Negotiating Humanitarian Food Assistance: The 2021 Cooperation Agreement Between Venezuela and the WFP

Achieving access for international food assistance during humanitarian emergencies can be politically difficult due to the need for cooperation between humanitarian organizations and host governments. To contribute to a better understanding of the politics of humanitarian access in authoritarian settings, this article conducts a case study of the 2021 cooperation agreement between the government of Venezuela and the World Food Programme (WFP). This agreement allowed the WFP to distribute school-based food assistance in the country’s most affected regions. The article argues that the agreement became politically possible due to a combination of international and domestic political pressure, strategic persuasion by the WFP, the prospects of improved diplomatic relations with the United States, and the growing urgency to mitigate regional refugee flows. This case study offers insights into how humanitarian access can be negotiated in politically restrictive environments.