Centre for Humanitarian Action

The Centre for Humanitarian Action (CHA) is the first German think tank for humanitarian aid. Founded in 2019, CHA advocates independent analysis, critical discussion and public communication of humanitarian action and its four principles: Humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality. As an initiative of German non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the aim of CHA is to strengthen humanitarian aid from Germany and internationally. The NGOs Doctors without Borders Germany, Caritas Germany, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe and since 2021 the German Red Cross (DRK) are the institutional partners of CHA and provide the basic funding. In addition to its institutional partners, CHA is financially and non-materially supported by other organisations. These include Islamic Relief Deutschland e.V., Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe e.V., Action against Hunger gGmbH, Oxfam Germany, Handicap international, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) (since 2021), the Norwegian Rescue Comitee Germany (since 2023), Save the Childen Germany as well as the Johanniter International Assistance and the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) (since 2024). CHA is not meant to be a purely academic institution, nor to represent humanitarian organisations vis-à-vis the German Federal Government. The centre rather builds a bridge between academic analysis of humanitarian action and projects and programmes in the field.