Do-no-harm approach

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Do No Harm ( dt. , Judge no harm ') is a concept for the conflict-sensitive planning and delivering assistance, particularly in war or civil war zones. It was developed by the American scientist Mary B. Anderson . She found that the activities of aid organizations in civil wars or violent conflicts did not reduce violence in some situations, but rather escalate violence. An important factor is, for example, who benefits from aid supplies or from employment opportunities at aid organizations, or whose position is strengthened or weakened by their activities.

A central finding is that in violent conflicts some participants further divide the conflicting parties ( dividers ), others try to maintain the connection or to see what connects them beyond the acute conflict ( connectors ). External actors should therefore ensure that they strengthen the particularly sensitive position of connectors in escalated conflicts and not play into the hands of dividers .

An essential element of the concept is to find or develop suitable methods in order to be able to assess the - positive or negative - effects of one's own actions (as an aid organization or as an external actor).

Some aid organizations explicitly refer to the do-no-harm approach, for example World Vision International or Welthungerhilfe .

literature

  1. Mary B. Anderson: Do no Harm: Supporting Local Capacities for Peace through Aid. Cambridge MA, Collaborative for Development Action, 1996
  2. Mary B. Anderson: Do No Harm: How Aid Can Support Peace - or War. Lynne Rienner Publishers, Boulder / London, 1999, 160 pages, ISBN 1555878342

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