GENEVA — When donors contribute to humanitarian organizations, they expect all of the aid purchased with their help to go to the intended populations — those most in need.
Yet in the world’s many areas of armed conflict and instability, aid operations managers sometimes have no choice but to divert some of their supplies to the less needy communities through which they pass; or to negotiate with armed groups operating in an area.
This creates a harsh dilemma: Respect the core principle that all aid goes only to designated recipients and fail to reach the vulnerable people you are there to help; or weaken that principle in order to get most of the aid through.