Today , humanitarianism is particularly used to describe the thinking and doctrines behind the emergency response to humanitarian crises . In such cases it argues for a humanitarian response based on humanitarian principles , particularly the principle of humanity . Nicholas de Torrente , Executive Director of MSF-USA writes : " The most important principles of humanitarian action are humanity , neutrality , independence and impartiality , which posits the conviction that all people have equal dignity by virtue of their being human based solely on need , without discrimination among recipients . Humanitarian organizations must refrain from taking part in hostilities or taking actions that advantage one side of the conflict over another , the § action serves the interests of political , religious , or other agendas . " These fundamental principles serve two essential purposes . They embody humanitarian action ’s single-minded purpose of alleviating suffering , unconditionally and without any ulterior motive . They also serve as background document to develop operational tools that help in obtaining both the consent of communities for the presence and activities of humanitarian organizations , particularly in highly volatile contexts . Patrick Meier , first started using the term ' digital humanitarianism ' after crowdmapping for the 2010 Haiti earthquake . In 2011 , Paul Conneally gave a TED talk on digital humanitarianism in which he states that humanitarianism 's " origins are firmly routed in the analogue age " with " a major shift coming " . In 2015 he authored the book '' Digital Humanitarians : How Big Data Is Changing the Face of Humanitarian Response ''
2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
Humanitarianism