OFF THE CUFF is a participative blog run by the Crash. Its purpose is to expose the diversity of experiences and opinions that exist among humanitarian aid practitioners. Online comments as well as direct contributions are more than welcome.
Views expressed on this blog are those of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of Médecins Sans Frontières
Soon released! Saving Lives and Staying Alive
The latest book from Crash, "Saving Lives and Staying Alive. Humanitarian Security in the Age of Risk Management" will be out very soon!
ATHA Podcast: Perspectives on Access: Engaging with Non-State Armed Groups
This podcast explore perspectives on humanitarian engagement with non-state armed groups with a focus on challenges of access.
The oldest war crime in the book ?
This post was published as a reaction to the attack on the MSF hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, that took place on October 3rd, 2015.
ATHA Podcast: The Protection of Humanitarian Aid Workers Under International Law
Given that aid workers frequently operate in complex and insecure settings, some risks are inherent to humanitarian action. Nonetheless, recent years have seen a significant increase, in absolute terms, in deliberate attacks against humanitarian professionals.
Transitioning to national ownership : the case of Humanitarian Mine Action
Should eventual transition from internationally managed programmes to national ownership always be a relevant and/or realistic goal?
Boats
This post tells of the 'Boat for the Vietnam' episode, the MSF Search and Rescue operations to be launched in the Mediterranean and the notable absence of the Australian section of MSF from any debate on refugee policy in that country.
The critical role of humanitarian critique
Bertrand Taithe (HCRI, University of Manchester), Juliano Fiori (Save the Children UK) and Michaël Neuman (MSF-Crash) discuss the important role of constructive criticism in the future of humanitarian assistance.
Is medical care really under fire? A debate on humanitarian security
Is there anything fundamentally new in the security challenges faced by humanitarian organisations? When looking at the history of humanitarian assistance, as far back as the late 1800s, 'medical care' was operating under fire.
Risk Management and Humanitarian aid : an impossible marriage?
Humanitarian Affairs Advisor for the Canadian section of MSF, Clémentine Olivier reviews a recently published OCHA report 'Saving Lives Today and Tomorrow' (March 2014).
Debate : The limits of humanitarianism in Gaza
A few days after the start of the operation 'Protective edge', Jonathan Whittall, Head of Humanitarian Analysis at MSF posted an opinion in which he questions MSF's role in Gaza. Michaël Neuman, Director of research at MSF Crash responds.
The Poverty of Humanitarian Critique?
While MSF has just recently launched a report, 'Where is everyone?', aiming at exposing the limitations and deficiencies of the international aid response to crises, Bertrand Taithe (HCRI) asks whether the approach taken and the question asked are the right ones.
MSF and the aid system: choosing not to choose
We often hear it said within MSF that the aid system is unable to provide effective relief, or that the aid system's ability to provide aid is in decline. Rony Brauman and Michaël Neuman aim at exploring MSF's relationship with the aid system, while showing how the ambitions of the aid system itself have evolved.