Between December 2023 and June 2024, crisis-affected populations in 36 countries experienced high to extreme access constraints that made it difficult for them to meet their basic needs.
SEVERE ACCESS
CONSTRAINTS
Access scores show a deterioration in 17 countries and an improvement in 16 countries, while the humanitarian access situation remained stable for 60 countries.
This stability, however, mostly indicates the persistence of severe access constraints, with 43% of the crisis-affected countries where humanitarian access is stable scoring between high to extreme access levels (3–5).
WHAT IS THE HUMANITARIAN ACCESS SITUATION ACROSS THE GLOBE?
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Disclaimer: some countries with active humanitarian crises might score 0 in ACAPS' Humanitarian Access Index in two instances: 1) the crisis emerged after the July 2024 issue of the index - in that case, the score is automatically 0, in the absence of data/historical data; 2) the actual score is 0 because no humanitarian access constraints were reported.
HUMANITARIAN ACCESS SCORES over time
NIGERIA
SOMALIA
These two countries saw a score increase to 5, recording extreme access constraints from December 2023 – June 2024. This deterioration is mainly attributed to a worsening of physical constraints for affected populations and for humanitarian workers.
Extreme constraints persist in Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Palestine and Sudan as a result of escalating conflicts amid growing bureaucratic and physical restrictions for humanitarian responders.
Goods move back and forth on horseback across the border between Sudan and Chad on 25 April, 2024 in Adre, Chad.
Between December 2023 and July 2024, humanitarian access across crises was challenged especially by physical constraints, such as damage to roads and bridges, and violence affecting access to services, particularly in countries affected by conflicts or climate hazards.
Administrative and bureaucratic constraints, as well as interference in humanitarian activities, also remained a prevalent issue across crises, hampering or delaying the response.
In countries with high numbers of refugee and migrant populations, such as Egypt, Greece and Tunisia, restrictive administrative measures imposed by authorities complicate access to services for people on the move.
DRC, Haiti, Palestine, & South Sudan
Intense conflict, blockades, violence against humanitarian workers, and the introduction of new taxes all disrupt humanitarian activities in these countries, affecting thousands of people.
HOW ARE THE ACCESS LEVELS BEING CALCULATED?
Our methodology groups 9 indicators under 3 pillars: each indicator is given a score from 0–3 and X when there is an information gap. The model then combines the indicators in pillars, where they get a final score on a scale of 0–5.
PILLAR 1: ACCESS OF PEOPLE IN NEED TO HUMANITARIAN AID
indicators under PILLAR 1
1: Denial of existence of humanitarian needs or entitlements to assistance
2: Restriction and obstruction of access to services and assistance
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tunisia
34% of the crisis-affected countries in the ACAPS Global Humanitarian Access Index scored 3–5 for this pillar. The majority of these countries face protracted crises marked by the denial of entitlement to assistance to some affected groups, often by the authorities, and movement restrictions imposed by the authorities, national armed forces, or non-state armed groups, which hamper the ability of affected people to access aid.
Greece, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan
Countries with refugees and mixed migration crises, scored 4–5 for this pillar. In these countries, people in need face difficulties in accessing services and aid because of administrative restrictions or lack of civil documentation.
Crowds continue to gather at Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossings following the Pakistani government's decision to send back irregular Afghan migrants, at Torkham border crossing in Nangarhar, Afghanistan 6 November, 2023
PILLAR 2: ACCESS OF HUMAnITARIAN RESPONDERS TO PEOPLE IN NEED
indicators under PILLAR 2
3: Impediments to enter the country
4: Restriction of movement within the country
5: Interference into implementation of humanitarian activities
6: Violence against humanitarian personnel, facilities, and assets
Cameroon, Niger, Yemen
22% of the crisis-affected countries in the ACAPS Global Humanitarian Access Index score 3–5 for this pillar. These are mainly countries with protracted conflicts, with a stable global access score ranging from 3–5, that across the years tend to record frequent incidents of violence against humanitarians and recurrent or systemic obstruction and interference in the implementation of humanitarian activities.
Impediments to freedom of movement and administrative restrictions, which are often linked to armed group violence, cause the most challenges for humanitarian workers.
A girl looks at a building destroyedby aerial attacks carried out by warplanes of the Saudi-led coalition ahead of the 9th anniversary of the conflict, on 24 March 2024, in Sana'a, Yemen.
PILLAR 3: PHYSICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SECURITY CONSTRAINTS
Indicators UNDER PILLAR 3
7: Insecurity or hostilities affecting humanitarian assistance
8: Presence of landmines, improvised explosive devices, explosive remnants of war and unexploded ordnance
9: Physical constraints in the environment
Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Philippines
62% of the crisis-affected countries in the ACAPS Global Humanitarian Access Index scored 3–5 for this pillar, the highest percentage across all pillars. Conflict and/or climate hazards mainly drive the crises that score high under this pillar, meaning these crises are more exposed to physical constraints.
Most observed obstacles to response in these contexts are related to terrain, climate, and lack of infrastructure. Added to these are insecurity and attacks on service facilities and providers, which in many contexts lead to the suspension of humanitarian activities.
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Humanitarian access
18 November 2024
Myanmar: access constraints in Rakhine state
DOCUMENT / PDF / 284 KB
This report highlights the challenges surrounding aid delivery for humanitarian organisations and access to that aid for people in need. It aims to inform humanitarian responders, donors, and decision makers about the access constraints affecting their operations, staff, and the communities they serve.
29 October 2024
Ukraine: quarterly humanitarian access update (Q3 2024)
DOCUMENT / PDF / 4 MB
This report compares access challenges across Ukrainian oblasts to inform humanitarian responders and support decision-making. It is part of the ACAPS quarterly analysis of access constraints, with the previous report published on 29 July 2024.
Attached resources
05 August 2024
Humanitarian Access Overview - July 2024
DOCUMENT / PDF / 3 MB
This overview compares the overall level of humanitarian access between the last Global Humanitarian Access Index published in December 2023 (covering June–November 2023) and this latest ACAPS assessment (covering December 2023 to June 2024) published in July 2024.
Attached resources
28 February 2024
Humanitarian access situation in Myanmar
Extreme access constraints persist in Myanmar. Armed conflict and security measures, including checkpoints, roadblocks, and curfews, affect humanitarian access. Violence and insecurity resulting from the conflict have internally displaced many towards remote jungles and forests, where access to aid and services is very limited.
Around 600,000 Rohingya in Rakhine state continue to be denied citizenship and have limited freedom of movement and access to livelihood opportunities, education, and healthcare. Burdensome bureaucratic processes, travel authorisation denials and delays, visa delays for humanitarians, and banking restrictions hinder the operations of humanitarian organisations in the country.
For more details, please visit our thematic page on humanitarian access.
06 February 2024
Ukraine: quarterly humanitarian access update
DOCUMENT / PDF / 10 MB
This report aims to compare access challenges across different Ukraine oblasts to inform humanitarian responders and support their decision-making. It is part of the ACAPS quarterly analysis of access constraints, with the last report published on 8 November 2023.