REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON

HUMANITARIAN ACCESS ANDNEGOTIATION IN ASIA

Ha ing e ie ed the e olution of humanita ian action and means to add ess contempo a challenges in Asia at theRef eshing Humanita ian Action Confe ence in Jaka ta in , o e pa ticipants f om count ies gathe ed in

Jaka ta on - Ma ch fo the Regional Confe ence on Humanita ian Access and Negotiation in Asia o ganized inconjunction ith the Cent e of Competence on Humanita ian Negotiation CCHN , Humanita ian Fo um Indonesia HFIand Pa amadina Uni e sit . The confe ence p o ided a uni ue space fo pa ticipants to discuss challenges elated to humanita ian negotiation.O ganizations like the CCHN ha e sought to build a communit of p actice among f ontline humanita ian negotiato s top omote c itical eflections, lea ning and info mal pee e changes, and this confe ence as the fi st of its kind to b inghumanita ian p ofessionals togethe ith go e nment and secu it fo ce officials, politicians, eligious leade s andep esentati es of non-state a med g oups ho a e gene all thei counte pa ts in humanita ian negotiation- those the

must con ince to gain access to those in need. Togethe , the confe ence e plo ed hat constitutes effecti e humanita iannegotiation in Asia- including pa ticula skill sets and best p actices- and hat mo e could be done to c eate the e ui edcollabo ati e en i onment to ensu e that humanita ian access can be secu ed fo the benefit of the most ulne able. Questions emain as to hat e tent successful humanita ian negotiations must in p actice be based on humanita ianp inciples- such as independence, impa tialit , neut alit , ecip ocit -o on the inte pla bet een the inte ests of ele antpa ties. Though pa ties to conflict ha e been cha acte ized as anting to achie e ce tain political, economic and militaobjecti es, hile humanita ian agencies p otect and assist those in need , this dichotom bet een inte ests and p inciples isnot, of cou se, so clea cut. Pa ties to conflict ha e p inciples, just as humanita ian negotiato s ha e inte ests. Mo eo e ,humanita ian p inciples might not be uni e sall sha ed o e uall unde stood. Whe e negotiating counte pa ts ha ediffe ent f ames of efe ence d a n f om thei o n eligious and cultu al t aditions, much might be lost in t anslation.

INTRODUCTION

Humanita ian negotiations a e cha acte ized b : high stakes oftendealing ith situations of life and death ; conte tual fluidit ; multiplestakeholde s ith di e gent inte ests and moti ations, as ell as po eimbalances bet een negotiating pa tne s; a comple set of isksincluding secu it , fiducia , and eputational; competition fo aluedcontacts and negotiation space; and cultu al and language ba ie s.

Claude B ude lein, Di ecto CCHN

The confe ence p o ided a p i ileged space fo humanita ian p actitione s and asso ted stakeholde s to sha e theipe specti es on the challenges and dilemmas of humanita ian access and negotiation in Asia. In addition to input p o idedb humanita ian negotiation e pe ts such as the CCHN, discussions benefitted f om di ect feedback f om assembledgo e nment, a med g oup, communit and eligious leade s. Pa ticipants conside ed a ious methods and app oaches to humanita ian negotiation, including elational dimensions ofinte actions bet een pa ties based on t ust, and t ansactional dimensions based on the c eation of joint alues andoppo tunities.  The e plo ed ho these skills and best p actices might be applied and adapted to diffe ent situations andcultu al conte ts, and attempted to d a out some of the uni ue social, political and cultu al aspects of the humanita iannegotiation e pe ience in Asia, the ultimate objecti e being to de elop conte t-specific negotiation app oaches hich aim toeduce suspicions and misunde standings and b idge cultu al and eligious di ides.

Distinguished guests and speake s included H.E. Madam Retno Ma sudi, the Indonesia Fo eign Ministe , as ke note speake ,Lt. Gen Ret Agus Wijojo, Chief of Te ito ial Affai s of the Indonesian National A med Fo ces, D Babu am Bhatta ai,fo me Maoist insu gent leade and P ime Ministe of Nepal and Vongtep A thakai al atee, Deput Sec eta Gene al ofASEAN, as ell as senio go e nmental and milita figu es f om as fa afield as Japan, S i Lanka, Thailand and I an. Thehumanita ian secto as ep esented b , among othe s, Dato D Faizal Pe daus, P esident of Me c Mala sia, D Vin aA i a atne, Gene al Sec eta of Sa oda a, S i Lanka, and M Hong Tjhin of Buddha Tzu Chi, Indonesia, hile eligiousleade s included Ven Samitha The o, a senio Buddhist monk f om S i Lanka, Gos ami Sushilji Maha aj, a ene ated Hinduleade f om India and D Khizi Ha at Khan, fo me Di ecto of the Islamic Foundation in Bangladesh. The non-state a med

g oup pe specti e as p o ided b Mohagha I bal, Chief Negotiato of the Mo o Islamic Libe ation F ont MILF , thePhilippines, Naza Muhammad Mutmaeen, fo me Head of the Islamic Emi ate of Afghanistan Taliban Depa tment ofInfo mation and Cultu e, Nu Djuli, fo me negotiato of GAM the F ee Aceh Mo ement , and Nasi Abbas, fo me l asenio Jemaah Islami ah ope ati e and one of the most anted jihadis in South-east Asia. O e the cou se of the t o-da e ent, a numbe of thought-p o oking uestions and themes eme ged f om the paneldiscussions, p esentations and th ough inte action ith the floo .  This epo t attempts to captu e the ke points of thosedebates and to summa ize the elated findings and conclusions put fo a d b the pa ticipants.

Access and secu it negotiations a e comple but c itical elements tosuccessful humanita ian action

Bo is Michel, ICRC Di ecto of Ope ations fo Asia

The abilit of humanita ian o ganizations to access people in need is becoming inc easingl challenging o ld ide.Whethe esponding to conflicts and natu al disaste s o ca ing out longe -te m health, ehabilitation and de elopmentp og ams, gaining the acceptance and coope ation of go e nments, opposition g oups and communities di ided alongethnic, eligious o political/ ideological lines can often be difficult to achie e. Stakeholde s need to be pe suaded thathumanita ian p og ams a e beneficial, t anspa ent and app op iate to the conte t. Ideal conditions fo aid effo ts a el p e ail: access to ulne able g oups is f e uentl limited due to stakeholde s’ lack ofunde standing o un illingness to suppo t humanita ian p og ams o uphold co e p inciples of humanita ian action.Despite these challenges, humanita ian acto s must continue to ope ate and fulfil thei missions ithout comp omisingthei co e p inciples. This can be a difficult task, pa ticula l in comple , highl politicized en i onments and/o in the faceof se ious secu it th eats. Indeed, in ecent times, man o ganizations ha e been kno n to limit thei ope ations due tounde standable isk a e sion. In la ge pa ts of Asia, it has become an established no m fo go e nment autho ities and humanita ian o ganizations to

o k togethe du ing times of la ge-scale disaste s, and the g o ing numbe and capacit of Asian o ganisations hasboosted coope ation bet een an a a of inte national, egional and national humanita ian acto s. P omising de elopments include the signing of the ASEAN Ag eement on Disaste Management and Eme genc ResponseAADMER and the establishment of the ASEAN Coo dinating Cent e fo Humanita ian Assistance AHA Cent e as a egional

coo dinating and suppo t bod , as ell as fo the implementation of AADMER o k p og ams. As discussed at theconfe ence, ASEAN is also no seeking to mo e be ond eacti e disaste esponse measu es to p omote a mo e holistic

cultu e of p e ention - ASEAN’s ne mant a- to tackle humanita ian issues be ond natu al disaste s mo e p oacti el .The ASEAN Deput Sec eta Gene al e plained that, hile it as impo tant to ecognise and espect the no ms of so e eignnations, the e e e issues that could be le e aged in the egion th ough a ne t pe of negotiation. Such shifts in thed namics of humanita ian action in Asia, including inc eased ci il-milita coo dination and the bu geoning ole of thep i ate secto , a e putting Asia at the fo ef ont of humanita ian collabo ation and inno ation. While ac oss the o ld humanita ian access const aints a e often d i en b insecu it and th eats f om asso ted non-statea med g oups, the dominant challenge in Asia ne e theless emains gaining acceptance b go e nments and engaging in a

a that does not inf inge upon st ong egional no ms of so e eignt , te ito ial integ it and non-inte fe ence. A politicalcultu e of eithe cont olling, autoc atic and semi-autoc atic states o democ atic asse ti eness in Asia, coupled ith thepo e ful ole of the milita hich continues to pla an impo tant ole in both societ and politics, natu all impacts thepe ception of humanita ian assistance. State conce ns must be taken into account pa ticula l in highl tense, sensiti esituations such as political conflict o insu gencies, ith humanita ians needing to unde stand ho autho ities deal itheal o pe cei ed th eats to thei so e eignt o autho it .

Simila l , the colonial and Cold Wa histo has left man Asian states and the majo it of thei populations ith a pe asi edist ust of Weste n influence, and at times of the inte national humanita ian communit . E en in the seemingl apoliticalconte t of disaste elief, the elationship bet een the humanita ian secto , go e nment autho ities, ethnic and eligious

BACKGROUND

nationalists and local communities emains f aught ith tension and suspicions. While inte national o ganizations a ef e uentl accused of p omoting decadent este n alues o cont o e sial human ights issues hich unde mine localcultu es and eligious t aditions, and e en of missiona acti it , local NGOs and implementing pa tne s a e seen as guiltb association and idel suspected of co uption.  Indeed, in man pa ts of Asia, the te m NGO has negati e, e endefamato connotations. One a ea of pe sistent discomfo t has been inte national and egional humanita ian inte ention in subnational conflicts.He e, so e eignt conce ns, pe cei ed national secu it p e ogati es and deep skepticism b local communities ha eclashed mo e ob iousl ith humanita ian impe ati es, esulting in minimal humanita ian access in contested a eas ofM anma , S i Lanka, Democ atic People’s Republic of No th Ko ea, and Afghanistan.  Humanita ian o ganizations muste plo e ho acceptance can be foste ed fo humanita ian action in the conte t of both natu al disaste s and conflict in a

a that is sensiti e to so e eignt conce ns of go e nments and local communities ho feel ma ginalized.

The confe ence opened ith a ke note add ess f om the Indonesian Ministe of Fo eign Affai s, H.E. Madam Retno Ma sudi,hose ema ks highlighted a numbe of ke themes hich ould eme ge in the cou se of the e ent. With Indonesia seeking

to pla a la ge ole in egional affai s, the Fo eign Ministe said that, in he ie , humanita ian negotiation and secu ingaccess du ing humanita ian c ises as the most c itical et most difficult aspect of humanita ian action. Madam Retno st essed the impo tance of taking into account the st centu Asian pe specti e , eminding the plenathat humanita ian eme genc esponse in Asia is t picall e diffe ent to that found in the Middle East and Af ica.  TheMiniste eminded the Confe ence that Asia has st onge state so e eignt and go e nmental st uctu es compa ed to, foe ample, the nume ous f agile count ies in Af ica. She also said the p esence of egional blocs and entities ASEAN, SAARCetc. ga e Asia an added ad antage in disaste esponse compa ed to egions he e such fo malised coope ation does not ete ist. 

No single agenc , no single go e nment can esol e c ises alone , she said, eflecting conce ns f om othe pa ticipantsth oughout the e ent ho highlighted thei o n e pe iences of seeing agencies and humanita ian acto s o king in siloso in competition ith each othe . Madam Retno a gued that humanita ian effo ts e ui ed espect fo the so e eignt of the legitimate go e nment,alluding to the fact that humanita ian action needs to ha e the full suppo t and unde standing of the autho ities in o de tobe fluid and effecti e. Indeed, the inte pla bet een go e nment autho ities and humanita ian acto s as a majo focus of the discussions on thefi st da , and Madam Retno’s comment p eceded a numbe of debates about the comple d namics and f iction that cane ist bet een States and humanita ian o ganisations, pa ticula l in highl sensiti e situations of conflict o communaltension.

KEYNOTE SPEECH FROM INDONESIA’S MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Refe ing to he ecent e pe ience in mobilizing Indonesian humanita ian suppo t fo the Rakhine c isis, she emphasizedthe need fo humanita ian acto s to act fast and emain fle ible ithout sidelining o sac ificing co e humanita ianp inciples of humanit , impa tialit , neut alit and independence, as ell as the need to de elop the humanita ian net o kin the egion fo mutual collabo ation and suppo t. Madam Retno’s final and most p essing point elated to the issue of t ust. To be effecti e, aid agencies need to gain theconfidence of the communities ou a e t ing to help and those ho ma hinde o misunde stand attempts to do so .

It is not eas to deal ith ce tain leade s o conflicting pa ties, she ackno ledged. Sometimes fle ibilit becomes pa t ofthe success in gaining t ust, confidence and secu ing humanita ian access and effecti e negotiation. In hat ould eme ge as a ke discussion point th oughout the confe ence, the Fo eign Ministe said the e as a c iticalneed fo all stakeholde s to o k togethe du ing times of conflict and humanita ian eme gencies. She also e p essed deepand sha ed conce ns about the g o ing secu it isks to f ontline aid o ke s, adding that humanita ian negotiationse ui e both b a e and sensiti it .

PERCEPTION ISSUES: OVERCOMING MISTRUST AND SUSPICION

The lack of t ust bet een f ontline humanita ian negotiato s and theicounte pa ts poses one of the g eatest hu dles to negotiations. A lack oft ust can la the g ound o k fo the failu e of negotiations

Cent e of Competence on Humanita ian Negotiation CCHN

Issues a ound t ust, pe ception and c edibilit of humanita ian o ke s and o ganizations eme ged as a dominant themeth oughout the confe ence. Ac oss the panels and g oup discussions, ep esentati es f om a ide a iet of backg oundsincluding the humanita ian secto , the milita and a med g oups all ga e eal-life e amples of the f iction that can e ist 

bet een stakeholde s a ound humanita ian access. Ho humanita ian o ganisations ope ate o a e pe cei ed to ope atecan affect t ust ith local communities. Public c iticism that aid agencies a e biased to a ds one side in a conflict, o apa ticula communit du ing secta ian iolence is common, as seen, fo e ample, du ing the Rakhine c isis. The Go e nment and Secu it Fo ce Pe specti es Panel b ought to the fo e the conce ns of milita office s that NGOS/aid agencies could b ing mo e diso de than good , especiall if an o ganisation efused to abide b the ules ocoo dination mechanisms established b the autho ities.  This point as ackno ledged as a alid one and se ed as aeminde of the need fo aid o ke s to espect state so e eignt , to pla b the ules. One senio milita office en isaged

e e close inte national ci il-milita coope ation in the futu e, ith milita communication and logistics cent es put atthe disposal of humanita ian agencies. Speake s cited e amples illust ating the histo ical eluctance of man Asian go e nments to accept fo eign assistance intimes of c isis, but ho t ust and coope ation has e ol ed o e assistance, as cont asted ith the Fukushima disaste

hen Japan elcomed inte national o ganisations f om the sta t.  The massi e inte national esponse to the ea th uake and tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia- p e iousl a combat zone and elati el sealed off f om the outside o ld- asmean hile cited as a tu ning point in the count ’s t aditionall suspicious app oach to inte national aid agencies, just asthe inte national humanita ian esponse to C clone Na gis in M anma in cont ibuted to a deg ee of opening up in thecount . The confe ence eflected that the mode n media landscape of -hou tele ision ne s, the inte net and social media hasboth benefitted and unde mined t ust and confidence in humanita ian action.  On the positi e side, humanita ian agenciescan no each ide audiences and use these platfo ms to e plain about thei o k and thei intentions. Con e sel , andmo e dange ousl , the isk of i al disinfo mation, conspi ac theo ies and ‘fake ne s’ about aid agencies- fo e ample that

accines a e a ‘ este n conspi ac ’ o that aid agencies a e p osel tizing o in ol ed in espionage- has inc easedsignificantl ith the ise of social media, and this can be t igge ed o e ploited b political and eligious g oups to fu thethei o n agendas. The p olife ation of such claims can unde mine public t ust, comp omise aid o ke s’ safet and limithumanita ian access in ce tain a eas. Simila l , hile state and non-state acto s gene all p efe to engage humanita ian acto s in confidential bilate alnegotiations, the use of social media can unde mine this b inc easing the isk of leaks o ci culation of unhelpfulspeculation. This puts p essu e on pa ties to be t anspa ent and isible to the public, sometimes to the det iment of thenegotiations themsel es. The p olife ation of non-state a med g oups and pola ization ac oss ethnic and eligious di ides p esents a significantchallenge. Indeed, the eme gence of e e mo e adical jihadi factions has culminated in the fo mation of the Islamic Stateg oup hich ejects e en basic concepts of humanit . Mo e amenable g oups and communities mean hile need to becon inced that humanita ian o ganisations a e not implicated in ecent humanita ian inte entions in Afghanistan, I aand Lib a, fo e ample, and ha e no ested inte ests , hidden o este n agendas o in ol ement in p osel tization.One fo me a med g oup membe as blunt in his assessment hen he said inte national aid agencies a e still often seen asthe enem opposition ith a este n, Ch istian agenda. No consensus as eached as to ho this pe petual pe ceptionp oblem could be o e come othe than th ough consistent dialogue and t ust-building initiati es in the ta get communities. With aid agencies inc easingl less able to access conflict zones o sensiti e pe iphe ies due to a combination of go e nmentest ictions and secu it th eats f om non-state a med g oups, the most ulne able u al populations feel abandoned, and

often ha e little unde standing, o a deep suspicion of aid o ganisations. Humanita ian o ke s fo ced to et eat toealthie u ban subu bs a e pe cei ed as li ing comfo table li es and lacking the commitment to fulfill thei humanita ian

mission. In Afghanistan, he e the cultu al gulf bet een u ban and u al a eas is compounded b se e e dispa it ineducational oppo tunities, fi st-hand accounts f om the field illust ated ho the diminished c edibilit humanita iano ganizations left them susceptible to scapegoating and attack. Mean hile, go e nments, politicians and non-state a med g oups might e amine hethe the inte ests of theiconstituencies a e best se ed b e agge ated est ictions on humanita ian access o e ace bating suspicions about theagenda of outside humanita ian o ganizations. T ust also depends on eassu ing stakeholde s that humanita ian acto s sufficientl unde stand the conte t, the localcultu e and the comple socio-political d namics in hich acto s a e ent ined. Humanita ian acto s must app eciate thepolitical ealities, secu it conce ns and often se e e p essu es and const aints unde hich thei counte pa ts mustope ate, fo ho can the ha e the confidence to negotiate o go out on a limb fo those ho fail to unde stand ke issues,pa ticula l hen eputations and li es a e at stake. One speake f om Mindanao, the southe n Philippines, desc ibed thef aught situation du ing the Islamic State G oup takeo e of Ma a i and heightened tensions bet een diffe entcommunities he e e e thing is politics and the idea of neut alit is not in the language . Doing no ha m is c ucial.

T anspa ent and clea communication and, he e possible, engagement ith all sides o stakeholde s in a c isis isimpo tant, but humanita ians must be igilant and not allo themsel es to be manipulated o inst umentalised, potentialldisto ting ca efull balanced po e elations. Kno ledge of the language and cultu e is c ucial, and the identit of the negotiato is often mo e impo tant than thecontent of the negotiation itself. Well-connected local e pe ts can le e age long-culti ated pe sonal net o ks and opendoo s that ould emain fo e e closed to outside s, hile deep familia it ith the conte t gi es them an instincti eunde standing of highl comple p oblems the esult of mo e efficient unconscious mental p ocessing hich outside sa el match. Inc easingl , it is these e pe ts and ad iso s ho pe fo m the alchem of humanita ian negotiation, and one

such speake as scathing about the utilit of gene al theo izing on negotiation methods gi en the o e iding impo tanceof kno ledge of the conte t. Simila l , one gene al pointed out that secu it fo ces e e best engaged b thei pee s, the eason h some o ganizationshi e e -milita pe sonnel. Though humanita ian o ganisations must institutionalize elationships ith ke stakeholde s,the c ucial impo tance of de eloping pe sonal elationships and appo t as a constant theme.  This takes time, and isf e uentl dis upted due the staff tu no e on both sides.

PARTNERSHIP

The onl a to take ca e of the ictims’ needs is th ough closecollabo ation among all stakeholde s… fo no single agenc , no singlego e nment, can esol e this alone.

H.E. Retno Ma sudi, Indonesian Fo eign Ministe

As eflected in this, and the p e ious Jaka ta confe ence on Ref eshing Humanita ian Action in , humanita iano ganizations a e inc easingl cognizant of the need to collabo ate ith each othe to p ope l coo dinate thei acti ities,lobb autho ities and optimize the effecti eness of humanita ian action. E amples of humanita ian coalitions includeHumanita ian Fo um Indonesia, Asia Disaste Reduction & Response Net o k ADRRN and Inte national Council ofVolunta Agencies ICVA , hich also lobb fo the inte ests of local and faith-based humanita ian o ganizations at

a ious humanita ian fo ums.

Wo king ith local pa tne s enables inte national agencies to bette establish themsel es in the conte t. In addition tobenefitting f om local net o ks and e pe tise, these pa tne ships appease go e nment autho ities eluctant to allointe national agencies to ope ate enti el independentl . In esting in capacit building fo pa tne s and othe stakeholde s,including counte pa ts in humanita ian negotiation, as cited as an e ample of a good and sustainable p actice hich

ould imp o e mutual t ust and unde standing bet een all conce ned pa ties o e time. A numbe of pa ticipants highlighted the c ucial ole of the de elopment secto .  While much of the confe ence asdominated b discussions elating to conflict and eme genc esponse, de elopment agencies unning long-te m p ojectsa e t picall e ell-ent enched in thei conte ts and at the angua d of t ust-building ith autho ities and localcommunities. These p e-e isting net o ks might pa e the a to facilitate humanita ian access fo othe o ganizations,pa ticula l du ing the eme genc elief phase.

might not be immediatel appa ent. Failing to app eciate high-stakes economic facto s implicating politicians and secu itfo ce pe sonnel, o the c iminal dimension in sensiti e pe iphe ies is also a isk. One fo me ebel leade said thatgo e nments often tend to f ame an insu genc as pu el a secu it issue, and cautioned that humanita ian acto s mustmake themsel es a a e of the unde l ing causes, political and socio-economic dimensions of a conflict in o de to engageeffecti el . Though eme genc elief esponses e ui e o ganizations to mobilize apidl , the e as consensus that humanita iano ganizations should ideall take time to establish themsel es in a pa ticula conte t and de ote esou ces to conte tanal sis and mapping, as ell as the deplo ment and ec uitment of staff hose essential task is to net o k, build t ust andna igate the multi-la e ed political, eligious, cultu al and secu it d namics in a gi en a ea.  Outside aid o ke s suffe ing

KNOWING THE CONTEXT: RESEARCH, MAPPING AND NETWORKING

All theo is meaninglessunless ou ha e deep conte tualkno ledge of the en i onment

ou a e ope ating in.Cent e of Competence on Humanita ian

Negotiation CCHN

De eloping in-depth kno ledge of the conte t can be thediffe ence bet een success and failu e. Man speake seite ated the need fo humanita ian o ganizations to ca

out esea ch and anal sis on the conte ts he e thedeplo , and not to assume that thei humanita ian missiongi es them a f ee pass, the eb stumbling into conte tsthe don’t unde stand. While humanita ian o ke s must not in ol e themsel esin politics, a numbe a speake s eite ated that the mustha e an app eciation of the socio-political en i onment in

hich the ope ate, he e histo ical tensions o g ie ances

f om a kno ledge deficit in ce tain conte ts as f e uentl cited b confe ence pa ticipants as a eakness ofhumanita ian effo ts and a d a back to effecti e negotiation. Humanita ian acto s e e encou aged to open up lines ofcommunication ith multiple stakeholde s, and e plo e ho to bette utilize digital media to each out to those ho mightothe ise be inaccessible. The essential ing edients of humanita ian negotiation e e encapsulated in the Nai asha G id p esented at the beginningof the confe ence b the CCHN’s Claude B ude lien see belo . De eloped th ough consultation ith e pe ienced f ontlinehumanita ian negotiato s, the g id illust ates that conte t anal sis, mapping of net o ks of influence and position andinte est anal sis a e c ucial elements of the fi st elational stage of humanita ian negotiation, leading to the de elopmentof a tactical plan.

Du ing la ge-scale o sudden-onset eme gencies, it is common p actice fo outside aid o ganisations to pa achute instaff ho ma ha e onl ha e a udimenta unde standing of the conte t, and a numbe of pa ticipants uestioned

hethe the apid deplo ment of e en e pe ienced inte national aid o ke s ith scant unde standing of local sensiti itieso the histo ical oots of a conflict might sometimes do mo e ha m than good. Mo eo e , aid o ke s judged to lack localkno ledge can be e cluded f om ci cles of t ust ith local staff o contacts. Sensiti e o nuanced info mation might not besha ed, especiall if the local colleague o contact is in a p eca ious position themsel es and un illing to sac ifice his o hesocial capital fo a lost cause. The p acticalities and e tent to hich outside aid o ke s could imp o e thei kno ledge of local conte ts o anticipatee e scena io as a point of debate.  Is it ealistic to e pect ca ee humanita ians to unde take detailed esea ch o

cultu al imme sion t aining hen the a e facing time p essu es to espond in an eme genc ?  Could obligato p e-mission t aining be put in place to ensu e aid o ke s did not stumble blind into sensiti e and comple scena ios?Indeed, if an e pat iate p esence is deemed necessa , a e the e instances in hich specialist ‘count -e pe ts’ oconsultants be conside ed o e ca ee humanita ians?  The constant otation and high tu no e of staff in someinte national o ganisations also suggests kno ledge and contacts can be e oded and lost uickl , despite in estment oftime and esou ces and the ec uitment of longe -te m local staff. The confe ence hea d that a numbe of gaps and eaknesses pe sist in net o king st ategies emplo ed b humanita iano ganizations. Ha ing a ‘blinke ed’ ie of a conte t and thus onl engaging ith established contacts ithin go e nment,the milita o ithin mainst eam opposition/ ebel g oups as cited as a ke eakness that agencies should add ess.Religious leade s f om the Muslim, Ch istian, Buddhist and Hindu communities made a numbe of insightful p esentationsand cont ibutions, demonst ating the highl influential ole eligious leade s can pla in facilitating humanita ian access

and dist ibutions– as ell as in secu ing the t ust of communities and in some cases a ing pa ties.  A ide ange of ci ilsociet and communit leade s e e simila l mentioned in the conte t of net o king and building up solid ‘mainst eam’acceptance of humanita ian o k. O e all it as ag eed that building t ust ith diffe ent pa ties takes time and should ideall be sta ted befo e a c isis oeme genc in o de to imp o e the chances of successful negotiation and access in futu e. Local and faith-basedo ganisations possess significant ad antages in this ega d, often combining e tensi e g ass oots net o ks ith fluidaccess to go e nment officials and membe s of opposition g oups. These facto s, togethe ith inc easing est ictions one pat iate access in man conte ts, ha e led to the localization of elief effo ts ac oss Asia- the deplo ment ofe clusi el local/national staff and INGO pa tne ships ith local implementing pa tne s in sensiti e conte ts. Mean hile,inte national o ganizations ha e lea ned that a long-te m p esence in ce tain ke conte ts/hubs g eatl facilitatessubse uent humanita ian deplo ment, since the a e bette connected to influential net o ks, bette unde stand theconte t and a e mo e t usted b stakeholde s. The ole of esea ch and mapping of net o ks of influence as conside ed of c ucial impo tance. One speake f omMindanao added that in fast-e ol ing conflict situations such as the ecent Ma a i siege, conside able effo t must also bemade to keep mappings up-to-date. In a o st case scena io, time asted in a sudden sc amble to identit ke contacts opu suing out of date o ‘dead’ leads could ha e t agic conse uences. Ultimatel , humanita ian negotiato s must assess hat is ealisticall possible, and ho the might le e age suppo t oadapt thei ope ations and/o communications to the challenges at hand.

LEVERAGING CULTURAL CAPITAL IN ASIA

Asia has ast scale and cultu al di e sit . As such, egional app oaches to negotiation a e not al a s app op iate oeffecti e. Ho e e , ASEAN is t ing to foste a consistent app oach to humanita ian engagement. The e is of cou se nosingle Asian a to negotiate despite cultu al simila ities ithin and ac oss ce tain egions. In this espect, the oles ofegional leade ship in b oke ing negotiations bet een states and the inte national humanita ian communit pe haps has

its limitations, though ASEAN stands out as a ep esentati e egional o ganization de eloping a united app oach tohumanita ian engagement. Some Asian cultu es a e high po e distance cultu es, he ein hie a chies a e fo med based on facto s such as age,gende , and education. Simila l , successful negotiations a e pe haps mo e contingent upon elationship building, makingthe mapping and engaging net o ks of influence in the elational stage of humanita ian negotiation mo e impo tant. Humanita ian o ganisations ha e not t aditionall de oted significant esou ces to de eloping empi icall de i ed,cultu all app op iate negotiating app oaches. Yet, cultu al d namics can impact the success of humanita ian negotiationsin Asian conte ts, including ecognizing the impo tance of elationships, social hie a ch , t ibal and familial net o ks as

ell as adapting one’s communication st le and the need to sho espect and ensu e that counte pa ts sa e face. Much of the discussion e ol ed a ound a a iegated unde standing of diffe ent cultu es , including the idea of mo ingf om a cultu e of cont ol to a cultu e of t ust.

It as posited that successful humanita ian negotiation in Asia is gene all a function of effecti e p elimina net o king-building elationships fi st befo e add essing ke issues- the eb a oiding the need to face off in hat might pe haps beega ded as a este n-st le negotiation. Conf ontation and/o situations of pe sonal conflict a e ega ded as highl

undesi able and emba assing in man Asian conte ts in hich elationships tend b cha acte ized b pe sonal ties, mutualconsensus and a non-conf ontational app oach.  The ASEAN Wa e eals the elati e eight placed on info mal, non-legalistic, and consensus-based diplomac in the egion, hethe conducted ith high-le el go e nment inte locuto s ocommunities in the field. Hence, diffe ences in the di ectness of communication, fo malit and attitude bet een pa ties canact as impediments to a successful negotiation outcome. Rep esentati es f om ASEAN eite ated the co e p inciples ofconsensus and non-inte fe ence hich unde pin the o ganisation’s app oach to diplomac , as ell as the impo tance ofnon-conf ontation. While ackno ledging the cultu al and political hete ogeneit of Asian states, add essing the e tent to

hich le e aging cultu al capital dete mines the success of humanita ian negotiations ac oss diffe ent Asian conte ts isc ucial. Mo e fo mal negotiations ith go e nment autho ities fo humanita ian access- sometimes impl ing that net o kingoptions ha e been e hausted- a e f e uentl postponed b humanita ian o ganisations in o de to a oid puttinggo e nment officials on the spot and isking long-te m bu eauc atic blockages o additional est ictions on humanita ianaccess. Indeed, in the sho t-te m at least, a lack of official cla it as to the e act limits of humanita ian action might bep efe able to an e ecuti e o de that completel locks humanita ian acto s out. Though a s to negotiate ith go e nmentbu eauc acies and the info mal net o ks that inte sect them must be studied fu the , success is a el achie able ithoutthe suppo t of highl -net o ked local e pe ts and go-bet eens ith intimate kno ledge of ho the function. It as unde sco ed that the lack of a no in a discussion does not necessa il mean es , and that st les ofcommunication and negotiation e e often mo e subtle and indi ect, in ol ing eading bet een the lines , eading theatmosphe e and non- e bal communication. One pa ticipant e en stated that sometimes silence is the best negotiationtactic. In line ith these points, a numbe of speake s st essed the c itical impo tance of a negotiato ’s abilit to e aluateand anticipate thei counte pa t’s cultu al beha io s and p efe ences in dete mining the success of a humanita iannegotiation, a ole most effecti el pla ed b local e pe ts. Humanita ian acto s e e ecommended to ha e an open mind to diffe ent a s of seeing. Successful negotiationsnecessitate unde standing alte nati e points of ie , including cultu al and eligious facto s, as ell as an app eciation thatce tain te ms and concepts might not be e uall unde stood ac oss linguistic and cultu al bounda ies. Humanita ians oftentend look at ope ational conte ts th ough a no mati e f ame of efe ence hich catego izes the status of peoplecombatants, non-combatants, etc. and situations inte national a med conflicts, non-inte national a med conflicts, etc.

in a s that might not esonate ith negotiating counte pa ts on the g ound. Te minologies and the f aming of a gumentsmight need to be modified to be e uall comp ehensible and acceptable to all pa ties.

While humanita ian negotiation is based on inte national, national and local no ms and ju isdictions hich set ules ofengagement and e pectations of humanita ian aid o ganisations, some of hich a e mandated b inte national la , theseno ms a e f e uentl contested and misunde stood in Asia, pa ticula l hen pe cei ed as a este n imposition. Thisp oblem is compounded hen humanita ian acto s fail to p ope l anal ze the political, cultu al and eligious dimensionsof the conte ts he e the o k, o e plain themsel es to ke stakeholde s. Negotiato s need to e plo e diffe ent f ames of efe ence to find common g ound and sha ed inte ests and objecti es, as

ell as mutual app eciation of thei especti e obligations and const aints. The assumption on the one hand thateste n/inte nationall ag eed mo al and legal f ame o ks automaticall unde pin humanita ian action, o on the othe

that alien alues a e being imposed on societies f om outside, can esult in misunde standings, esistance o blockages toaccess. Humanita ian negotiation in Asia often e ui es hat in Indonesia is te med mus a a ah dialogue to eachconsensus , and as gene all cha acte ised as a slo p ocess, building up t ust and consensus o e time athe thandemanding adhe ence to inte national ules and obligations.

THE ROLE OF FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS (FBOs)

Local acto s and faith-based o ganizations a e pla ing an inc easinglc itical ole on the f ontlines of humanita ian c ises. This confe encep o ided an impo tant oppo tunit fo us to hea diffe ent pe specti esabout humanita ian negotiation and access and to st engthen ouacceptance and secu it on the g ound.

Tom Hend ajati, Chai man of E ecuti e Boa d of Humanita ian Fo um Indonesia HFI

Rep esenting ast constituencies of eligious adhe ents ac oss Asia, eligious cha ities ha e been assisting the need fohund eds, if not thousands of ea s. O e the past fe decades, thei numbe and capacit has g o n e ponentiall ,channeling the spending po e of Asia’s bu geoning middle class. Indeed, these o ganizations ep esent both the past andfutu e of humanita ian action. The means b hich Asia’s e panding net o ks of faith-based humanita ian acto s negotiate humanita ian access ithgo e nment autho ities, secu it fo ces and opposition g oups as the focus of length discussions on the second da .Faith-based cha ities can mobilize e tensi e g ass oots net o ks and a mies of oluntee s, and t picall enjo p i ilegedelationships ith go e nment officials, politicians, secu it fo ces and opposition g oups, especiall those of thei co-eligionists.

FBOs a e also inc easingl collabo ating ac oss the egion th ough umb ella o ganizations such as Humanita ian Fo umIndonesia HFI and the Muslim Inte national NGOs Fo um. HFI membe s include FBOs hich b idge each othe to diffe entconte ts- Muslim o ganizations ha e helped Ch istian o ganisations to deplo to Muslim-majo it Aceh, fo e ample,

hile Ch istian o ganisations ha e assisted Muslim o ganisations in Papua. Rep esentati es of FBOs f om S i Lanka,Indonesia and Pakistan said that in o de to build thei capacities and a oid duplication, pa tne ships ith inte nationalagencies e e something to be fu the encou aged and e plo ed. While local FBOs a e often deepl embedded in thei societies, inte national FBOs face man of the same access challengesas othe INGOs hen deplo ing outside thei home count ies. Though man adhe ed to NIIHA neut al, impa tial andindependent humanita ian action , including humanita ian ings of e en iolent jihadi o ganizations, some a e subject toeligious bias and face p essu e f om dono s to ea ma k aid fo co- eligionists o specific populations.

A fe pa ticipants uestioned the impa tialit of FBOs, hile othe s suggested that pa tialit , o pe cei ed pa tialit , mightbe an asset in instances he e co- eligionists fo m the majo it of the ta get population. One ep esentati e of a leadingFBO e plained that anticipation of such suspicions made FBOs mo e conscious of the need to emain impa tial.  Foe ample, the Buddha Tzu Chi Foundation, one of the fi st fo eign o ganizations to achie e humanita ian access in M anmain the afte math of C clone Na gis hen the UN and inte national NGOs e e denied ent , has also been one of the mostespected o ganisations in the Muslim and Ch istian-dominated southe n Philippines.

One speake ela ed an anecdote familia to man aid o ke s about the occasional need, hen the dist ibution of aidbecomes politicised, to assist communities ho do not st ictl e ui e assistance in o de to a oid the pe ception of bias.This as a timel eminde that the pe ception of impa tialit o indeed neut alit as often mo e impo tant thanimpa tialit itself, and highlighted some of the uncomfo table dilemmas faced b aid agencies that ha e to st ike a balancebet een deli e ing elief to those in need hile at the same time managing pe ceptions, isks and p essu es f omcommunities, politicians and othe pa ties.

THE ROLE OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS IN HUMANITARIAN NEGOTIATION

While eligion has commonl been ega ded b humanita ians as p oblematic- a cause of suffe ing athe than a means toalle iate it- the ICRC st essed the impo tance of dialogue ith eligious leade s du ing times of conflict o disaste . This isnot because conflict is necessa il about eligion, but because eligious leade s a e gene all ell- espected and commande tensi e net o ks ith an a a of stakeholde s, as ell as ca ing out cha itable o ks. As such, eligious leade s a ealso e pe t negotiato s and e t emel effecti e ecto s fo channeling and facilitating humanita ian aid, secu ing the t ustof communities and acting as a buffe bet een aid o ke s and a ing pa ties. The fact that man eligious leade s a ein ol ed in inte faith dialogue and peace-building effo ts means that the a e also ell positioned to facilitatehumanita ian negotiations and b idge political and ethno- eligious di ides. Panelists ne e theless made the point that eligion and nationalism ha e inte acted in comple a s ith political andeconomic facto s to d i e a numbe of subnational conflicts in Asia. In M anma and S i Lanka, Buddhist nationalistna ati es ha e fueled secta ian clashes ith Muslims, hile in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Philippines and Indonesia,Islamists ha e aged both nationalist and jihadi st uggles to establish Islamic states. While ethno- eligious tensions maindeed cont ibute to conflict, ho e e , eligious leade s ha e the p estige and influence among communities and a ingpa ties to help minimise the impact of conflict, easse t co e eligious p inciples and build b idges ith i al communitiesto o k to a ds peace and econciliation. In times of c isis, eligious net o ks- hethe g ass oots net o ks of chu ches, mos ues, temples and schools o high-le el elations ith go e nment, secu it fo ces, politicians and opposition leade s- pla a c ucial ole in facilitatinghumanita ian access and the dist ibution of elief. At the local le el, eligious leade s’ intimate elations ith kestakeholde s mean the a e often pe cei ed as less pa tisan than outside humanita ian o ganisations ithout the means tona igate local net o ks. Religious figu es can pla a c itical ole in facilitating t ust and communication bet een aid

o ke s and communities ho ma ha bo suspicions of fo eigne s. A Buddhist monk at the confe ence told an anecdotef om S i Lanka, he e a flood-affected local communit as initiall eluctant to accept help f om inte nationalo ganisations fea ing con e sion. The monk as able to gi e his eassu ances that this as not the case and access aseasil g anted. These facto s ha e made it an impe ati e fo humanita ian acto s to st engthen thei o n eligious lite ac and engage itheligious influence s in o de to gain legitimac , t ust and sustain access ithin local communities.

Gi en that humanita ian negotiations a e based on humanita ian p inciples ultimatel d a n f om the o ld’s eligioust aditions, the ole of eligious leade s in p omoting these p inciples is also highl ele ant. Much o k has been done bthe ICRC in collabo ation ith Islamic schola s to p omote co espondences bet een Inte national Humanita ian La IHLand Islamic Ju isp udence, and simila p ojects and discussions a e being pu sued in collabo ation ith Buddhist, Hindu,Sikh and othe eligious schola s, the emphasis being on p omoting debate and e plo ing common humanita ian p inciplesthat esonate ith people f om di e se communities. This focus on e plo ing con e gences bet een humanita ian andeligious p inciples e identl st ikes to the co e of hat humanita ian negotiation is about, and highlights the impo tance

of this o k in finding common g ound. Gi en the post-colonial legac in Asia, and that IHL and much of the cu ent humanita ian a chitectu e is often pe cei ed as

este n- and the efo e contentious- one pa ticipant f om I an said that mo e o k needed to be done to gain the t ust andunde standing of communities ho egulate thei beha io in acco dance ith thei eligious, cultu al o indigenousbeliefs.  Pa allels and co espondences should be made bet een IHL/ humanita ian p inciples and local customs, he a gued,adding that such an app oach ould foste g eate unde standing and mutual acceptance.  Simpl p esenting IHL/humanita ian p inciples ithout an cultu al adaption, pa ticula l in communities he e unde standing of inte nationalno ms is lo , could esult in inte national aid o ganizations fo e e being pe cei ed as ha ing a este n agenda and beingnot enti el t ust o th .

THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN HUMANITARIAN NEGOTIATION

A numbe of Asia’s leading female humanita ian p actitione s e e amongst the pa ticipants at the confe ence. Womenf om Afghanistan, I an, the Philippines and Indonesia p o ided impo tant insights into the oles that oman can, and dopla in humanita ian negotiation and conflict- esolution.   Man of Asia‘s communit and faith-based o ganizations ha e sizeable female suppo t bases, and in some cases official

omen’s ings, and it became appa ent in the debates that the po e of omen to mobilize and influence should not beunde estimated. The o ld’s la gest Buddhist cha it , Buddha Tzu Chi, as founded b Maste Cheng Yen, a Buddhist nun,and a g oup of house i es in Tai an, and its oluntee pool is still dominated b omen- notabl house i es- man of

The p esence of a numbe of fo me fighte s and leading negotiato s f om the egion’s a med g oups added a uni uedimension to the confe ence. Past and p esent membe s of the Mo o Islamic Libe ation F ont MILF , Islamic Emi ate ofAfghanistan Afghan Taliban , the F ee Aceh Mo ement GAM and Jemaah Islami ah e e gi en the oppo tunit to sha ethei e pe iences and pe specti es on the humanita ian negotiation p ocess. With inc easing ethnic and eligious pola ization, p olife ation of a med g oups and asso ted adical net o ks,humanita ians must be a a e of the dange s and go e nments’ legitimate secu it conce ns. Balancing the need to speak toall pa ties, including membe s of a med g oups, ith secu it and the good ill of autho ities emains a delicate balancingact hich is not al a s possible to pull off, and the space fo neut al, independent humanita ian action is sh inking fast.Faced ith est ictions on access to conflict-affected a eas and lack of access to non-state a med g oups, contact ith homis a el tole ated b autho ities, humanita ian o ganizations might ha e to educe thei acti ities, comp omise theip inciples and o king p ocedu es and/o e plo e inno ati e means to pa tne ith local o ganizations and each out to lesssensiti e inte media ies. Misconceptions and deep- ooted suspicions of ‘collabo ation ith the enem side’ e e f e uentl cited as majo isks fohumanita ian agencies o king in conflict zones o di ided communities. F om the standpoint of an opposition o a medg oup, dialogue bet een humanita ian o ganizations and autho ities can e ode t ust and enhance isk, especiall in conte ts

he e go e nment policies a e pe cei ed as opp essi e o inf inging on human ights. Whilst claiming to unde stand thedilemmas and p actical const aints of humanita ian action in the field, one fo me fighte challenged the mo alit of aid

o ke s ho o k ith go e nments hich act ith impunit . Coope ation ith the milita - an inc easingl common t end in disaste zones- as also cited as a eputational and secu itisk fo aid o ganizations.  Whilst it as ag eed that in te ms of p acticalities ci il-milita coope ation as highl

beneficial, humanita ian acto s in ol ed a e gene all pe cei ed as taking sides, fatall unde mining thei neut alit andsecu it . E en in instances he e humanita ian access is successfull achie ed, this positi e outcome can sometimes be sou ed bpe ceptions that access as g anted onl as a esult of a deal ith one pa t at the e pense of anothe - thus e oding thedesi ed pe ception of neut alit . This it as concluded is a difficult, pe haps impossible, dilemma to o e come. Such as thecase ith the Red C oss Mo ement’s access to Rakhine du ing the ecent c isis, hen man assumed that it must somehobe comp omising ith the M anma autho ities. C uciall , the CCHN eminded pa ticipants that "neut alit cannot simplbe claimed but has to be " ecognized, pe cei ed and unde stood on the g ound .   The confe ence hea d that gaining t ust and secu it gua antees f om a med g oups continues to be a challenge fohumanita ian o ganizations, pa ticula l gi en a med g oups’ tendenc to f agment into e e mo e adical factions. A medg oup membe s u ged humanita ian o ganizations to emain neut al and impa tial, and a gued that contact should besustained hene e possible ith ega d to ele ant aspects of humanita ian deplo ment, a oiding a ‘stop-sta t’ app oachto elationships. Unfo tunatel , states ha e inc easingl little tole ance fo this, and humanita ian o ganizations a esometimes faced ith legal amifications should the pe sist.

NEUTRALITY AND NEGOTIATING WITH NON-STATE ARMED GROUPS

hom deplo to f ontline disaste zones such as the Nepal ea th uake and Bangladesh/M anma bo de a eas. Whenunable to access the gene al in cha ge of coo dinating the ea th uake elief effo t in Nepal, Tzu Chi contacted his ife toesol e the issue. In Indonesia, the Disaste Management Cente of the count ’s second-la gest Muslim o ganization,

Muhammadi ah, has D Rahma ati Hussein, a leading female p actitione , as its Vice Chai . A numbe of female humanita ian p actitione s and eligious leade s, including Siste B igitte Ren aan, ho talked abouthe e pe iences on the f ontlines of conflict in Indonesia’s Maluku p o ince, sho ed ho omen a e al ead at the hea t ofcommunities hen disaste st ikes. Empo e ing omen and enabling them to pla an e ual, if not leading ole, in f ontlinehumanita ian negotiation as highlighted as a c ucial step fo a d in man Asian conte ts. The ole of omen in familial and t ibal net o ks as also discussed in the conte t of engagement ith non-state a medg oups in the southe n Philippines, most ecentl du ing the Islamic State Maute g oup takeo e of Ma a i. Women, inthei oles as i es and mothe s of a med fighte s and/o secu it detainees, and inc easingl as acti e combatants ac ossthe egion, can be an impo tant ecto in humanita ian negotiation, allo ing elati el safe and fluid communication ithe en adical o sensiti e g oups. Pa ticipants discussed the e tent to hich de eloping elationships ith omen inconflict-affected communities could help to educe tension and build t ust bet een humanita ian agencies and a medg oups. Gi en that the p otection of omen and child en is usuall a sha ed humanita ian goal fo all pa ties, this issue isf e uentl utilized to establish baseline t ust and common g ound. The c ucial ole of omen as mothe s and teache s tothei child en, and the t ansmission of humanita ian p inciples to futu e gene ations as also discussed.

Local staff and inte locuto s can sometimes be highl e posed to p essu e f om go e nments and a med g oups p eciselbecause the a e embedded in local communities, and this is one a ea he e deplo ment of e pat iate staff can sometimesbe an ad antage. Mean hile, go e nments must e aluate hethe an o ganization’s contact ith a med g oups and utilitas a humanita ian inte media out eighs its potential to legitimize them. In p actice, gi en the secu it const aints and sh inking space fo contact ith a med g oups, humanita ian o ganizationsinc easingl limit thei ambitions and/o el on p o ies to maintain an channels to a med g oups at all. This leads to a

icious c cle in hich lack of contact t anslates into inade uate secu it gua antees fo humanita ian o ganizations todeplo , the eb alienating a med g oups and thei constituencies and gi ing ise to pe ceptions that the ha e beenabandoned b the inte national communit . These pe ceptions a e einfo ced hen humanita ian o ganizations continue toassist communities in go e nment-cont olled u ban a eas- in Afghanistan, fo e ample, he e it is almost impossible fohumanita ian agencies to obtain secu it gua antees f om metastasizing Taliban, IS and asso ted militia g oups. Some pointed out that este n concepts of neut alit and impa tialit a e unde stood in diffe ent a s b diffe entpa ties. In some conte ts, neut alit can be inte p eted as eakness, lack of empath and e en as a sign of dislo alt , opa tialit to sides hich uphold the status uo. Such positions might, fo e ample, be held b non-state a med g oups ohuman ights acti ists ho p efe denunciation to st ict neut alit , hich the ega d as a cop out. Clea l , the e a e anumbe of dilemmas to hich the e a e pe haps no pe fect solutions, and hich cut to the e co e of contempo ahumanita ian challenges. The c itical impo tance of unde standing the conte t as again unde lined in elation to non-state a med g oups. Ifhumanita ian negotiato s fail to unde stand the oot causes of the conflict o empathize to a deg ee ith the g ie ances ofa med g oups and thei constituencies- also necessitating a deg ee of pe sonal appo t- then the a e unlikel to in theit ust.  Ha ing a g asp of the comple ities of a conflict also demonst ates that humanita ian negotiato s a e competent, andless likel to make costl mistakes hich might comp omise the secu it of the g oup. Gi en that non-state a med g oups a e gene all less o ganised and mo e sec eti e than state secu it fo ces, humanita iannegotiato s must make a special effo t to unde stand thei st uctu e and doct ine if the a e to engage effecti el . This ispa ticula l impo tant in the case of decent alized g oups hose dispa ate factions might disag ee, such that g oupnegotiato s a e subject to se e e inte nal tensions. Mapping of the net o ks of influence a ound such g oups is also ofc itical impo tance, pa ticula l hen di ect contacts a e no longe sustainable. One e jihadi fighte p o ided a fascinating insight into the pe ception of humanita ian action b some jihadi o ganizations,gi en that the te m jihad has man shades of meaning: st i ing o st uggling against one's e il inclinations, to con e tunbelie e s, to a ds the mo al bette ment of societ , a med st uggle against unbelie e s o defensi e a fa e . Jihadig oups t picall inte ene hen the e is a pe ception that the Muslim population is being opp essed and a e in need ofmeans not onl to su i e but to defend themsel es. As such, a med jihad against opp esso s and the suppl of eaponsalongside elief assistance a e ega ded as legitimate humanita ian inte entions, much as Weste n go e nments ha ef amed thei humanita ian inte entions in Afghanistan, I a and Lib a. When access of humanita ian o ganisations toconflict zones is est icted, such calls fo iolent action a e einfo ced. Osama Bin Laden, the late Al Qaeda leade , as one ofthe bette kno n e amples of a jihadi ho also took on the mantle of humanita ian aid p o ide , as as the militant g oupKOMPAK hich p o ided both humanita ian assistance and eapons to Indonesian Muslim communities in Maluku du ingthe - secta ian conflicts.

While aid o ganisations engage in humanita ian negotiations ith ep esentati es of go e nments and a med g oups foaccess to conflict-affected communities, these same ep esentati es often engage ith each othe in peace negotiations toseek political solutions, sometimes encompassing a humanita ian dimension. In this ega d, the entangling ofhumanita ian and political agendas is commonplace ac oss se e al Asian c ises, and one session at the confe ence asde oted to the inte pla bet een humanita ian negotiation and political mediation. Pa ticipants discussed ho humanita ian negotiations to secu e assistance to ulne able communities might ultimatelc eate the space fo subse uent peace negotiations, but that the potential blu ing of lines bet een the t o can ha enegati e conse uences fo humanita ian o ganizations hich el on a pe ception of st ict neut alit , impa tialit andindependence fo thei access and secu it . Ho , it as asked, can humanita ian acto s distinguish humanita iannegotiation p ocesses f om political mediation/ peace and econciliation initiati es? Ho can the politicisation of aid bea oided, o in the o st case scena io, mitigated? Since a fe of the humanita ian o ganisations ep esented at theconfe ence e e also in ol ed to some deg ee in peace mediation, such issues e e pa ticula l ele ant. A elated point aised b a numbe of speake s conce ned the potential blu ing of lines bet een humanita ian negotiationand ad ocac . Citing nume ous histo ical and ecent e amples, pa ticipants said that humanita ian o ganisations should beca eful not to pu sue a selfish issue o ights-led agenda in othe o ds: ad ocac undiluted b local sensiti ities, socio-cultu al conside ations and political ealities. Indeed, man Asian stakeholde s p efe to ecast ights as duties, the ebemphasising the mutual obligations of indi iduals to thei families and communities. Whilst it is ine itable that aid agencies ill ha e thei o n specific humanita ian mandates, it as a gued that bilate alad ocac and denunciation app oaches could sometimes c eate an atmosphe e of tension and mist ust ith the autho ities,and unde mine the collecti e effo t of the humanita ian communit .  It as ecommended that p io to humanita iannegotiations, aid agencies should o k togethe to finesse the content and te ms of the negotiations and to c eate afa o able agenda , adapting and socialising ce tain concepts so that the do not alienate o p o oke the mist ust of kestakeholde s. A slo e , mo e conside ed negotiation app oach could, it as a gued, lead to imp o ed access and c eate amo e fa o able ope ational en i onment in the long-te m. With ega d to p acticalities, the de elopment of mechanisms to ensu e that all conce ned stakeholde s can bettecoo dinate and sha e info mation as discussed. Fo e ample, the diplomatic co ps needs to be bette b iefed onhumanita ian access and negotiation issues. Finall , the confe ence as also animated b uestions about the ad antages and disad antages of o king in democ aticsocieties. While some thought that humanita ian action is bette accepted and easie to e ecute in count ies ith mo e openand democ atic s stems of go e nance, a numbe of pa ticipants ga e e amples in hich the int oduction of a democ atics stem had caused hind ance to aid agencies o led to an escalation of conflict.

 i Rob G ace, Humanita ian Negotiation: Ke Challenges and Lessons in an Eme ging Field . ATHA White Pape Se ies  ii Wikipedia

INTERPLAY BETWEEN HUMANITARIAN NEGOTIATION AND POLITICAL MEDIATION

LEAD WRITERS/CONTRIBUTORS

And e Ba tles-Smith: ICRC Regional Ad iso fo Global Affai sJessica Sallabank: ICRC Deput Regional Ad iso fo Global Affai sD Sindu Go indapallai: Resea ch Affiliate Ad anced T aining on Humanita ian Action ATHAA uko Takahashi: Sasaka a Peace Foundation

With special thanks to the team f om the Cent e of Competence on Humanita ian Negotiation CCHN , Humanita ian Fo umIndonesia HFI , Pa amadina Uni e sit and the Sasaka a Peace Foundation.

PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED

Rahma ati Hussein, Vice Chairperson of the Muhammadi ah Disaster Management CentreVicto Rembeth, Director of Humanitarian Leadership AcademHong Tjhin, CEO of DAAI TV, Buddha Tzu ChiM. Nu Djuli, Independent Consultant for Conflict Resolution & Post Conflict Peace Management, AcehDinna Wisnu, ASEAN Inter-Go ernmental Commissioner for Human RightsNasi Abas, Consultant of Applied Social Ps cholog Research Di ision DASPR , Uni ersit of IndonesiaLt. Gen Ret Agus Widjojo, Go ernor of National Resilience Institute, Republic of IndonesiaTom Hend ajati, E ecuti e Director, Humanitarian Forum IndonesiaRitola Tasma a, Secretar General, Indonesian Red CrossGio gio Fe a io, Head of IFRC Countr Cluster Support TeamTiti Moektijasih, UN OCHAM A iffudin, Vice Director, Muhammadi ah Hospital, Yog akartaM Ali Yusuf, Chairman, Indonesian Humanitarian Alliance & Director for Disaster Management of Nahdhatul UlamaAbdul Malik R, Fi st Sec eta , Humanita ian Eme genc Response, MDMC Muhammadi ahH.E. Moazzam Malik, British Ambassador to Indonesia, Timor Leste, & ASEANH.E.Rezlan Isha Jenie, E ecuti e Director, ASEAN Institute for Peace and ReconciliationDaniel on Rège, MSF Countr DirectorH.E. Vongthep A thakai al atee, Deput Secretar General, ASEAN SecretariatHa lan Hale, USAIDSis o P amono, Head of Directorate for Research and Polic De elopment, Ministr of Foreign AffairsH.E. Pat ick He man, Belgian Ambassador to IndonesiaMichael Cottie , Embass of S itzerlandDen Abdi, Director, South-east Asia Di ision, Directorate General of Asia-Pacific and African Affairs, Ministr of Foreign AffairsRatanadhi o The a, Vihara Dhammachakkaja aI fan R Hutagalung, Center for Middle-east and Global Peace Studies, State Islamic Uni ersit JakartaWi a Adi ena, Head of International Relations, Habibie CentreNu ina Vid a Hutagalung, Counter Terrorism and Capacit Building Program, Habibie CentreB igitina Ren aan, Gerakan Perempuan Peduli MalukuAsi eh Abbasi, Third Secretar , Iranian Embass , JakartaHan Nack Hoon, Mission of the Republic of Korea to ASEANIdha Ku niasih, Ministr of Social AffairsAdelina Kamal, E ecuti e Director, AHA CentreFaja Wi a an Ha ijo, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia to ASEANMa ga ettha Si ega , World VisionSu a Rahman Muhammad, E ecuti e Director, Humanitarian Forum IndonesiaDea Sinandang, Liaison & Communication, Humanitarian Forum IndonesiaWido ati, Program Manager, Humanitarian Forum IndonesiaYulian Fatmi Sa agih, Finance, Humanitarian Forum IndonesiaShiska P aba aningt as, Director, Paramadina Graduate School of DiplomacSigit Sut isno, ASEAN Institute for Peace and ReconciliationRobin Bush, Director, RTI Asia Regional Office, JakartaDeka An a , Researcher and Anal st at IPACGuillaume Goessens, First Secretar , Embass of BelgiumCaptain Takahi o Yamashita, Militar Attaché, Embass of Japan

Indonesia

Ch istoph Sutte , ICRC Head of Regional Delegation, JakartaDan Me h , ICRC Deput Head of Regional Delegation, JakartaDha ma an Ronodipu o, ICRC Ad isor to Head of Regional Delegation, JakartaAnd e Ba tles-Smith, ICRC Regional Ad isor for Global Affairs, JakartaSabine Fetta, ICRC Regional Ad isor for Multilateral Affairs, JakartaJessica Sallabank, Deput ICRC Regional Ad isor for Global Affairs, JakartaNo iantoni Kaha udin, ICRC Program Officer for Global Affairs, JakartaBudi He na an, ICRC Program Officer for Global Affairs, JakartaM. Fik i Pido, ICRC Program Officer for Global Affairs, JakartaAhmad Nash ullah, ICRC Program Officer for Global Affairs, Jakarta

Malaysia

Beat ice Lau, MSF Countr DirectorAhmad Faizal Mohd. Pe daus, President, Merc Mala siaMohd S ah i Azfa , CEO, Mala sia Lifeline for S riaDominik U ban, ICRC Head of Office, Kota KinabaluCo nelius B uese , ICRC Regional Migration Ad isor, Kuala Lumpur

Philippines

Mohage I bal, MILF Chief NegotiatorWendell P. O beso, OPAPP - Deput IV Head of Cotabato Operations OfficeZehabudin Gu o, ICRC Net orking Ad isor, Da aoPiot D egiel, ICRC Head of Office, Zamboanga

Thailand

Col Vi i a Ruchi anichkul, Internal Securit Operations Command ISOC Col Sakda Anusasana ak, Internal Securit Operations Command ISOC Romadon Panjo , Deep South WatchSomboon Chungp amp ee, E ecuti e Secretar , International Net ork of Engaged BuddhistsTaheeni Thammannagoda, Head of ECHO Regional Office Asia Pacific regionJe em Wella d, ICVA BangkokRoman Majche , ECHO Humanitarian and Protection E pertK isda No apoompipat, ICRC Consultant, BangkokAdam Ramse , ICRC Net orking Delegate, PattaniJamal Ki ai, ICRC Net orking/ Communication Officer, Pattani

Myanmar

Bobo L in, Mitta FoundationSh e Cin M int, Deput Secretar General, M anmar Red Cross SocietMa k Sil e man, ICRC Deput Head of Delegation, YangonAung Moe K a , ICRC Cooperation Officer, Yangon

US

D Sindu Go indapillai, Research Affiliate Ad anced Training on Humanitarian Action ATHA

Sri Lanka

Jehan Pe e a, National Peace CouncilD Vin a A i atne, General Secretar , Sar oda aVen Baddegama Samitha The o, Council Member, Southern Pro incial CouncilB ig Ja antha Sene i atne, Sri Lankan Arm

Nepal

Babu am Bhatta ai, Coordinator, Na a Shakti Part & Former PM of NepalBish adeep 'Subash' Pande , Secretar , Na a Shakti Part

Bangladesh

Maj Md. Ta e ul Im an, Director General of Forces Intelligence DGFI , Armed Forces Di ision, GSO-2D Khizi Ha at Khan, Former Director of Islamic Foundation, Ministr of Religious AffairsIkhti a Aslano , ICRC Head of Delegation, DhakaAminul Islam, ICRC Net orking Ad isor, Dhaka

Pakistan

Ja ed Gilani, E ecuti e Director, Muslim Hands & Former President of the Muslim INGO Forum

Afghanistan

Naza Muhammad, Mutmaeen Anal st & WriterD Nilab Moba ez, Secretar General, Afghan Red Crescent SocietObaid Ali, Afghan Anal sts Net orkNoo Khan, ICRC Net orking and Political Ad isor, KabulAsadullah Ahmadzai, ICRC Communication Officer, Kabul

Iran

Mohammad Gho banpou  Najafabadi, Ministr of Foreign AffairsSe ed Mostafa Mi mohammdi, Azizi Associate Professor, Mofid Uni ersit , TehranSha a eh Zamani, Iranian Red Cresent SocietMeh i Ali a i, Iranian Red Cresent SocietA ezou Hassanzadeh, ICRC Protection Officer, Tehran

Japan

Lt Gen Ret Nobo u Yamaguchi, Ad isor, Sasaka a Peace Foundation & Professor, International Uni ersit of JapanKoji Demizu, JICA E pert on Public Ser ice Deli er & Communit De elopmentIppieta Nishida, Sasaka a Peace FoundationA uko Takahashi, Sasaka a Peace FoundationCol Kazu uki Sato, Japanese Self-Defence Force

China

M Chen Fu, Director, International De elopment Department, China Po ert Alle iation Foundation

South Korea

Lt Col Choi Eung Joo, Ci il-Militar Officer, Special Warfare Command, South Korean Arm

Australia

Ch istophe Lamb, Former Australian Diplomat

India

Gos ami Sushil Maha aj, Head of Monaster , Maharshi Bhrigu FoundationPa amjit Singh Chandhok, Chairman, Gurud ara Bangla SahibSu inde Singh, ICRC Political Ad isor, Ne Delhi

Switzerland

Pete Scott-Bo den, CCHN Senior Ad isorBo is Michel, ICRC Regional Director for Asia Pacific, Gene aClaude B ude lein, CCHN Director, Gene aIhcene Kiamouche, ICRC Ad isor for Global Affairs, Gene a