Key findings:

• Eritrea, Syria, and Yemen are the countries with the most critical access constraints.

• More than 20 countries are facing high or very high access constraints.

• Bangladesh, Cameroon, Mali, Niger, and Sudan are the countries where access has deteriorated the most since our last access report released in May 2019.

• Physical constraints and restriction of access to services are the most common access challenges.

Introduction

ACAPS Humanitarian Access Overview provides a snapshot of the contexts where humanitarian action faces the biggest constraints

ACAPS analysts scored each context on nine variables in order to rank and compare humanitarian access worldwide. Crisis affected populations in about 60 countries are not getting the humanitarian assistance they need due to access constraints.

Eight new countries were included in the ranking since the last ACAPS Humanitarian Access report released in May 2019. Among the indicators, ‘Physical constraints’ and ‘Restrictions and obstruction to services and assistance’ are the most common challenges.

This report presents the score boards for all the countries assessed. Narratives are provided only for countries with high, very high, or extreme constraints.

Methodology

Our methodology groups 9 indicators under 3 dimensions:

1. Access of people in need to humanitarian aid comprised of 2 indicators:

   • Denial of humanitarian needs

   • Restriction of access to services and assistance

2. Access of humanitarian actors to affected population comprised of 4 indicators:

   • Impediments to entry into country

   • Restriction of movement

   • Interference with humanitarian activities

   • Violence against personnel, facilities and assets

3. Security and physical constraints comprised of 3 indicators:

   • Ongoing insecurity/hostilities affecting humanitarian assistance
   • Presence of UXO and mines
   • Physical constraints Each indicator is given a score from 0 to 3 and marked ‘X’ where there was a lack of information.