Aid cannot succeed without the trust of everyone involved, argues Hugo Slim, head of policy at the International Committee of the Red Cross. But what does trust in humanitarian action really mean, and how can we do a better job of fostering trust in the field?

“Why not cash?” is now a common question in the humanitarian space.¹ Expectations are high that cash will allow for more effective humanitarian action. But how do people affected by crisis view cash-based aid and its recent scale-up?

When asking affected communities about the relevance of humanitarian aid, most respondents say that they do not feel their needs are being met by the aid they receive. Whether respondents ask for different aid or more of the same, their primary needs are basic: cash, food and shelter top the list of unmet needs.

Despite commitments in the Grand Bargain and elsewhere to include people who receive aid in making decisions that affect their lives, our research finds that people affected by humanitarian crises generally do not feel included in such decisions.