Localisation and Cross-Border Assistance to Deliver Humanitarian Health Services in North-West Syria: A qualitative inquiry for The Lancet-AUB Commission on Syria

In a growing number of humanitarian crises, “remote management” is negotiated across borders and
implemented by humanitarian agencies through “local actors” to deliver assistance. However, the narrative
describing the involvement of local actors in the delivery of humanitarian aid in armed conflict settings remains
reductionist and unreflective of the complex and circular course of the “localisation of aid”. This paper explores
cross-border humanitarian assistance within the Syrian conflict. We document how humanitarian actors operate to
deliver humanitarian health care in North-West Syria (Turkish border), explore their challenges and critique the
language used within current debates on the localisation of aid.