The US government has historically maintained a strong bilateral role in international humanitarian action, despite being the major government donor to multilateral humanitarian agencies. In recent years, this bilateral approach has hardened, with more directed, project-based funding and the increasingly hands-on involvement of US donor agencies in the design and management of assistance. This background paper examines trends in the financing and operational modalities of US humanitarian action, and places these developments in a larger policy context.
Abby Stoddard