How can humanitarian aid to refugees in European border- and transit countries become better organized? And what is the responsibility of (international) humanitarian aid organisations in this? These questions are key in this Crisis Watch.

The number of refugees that has been able to reach Europe, often after a dangerous journey, has strongly increased. The circumstances upon arrival in the border- and transit countries (usually the poorer countries of Europe) are dreadful. Therefore, several humanitarian aid organisations, like Doctors without Borders, Save the Children and Stichting Vluchteling have started offering  aid to refugees on European territory.

How can organisations cooperate most efficiently? And should humanitarian aid organisations (collectively) advocate in European asylum policy, or should they hold on to their humanitarian principal of neutrality?

Over de Sprekers

With a.o. Katrien Coppens (adjunct-director Doctors without Borders in the Netherlands), Kathrin Schick (director VOICE), Rene Bruin (Head of Office UNHCR), Farah Karimi (Oxfam Novib), Prof. Dr. Mirjam van Reisen (Professor International Social Responsibility at the University of Tilburg and director of the European knowledge and advice center European External Policy Advisors) and Tineke Ceelen (director Stichting Vluchteling).

Moderator is Ralf Bodelier.

This is part four in the series Crisis Watch on the rising number of refugees on European soil. For this part the ten aid organisations of the Dutch Humanitarian Summit come together to talk about the bottlenecks in humanitarian aid.  

Other parts of the series are: From Syria to Lesbos, What are the conditions along the Balkan route? and what do the citizens of The Hague to help?