In response to the shrinking humanitarian space in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), this report seeks to shed light on the humanitarian access negotiation practices of NGOs operating in the area. It explores the way that local communities and armed non-State actors (ANSAs) perceive the different humanitarian stakeholders active in the region and how NGOs go about negotiating access. Based on this, the report provides recommendations for improving humanitarian access in North Kivu, and thus responding to the needs of the civilian population