Ethical Dilemmas and Emergency Food Assistance

• In Event: Ethics in International Practice: The Politics of Responsibility and Obligation

Abstract

Is it more appropriate for humanitarian agencies to provide better nutrition to fewer people or a cheaper, less diverse diet to more people? When deciding where to set up an emergency food distribution should you prioritize access to the greatest number of people or safety of travel to and from the distribution for women even if this means reaching fewer people overall? Ethical dilemmas are a core component of designing humanitarian food interventions. They are central to the conversations aid workers have when designing these missions but are overlooked in scholarly conversations focusing on state interests in food aid distribution. This paper centers on three ethical dilemmas faced by practitioners in the food aid space and explores the power and practice of ethical argument in addressing hunger in complex humanitarian emergencies.

Author

• Michelle Jurkovich, University of Massachusetts Boston