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HUMANITARIAN ACCESS THROUGH AGENCY LAW IN NON-INTERNATIONAL ARMED CONFLICTS
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 April 2020
Abstract
In many conflicts, aid organisations have to navigate the international humanitarian law requirement that parties to the conflict must consent to assistance. In non-international armed conflicts this often frustrates efforts to provide relief, as States refuse to grant consent in order to uphold their claims to sovereignty. Looking at the Syrian Civil War, this article suggests that the law of agency can offer a fresh perspective on the challenges posed by the requirement of consent to humanitarian assistance. It suggests that agency law can provide a legal explanation of seemingly political decisions and a de lege ferenda justification for assistance in instances where consent is either absent or provided by a non-State armed group.
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- Copyright © The Author 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press for the British Institute of International and Comparative Law
Footnotes
This article was written during studies at McGill University Faculty of Law. The author is grateful for the generous comments of Prof. René Provost and Dr. Barzan Barzani, and to Prof. Evan Fox-Decent for his helpful seminars. The views expressed herein are those of the author in his personal capacity.
References
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