25. Humanitarian Assistance
This report explores the international legal framework governing access and facilitation of humanitarian assistance during non-international armed conflicts.
It discusses the sovereignty of the country where humanitarian assistance is required, the existence of limits to the freedom of states/parties to refuse humanitarian assistance and the consequences under international law if these limits are not respected.
The CAVV also considers whether international law allows for exceptions to the requirement that the territorial state must grant consent for cross-border humanitarian assistance if that state systematically and arbitrarily denies access to urgently needed relief supplies.
Finally, the report addresses whether the existing legal framework is sufficiently tailored to the current challenges facing humanitarian assistance, or whether it needs to be supplemented.