Publication seriesAugust 2020Satellite image composite showing the extent of flash floods (in red) near the town of Kut, eastern Iraq in November 2018. Photo: Modified Copernicus Sentinel data, processed by European Space AgencyOur annual report outlines another year in which the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) combined long-term, granular research with cutting-edge thinking on emerging issues; provided expert, independent analysis on global policy processes and debates; and convened with impact at both country and global levels.In 2019 we concluded research on our Integrated Programme (IP) on humanitarian action From the ground up and embarked on a new IP focused on Inclusivity and invisibility. HPG brought to light new evidence on local humanitarian action and challenged assumptions on the significance of international humanitarian financing in crises. We started research on gender, digitalisation, inclusion and protection advocacy, imbuing these with new thinking through a lens of inclusion.Outside the IP, we undertook a significant body of work on displacement as we geared up for the Global Refugee Forum in December 2019. Work included a review of the Global Compact on Refugees in East Africa, an analysis of refugee perspectives in Bangladesh and a multi-country review of narratives on refugees. The third annual review of the Grand Bargain found uneven progress and a lack of transformative change. We also embarked on a major five-country study of community engagement – a new area for HPG.With aid budgets under pressure at a time of growing need, widening inequality and heightened global attention to racial injustice, questions continue about future humanitarian business models, concepts of vulnerability and solidarity, and the identity of aid actors. This annual report, featuring work undertaken before the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, demonstrates how HPG’s work challenges assumptions and provides independent perspectives and constructive advice on the issues that matter most to people in crisis.Read the research Humanitarian Policy Group annual report 2019–2020DocumentCorrections and clarificationsPublished online 19 August 2020.Updated 11 November 2020 to include audited financial information.Related From the ground up: it’s about time for local humanitarian actionHumanitarian action is always stronger with local action. We explore how the system should shift to support and prioritise local humanitarian actors.Research reports and studies28 May 2020 Humanitarian Policy Group Annual Report 2018–2019This Annual Report outlines our focus on key aspects of the international humanitarian system for 2018–19.Publication series21 August 2019 Grand Bargain annual independent report 2019This report analyses progress made and obstacles met by signatories to the Grand Bargain in 2018, and recommends actions to stay on track.Research reports and studies21 June 2019HPG Integrated Programme 2019–2021: inclusivity and invisibility in humanitarian actionHPG’s 14th Integrated Programme of work will ask if the humanitarian sector is delivering on its stated commitment to address suffering with impartiality.Projects1 April 2019See more:humanitarian policyhumanitarian