Принципи гуманітарної допомоги

The article analyzes the main international regulations governing the principles of humanitarian assistance. Namely: European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations. Humanitarian Principles adopted by the European Commission; the Lisbon Treaty (Treaty on the European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union); Council Regulation (EC) No. 1257/96 of 20.06.1996 on humanitarian aid; the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid, signed in December 2007 by the Council of the EU, the European Parliament and the European Commission; the Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, proclaimed in Vienna in 1965 by the 20th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent; the Core Humanitarian Standard for Quality and Accountability. It is emphasized that all EU member states have pledged to adhere to the principles of humanitarian assistance, which are based, in particular, on international humanitarian law. These are four key principles that stem from the Geneva Conventions of 1949: 1). Humanity means that human suffering must be addressed wherever it occurs, with special attention to the most vulnerable; 2). Neutrality means that humanitarian assistance should be provided without favoring any party to an armed conflict or other dispute; 3) Impartiality means that humanitarian assistance is provided solely on the basis of need without discrimination; 4) Independence means that humanitarian objectives are autonomous from political, economic, military or other objectives. The author questions the appropriateness of applying such a principle of humanitarian assistance as the principle of non-discrimination. Instead, the author suggests that, by analogy with the principles of humanitarian activity of the Red Cross, the list should be supplemented with the principles of voluntariness, unity and universality. Based on the analysis of the existing international legal acts on determining the list of principles of humanitarian assistance, the author proposes the following generalized list of them: humanity; neutrality; impartiality; independence; voluntariness; unity; universality.