In recent years, the humanitarian agenda has become extremely broad with the addition of many different priorities. As a result, there is confusion and misunderstanding on what humanitarian action encompasses and tries to achieve. In response to these issues, HERE-Geneva has over 2015 and in early 2016 engaged a project looking at humanitarian priorities. The focus has been on humanitarian action in armed conflict and the gaps in response found there.

The objective of this project was to provide purpose and direction to the increasingly broad agenda of humanitarian action, formulating key messages on the goal of humanitarian action, existing commitments under international law, and benchmarks for performance.