CCNN

Humanitarian-Aid

By Larry Valdez

The Civilian Status Paradox: Why Aid Workers Need 'Proof of Humanity' To Deliver Emergency Supplies

The aid convoy waited three hours at the checkpoint outside Aleppo before being told it needed “Emergency Humanitarian Clearance, Level 3.”

Private Sector Logistics Coordinator Ahmed Hassan held up the clipboard, his face pale beneath the desert sun. “According to Protocol 7-B, all aid workers must first submit ‘Proof of Civilian Status Verification Forms’ before approaching conflict zones,” he said. “We have no such forms for civilians, as they haven’t registered with the Humanitarian Bureau.”

By Larry Valdez

Humanitarian Aid Coordinator Denied Visa Because His Name Appeared on a List of 'Unreliable Benefactors'

The first order at the Damascus aid checkpoint reads: “All relief convoys must present three forms of identification, one of which must include a handwritten signature in blue ink.”

Sergeant Chen, operations coordinator for the Coalition for Compassionate Distribution, stands before a gate made of chain-link and concrete. His badge reads “VERIFIED RELIEF WORKER” in silver lettering on a badge that costs $4,299.99, tax included. He has three badges. One is expired. One was lost to a bomb. One is currently on loan to a journalist who writes about the war.