Two centuries ago, humanitarian action was based on feelings of altruism and philanthropy. After the establishment of the new world order by the end of the Second World War, and following the call for a world free of war and conflict, it was necessary to establish an institutional framework for sovereign states, starting with the replacement of the League of Nations with the United Nations and its institutions and agencies.

But the human nature remains uneven, wars and conflicts have not ended, societies and countries remain in need of assistance, and they cannot face natural disasters and devastating wars by themselves. Thus, the governance of humanitarian action has become a necessity and a need, as well as a professionalism in humanitarian action, reflecting a change in the competence of humanitarian workers.

This book is fundamental in humanitarian work to initiate this new academic discipline in the Arab world, help in the formation of Arab researchers and their understanding to the different topics of this area, and develop their competencies and experience in preparing research in the human domain and its studies.

This book is available from Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, published by Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies

To cite this book: Ghassan, Elkahlout. 2020. Humanitarian Action: Reality and Challenges. Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies.