---
title: "The 5 Dos and Don'ts of Humanitarian Diplomacy"
description: "This paper outlines the key lessons learned from recent state-led humanitarian diplomacy initiatives. It highlights five Dos and Don'ts to support states and diplomats wanting to engage in protecting principled humanitarian action."
url: "https://www.nrc.no/resources/briefing-notes/the-5-dos-and-donts-of-humanitarian-diplomacy"
language: "en"
published: "2026-07-08T10:49:28Z"
modified: "2026-07-08T10:49:28Z"
---

Briefing note

# The 5 Dos and Don'ts of Humanitarian Diplomacy

Published 08. Jul 2026

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[Global](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=23) [Humanitarian policy](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=339)

This paper outlines the key lessons learned from recent state-led humanitarian diplomacy initiatives. It highlights five Dos and Don'ts to support states and diplomats wanting to engage in protecting principled humanitarian action.

The report reflects a surge of interest in humanitarian diplomacy in recent years, with state-led humanitarian diplomacy initiatives becoming more common.

It is based on a longer policy brief, "Humanitarian diplomacy in practice: Lessons learned to strengthen humanitarian outcomes", which was produced by the Norwegian Refugee Council in 2026.

[Humanitarian Diplomacy 5 Dos and Donts.pdf 151.3 KB](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/pdf/briefing-notes/the-5-dos-and-donts-of-humanitarian-diplomacy/humanitarian-diplomacy-5-dos-and-donts.pdf)