Ethics and the Closure of Humanitarian Healthcare Projects
Humanitarian assistance are usually time-limited interventions and will be ended, turned-over, or transitioned. Processes on project closure are primarily governed by organizations. However, there have been documentations of harms caused by project closure due to poor planning, lack of transparency, and rushed leaving of organizations that cause feelings of abandonment, increased uncertainty, economic and social upheaval, and abrupt loss of services.
The Ethics for Closing Projects (ECP) research was conducted to understand how people living in communities where projects are closed perceive and experience project closure, including what they consider to be the characteristics of successful project closure. It covered communities that received humanitarian aid in response to crises such as typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and armed conflict. The findings from interviews and group discussions with community members in the study areas revealed common elements valued by participants: transparency of plans and processes, collaboration with local leaders, participation of community members, sustainability, continuity and monitoring, fairness and preservation of relationships, and preparedness.
Building on the research findings, a Guidance Note was developed that contains information, recommendations, reflections, and activities directed to humanitarian organizations and community members who already have or might experience humanitarian project closure. It can also serve as a reference for government and duty-bearers in working with non-government organizations and communities.
Access the Guidance Note
The research team includes the Center for Disaster Preparedness Foundation, Inc. (CDPFI), and an interdisciplinary team from McGill University, McMaster University, George Mason University, and Laval University who are members of the Humanitarian Health Ethics. To align with the local context, there was collaboration with local non-governmental organizations, namely: Cooperation for Local Development Solutions Inc. (CLODEVS), Leyte Center for Development Inc. (LCDE), Ranaw Disaster Response and Rehabilitation Assistance Center Inc. (RDRRAC), Ecosystems Work for Essential Benefits Inc. (ECOWEB), Tri-Peoples' Oganization Against Disasters Inc. (TRIPOD), and University of Philippines Visayas Foundation Inc. (UPVFI). They constituted an advisory board that guided the design and development of the research, and conducted the data collection process.
Other resources
Viewing humanitarian project closure through the lens of an ethics of the temporary
The “ethics of the temporary” provides a new lens in examining the responsibilities of international humanitarian organizations' on project closure. Drawing on recent philosophical work on responsibilities for global justice, the ethics of the temporary includes four elements:
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Situating humanitarian action temporally with attention to the past and how it shapes a current crisis and crisis response.
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Focusing attention on anticipating and seeking to mitigate potential harm.
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Promoting sustainability and greater equity going forward.
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Emphasizing inclusive and collaborative approaches.
Eckenwiler L, Hunt MR, Crismo JJLG, Conde E, Hyppolite S, Luneta M, Munoz-Beaulieu I, Mohammed Saeed H, Schwartz L (2023), "Viewing humanitarian project closure through the lens of an ethics of the temporary". Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, Vol. 32 No. 2 pp. 311–322, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/DPM-11-2022-0226
‘They Are Still Not Gone Even Though They Are No Longer Here’: What Community Members and Local Stakeholders Valued in How Organisations Closed Humanitarian Assistance Projects in Six Locales in the Philippines
The article discusses the results of the Ethics for Closing Projects. It offers insights into what people living in six communities in the Philippines value during project closure, and their concerns and priorities for how project closures are implemented, and the implications of these practices for communities after the organisations have left. It points to the importance of creating spaces within project closure for community members’ perspectives to be heard, as well as to articulate expectations for how humanitarian projects should unfold and be closed, thus making the process not only more sensitive, but also more community- and people-centred.
Hunt, M., Muñoz Beaulieu, I., Perez, R., Luneta, M., Ebay, J., Eckenwiler, L., Hyppolite, S., Saeed, H. M., & Schwartz, L. (2024). ‘They Are Still Not Gone Even Though They Are No Longer Here’: What Community Members and Local Stakeholders Valued in How Organisations Closed Humanitarian Assistance Projects in Six Locales in the Philippines. Journal of Humanitarian Affairs, 6(2-3), 28-39. Retrieved Nov 12, 2026, from https://doi.org/10.7227/JHA.128
