Abstract

With the end of the Cold War, we have seen both the emergence of new approaches and debates around Humanitarian Action, and a massive violation of the Human Rights of civil populations. These dynamics have stirred up the need to prioritise the protection of civilians, and many humanitarian organizations have seen the need to incorporate Human Rights Protection in their programs and activities. This article defends that Humanitarian Action can make a positive contribution to Human Rights protection of the people it assists, since assistance and protection are two complementary and interrelated components of Humanitarian Action. Therefore, humanitarian organizations should make the mort of their potential in this field and develop ways to increase the impact of their activities over the civilian populations they try to assist. _Published online_: 11 December 2017.