Over the past years, there has been growing momentum to make humanitarian action more inclusive for the most marginalized - including children, youth, women, older people, people with disabilities, ethnic groups and others marginalized due to their social status.  

This Topic aims to inform a collective strategy to support a more inclusive humanitarian action, notably in widening the dialogue on inclusion to consider how best to move towards collective and intersectional approaches without undermining specific inclusion issues, as well as defining the challenge and identifying the way forward. 

For this Area of Common Concern, inclusion will be understood in a wide manner, including inclusion as: 

• impartiality – ensuring that humanitarian action reaches and focuses on those most affected by crises without discrimination. 
• equitable access - ensuring that all individuals affected by crises can have equal access to services and assistance. 
• specific and diverse needs - ensuring that humanitarian responses address the specific needs of individuals and cater to diverse needs including tailoring programmes. 
• participation: ensuring that all individuals can participate in humanitarian responses and that humanitarian responses listen to the voices of those marginalized in societies and communities.