Do No Harm

Echoing the words of the Hippocratic Oath, the author challenges aid agency staff to take responsibility for the ways that their assistance affects conflicts. Mary B. Anderson cites the experiences of many aid providers in war-torn societies to show that international assistance - even when it is effective in saving lives, alleviating suffering and furthering sustainable development - too often reinforces divisions among contending groups. But more importantly, she offers hopeful evidence of creative programmes that point the way to new approaches to aid. Calling for a redesign of assistance programmes so that they do not harm while doing their intended good, she argues futher that many opportunities exist for aid workers to in fact support the processes by which societies disengage from war.