Is Humanitarian Aid Funding Fair and Square? Correlating Social Justice to Humanitarian aid Utilisation

Abstract

The majority of aid funding is directed to international organizations with very little going directly to local actors. This takes decision-making power away from local communities. Yet principles of humanitarian engineering emphasize socially just practices. Failure to consider these principles leads to the design of inappropriate technologies. This study investigates how the highest recipients of aid make decisions, and whether social justice is considered. Financial Tracking Service (FTS) data is analysed to determine which organizations are receiving the most funding. Needs assessment guidelines followed by these organizations are reviewed against a proposed social justice criteria. It has been found that the needs assessment guidelines emphasize participatory rights-based approaches, however, this is not reflected within their step-by-step frameworks. It is recommended to incorporate strategies of capacity sharing, trust building and genuine participation that reflects the criteria for social justice.

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