Political, yet Neutral? - A Case Study of the Pressures on Humanitarian Aid Provision in Venezuela

Abstract: This thesis explores the nature of the challenges local NGOs face when responding to the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. In doing so, it draws on material collected from distance interviews with Venezuelan NGOs involved in delivering humanitarian aid and on qualitative analysis of political statements from members of the Venezuelan government. Further, it investigates whether and how identified challenges are connected to the V enezuelan government's politicization of aid. Such identified challenges are; leverage of state-sanctioned benefits against humanitarian aid, confiscation or retainment of aid, threats of blocking organizations' funds, and lack of acknowledgment or inclusion of local organizations in the national humanitarian response. Moreover, NGOs faced the pressure of having to remain formally neutral in the face of such challenges. Since neutrality is a principle guiding humanitarian work, NGOs indeed perceived neutrality as an essential principle for gaining trust from donors as well as beneficiaries. Neutrality, however, did not contribute to open up a politically- neutral humanitarian space wherein organizations could efficiently deliver aid. Hence, it is found that local organizations operate in a shrinking space where their existence and activities are under constant assault. These findings are in line with the general trend of a shrinking space for international humanitarian operations, and this thesis show that this tendency also can be extrapolated to local actors.