CHA Berlin

The Centre for Humanitarian Action (CHA) is a think tank founded in 2018 that is committed to the independent analysis, critical discussion, and public communication of humanitarian aid issues. As an initiative of humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), CHA aims to strengthen humanitarian aid from Germany as well as locally and internationally.

The mission of CHA is based on the four fundamental principles of humanitarian aid: Humanity, Impartiality, Independence, and Neutrality. CHA serves as a platform for self-critical reflection, open debates, and the communication of the significance and challenges of humanitarian aid in the public sphere, political discourse, and the education sector.

• Analysis and Reflection: CHA is dedicated to the analysis and reflection of the humanitarian work of German and international actors, including the federal government, German aid organizations, and other civil society, academic, and political actors. It integrates international debates into the German context and enriches the international debate with German perspectives.
• Debate and Policy Engagement: CHA acts as a discussion forum for controversial and open debates with national and international humanitarian actors. It addresses challenges, conflicts of interest, and gray areas of humanitarian aid and advises actors in terms of policy engagement.
• Communication: CHA communicates the significance, concerns, and controversial challenges of humanitarian aid in the public sphere, political discourse, and the education sector and develops corresponding partnerships.

By the end of 2024, CHA focuses on four central areas of work:

• Humanitarian Policy and Strategy Capacity of German Actors
• Opportunities and Risks of Digitalization for German Humanitarian Actors
• Localization in Practice: Partnership in Humanitarian Project and Risk Management
• Climate Change and Humanitarian Change

CHA particularly addresses the impacts of climate change on humanitarian aid and examines how humanitarian organizations can respond to these challenges. Through its work on localization and project and risk management, CHA promotes the strengthening of local partners and the improvement of the efficiency of humanitarian measures.

CHA is independent and rooted in civil society, thanks to significant financial contributions from humanitarian organizations such as Ärzte ohne Grenzen Deutschland e.V., Deutscher Caritasverband e.V./Caritas international, Evangelisches Werk für Diakonie und Entwicklung e.V., and the Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK). This funding ensures the independence of CHA and prevents content-related influence from individual donors.

CHA bridges the gap between academic engagement with humanitarian aid issues and practical work in projects and programs. It connects international discussions with the debate in Germany and makes the results of its work and developed recommendations freely available to all interested actors.

• 1 - https://www.chaberlin.org/ueber-uns/
• 2 - https://www.chamberlain.de/de-de/datenschutzerklarung
• 3 - https://www.charite.de
• 4 - https://www.dhm.de/lemo/biografie/arthur-neville-chamberlain
• 5 - https://www.chaberlin.org