A coalition of international aid agencies said that the decision by the UN Security Council to integrate all UN functions in Somalia under one UN mandate will impede humanitarian aid, increase the risk of attacks on aid workers, and further strain humanitarian negotiations.  In a March 11, 2013 press release, InterAction, the largest alliance of U.S. based aid and development non-governmental originations (NGOs), joined two other prominent humanitarian consortiums- the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) and  VOICE (Voluntary Organizations in Cooperation in Emergencies) – to express concerns about the UN’s decision.  On March 6, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2093 which established a new peacebuilding mission in Somalia that requires all UN functions, including humanitarian assistance, to be integrated into it.

“By requiring UN humanitarian coordination to fall under the political mandate of the new UN peacebuilding mission in Somalia, the neutrality, impartiality and independence of humanitarian action will be compromised,” the press release said.

Although the famine was officially declared over in February 2012, civilians across the war-torn country still require assistance and problems about access persist, especially to reach nearly two million people living in the southern parts of the country.

The decision may also increase the risk of attacks on aid workers in Somalia, a country with an already high number of incidents. “Subsuming humanitarian functions under a political mandate,” the press release said, “carries the risk that political motives, rather than impartial assessment, will dictate aid decisions and restrict independent humanitarian reporting and advocacy.”

Humanitarian groups are also concerned about further constraints on humanitarian negotiations with non-state actors, like al-Shabaab, an armed group that controls territory across the southern parts of the country. “We know this from every humanitarian crisis. Only when we safeguard our neutrality are we able to obtain consent and acceptance for our work, reach all affected populations and ensure that our assistance is provided impartially,” said Nan Buzard, Executive Director of ICVA.

“Obviously, humanitarian NGOs must continue to serve all civilian populations under the best and worst of circumstances. But it is regrettable that the Security Council has just made a dangerous and complex situation more difficult for the humanitarian workers trying to alleviate human suffering in Somalia.” said Samuel A. Worthington, President and CEO of InterAction.

Just days before, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), a group that has been working in Somalia since 1991, released a press release with a similar message.  “Attempts to further politicize humanitarian aid will put patients and aid workers in even greater danger, MSF said.