Civil-military coordination
By operational volume and finance, humanitarian action is overwhelmingly a response to the impact of conflict and violence on people. Armed actors thus occupy the humanitarian operating environment in a variety of roles, and civil-military coordination responds to the need for coexistence, mutual respect, and a certain degree of cooperation. From flows of basic information to communication and security management, to negotiating consent and promoting respect for IHL, civ-mil coordination follows established principles and guidelines in order to reconcile the distinct objectives of the humanitarians and soldiers. Civ-mil coordination also governs the use, as a last resort, of military assets to assist in humanitarian action.