Programming in access-constrained environments: practical guidance

Overview

Increasingly, crisis-affected populations are hard to reach, due to access and security constraints in complex conflict environments. The lack of unhindered access to communities with high humanitarian needs can prevent aid agencies from applying their standard operating model (“direct operation”). Consequently, alternative modes of operation must be employed. The key principle behind programming in such access-constrained environments is that different types of humanitarian actors experience different levels of risk and restriction in insecure or conflict settings. This means that a programme can sometimes continue in a low-access setting by removing personnel from the operational area who may face high levels of risk or restriction and replacing them with others who can operate more freely.