Responding to conflicts and crises
Ashley began her career in the humanitarian sector, as a Red Cross delegate in Southeast Asia, and later worked for Oxfam and the UN Department of Political Affairs in Afghanistan. She has done original research on humanitarian crises, conflict, and peacebuilding, focused on reducing the toll of conflict and supporting the safe delivery of assistance.
She has done evaluations, strategic and advisory work for a range of donor governments, international organizations and NGOs, including the World Food Programme, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International NGO Safety Organization, Norwegian Refugee Council and others.
Media
Interviewed by the BBC, Guardian, IRIN, New York Times, Telegraph, DevEx, Bistands Aktuelt, Mail & Guardian and others.
Podcasts and Events
Panelist and speaker at events and trainings convened by Harvard University Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict, UK Department for International Development, Overseas Development Institute and elsewhere.
Articles
Afghan Cities Become Key Battlegrounds, War on the Rocks, March 9, 2021 (with Antônio Sampaio).
Blurred Vision: Why Aid Money Shouldn’t be Diverted to the Military, Independent, February 2013.
Remembering the Humanitarians, Al Jazeera, August 2012; reproduced in New Internationalist.
Research
Armed Groups: Hinderers or Facilitators of Humanitarian Action? Geneva Call, May 2016.
Acceptance Strategies in Conflict, DFID/GSDRC Briefing Note, May 2015.
Protecting Civilians: the Gap between Norms and Practice, ODI Policy Brief, April 2014.