Swedish humanitarian assistance has the objective of alleviating the consequences of natural disasters and armed conflicts for those affected.
Priority is given to countries which lack resources of their own to mitigate the effects.
Sida works on the basis of the needs of those affected and utilises local capacity as well as the skills of the organisations implementing the projects. Humanitarian assistance is mostly given in situations of conflict which lead to tragic interruptions in the normal lives of people. The political objectives of Swedish development cooperation also govern humanitarian assistance as far as possible. Long-term development effects are taken into consideration in the planning of the projects which, in addition to emergency relief, can have the character of both prevention and rehabilitation. In emergency situations, for example where refugees are involved, humanitarian aspects must be allowed to govern the planning and organisation of the projects.