarian diplomacy can contribute to violence reduction and confidence building processes. It can, for instance, shift group behaviour toward greater protection of civilians and create momentum for broader mediation. So the question for humanitarians and peacebuilders alike is whether to engage deliberately with that transformative potential, with all the risks that carries, or not.

Why this matters now

Humanitarian Reset calls explicitly for enhanced humanitarian diplomacy, and for stronger linkages between humanitarian action and peace. Yet we lack evidence on what works and in what contexts.

At the same time, the funding architecture built to support this work is collapsing. The 2025 USAID suspension and European aid cuts have hit humanitarian access teams hard, and cuts to peace and conflict resolution efforts are equally alarming. According to GPPi, from its peak in 2018 until 2023, global aid to peacebuilding and prevention fell by 12%, and conflict assistance by 17%.

Meanwhile, conflict continues to proliferate. Humanitarian diplomacy is one of the highest-leverage, lowest-cost tools available to address both the causes and consequences of conflict.