In his appeal for a global ceasefire, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged warring parties across the world to lay down their weapons in support of the fight against COVID‑19. People in areas of active conflict are particularly threatened by the spread of the COVID‑19 pandemic owing to a lack of basic health services, the collapse of entire health systems and the increased targeting of medical facilities.

In an effort to improve humanitarian access to populations affected by conflict during the COVID‑19 pandemic, the CCHN is assessing how the pandemic has affected humanitarian negotiations with non-state armed groups. Within the scope of this project, the CCHN seeks to develop new negotiation-support tools to provide humanitarian frontline negotiators with the information, methods and practical guidelines they need to prepare for and engage in humanitarian negotiations with non-state armed groups. We are looking at how we could expand our support to reach populations in need of humanitarian assistance in conflict settings and adapt our methods and tools to challenges encountered by frontline humanitarian negotiators operating in the midst of a global pandemic.

1. Equip frontline negotiators with the expertise, tools and practical guidelines they need to effectively engage in humanitarian negotiations with non-state armed groups during the COVID‑19 pandemic.
2. Develop new tools and guidelines to improve access to populations affected by conflict during the COVID‑19 pandemic, through a series of interviews with frontline negotiators and experts, peer exchanges and advisory activities.

This theme focuses on frontline negotiators operating in areas of active conflict while confronted with the effects of the COVID‑19 pandemic.