The impact of donor requirments on humanitarian aid

Abstract

The Syrian crisis that began in 2011 led to a major migration movement in the region. Several neighboring countries to Syria; especially Lebanon received many immigrants in their land. What was thought to be temporary became a significant political, economic, and social problem with the up rise of the conflict in Syria, especially with Lebanon’s complex and intertwined political context. Humanitarian organizations were the main actors working to support the growing number of Syrian refugees by providing the needed services in which the government lacks the ability to supply, and in aiding the Syrian Refugees in having their basic rights met. The Syrian crisis was a period of emergency that received significant amount of aid and the receivers of aid were subjected to various donor requirements and conditionalities. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which is one of Lebanon’s largest humanitarian organizations with various projects and donor funding serves as an example in illustrating donor – NGO relationships and the impact of donor requirements on project activities and processes.