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Africa: Humanitarian Double Standard
AfricaFocus Bulletin
Nov 20, 2003 (031120)
(Reposted from sources cited below)
Editor's Note
"But let me be clear: the aid we give them is not charity, it is
their right. ... donors and citizens who can help have not only a
moral responsibility to provide emergency and life-sustaining
assistance, but an obligation to do so under international
humanitarian and human rights law." - UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan
The UN this week launched its consolidated humanitarian appeal for
$3 billion for 2004, for 21 crises around the world, including 17
in Africa. However, the UN has received commitments to date for
only two-thirds of the 2003 appeal for $5.1 billion. Even that
figure is misleading, noted UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan: 91
percent of the $2.2 billion requested for Iraq for 2003 is funded,
while Burundi has only received 28 percent of the amount sought and
Liberia 24 percent.
This issue of AfricaFocus Bulletin includes selected information
and links from the UN on this latest appeal.
For additional information, see http://www.un.org/depts/ocha/cap
Stories from individuals affected by these crises are at:
http://www.un.org/depts/ocha/cap/voices.html
For an additional news report, stressing the need for more emphasis
on transition from relief to development:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200311190002.html
Earlier this year, World Food Program director James Morris also
spoke on the international double standard on humanitarian relief.
See http://www.africaaction.org/docs03/food0304.htm
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Annan launches UN's 2004 humanitarian appeal for $3 billion
18 November, 2003
http://www.un.org/News
Declaring "no one should die because they lack food and medicine
that are available in surplus elsewhere," Secretary-General Kofi
Annan today launched the 2004 annual Consolidated Appeal on behalf
of United Nations humanitarian agencies, calling for $3 billion to
help 45 million people in 21 countries.
"Let us be clear: the aid we give them is not charity, it is their
right," Mr. Annan told a ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York.
He stressed that most of the proposed beneficiaries were children,
women and the elderly struggling to survive displacement, loss and
severe disruption to their lives in wars, conflicts and natural
disasters.
"Victims of natural and man-made disasters have a right to the
fulfilment of their basic needs. And donors and citizens who can
help have not only a moral responsibility to provide emergency and
life-sustaining assistance, but an obligation to do so under
international humanitarian and human rights law," he added.
Noting that the $3 billion sought amounted to "little more than $3
per person in donor countries the cost of a magazine or two cups of
coffee," Mr. Annan declared: "With that amount we will help save
lives in 21 of the world's most serious crises from Chechnya
(Russian Federation) to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
and many countries and regions in Africa."
He also stressed the security aspect of the appeal for wealthy
nations. "A world where, amid increasing global prosperity,
millions still live in desperate conditions, will not be a world at
peace," he said. "Indeed timely aid to those who need it most can
do much to help prevent conflict."
He noted that only 66 per cent of the $3 billion sought in the
current 2003 appeal had so far been received and that even that
figure was misleading because funding levels remained uneven 91 per
cent of the amount requested for Iraq, a third of the total, having
been funded while Burundi only received 28 per cent of the amount
sought and Liberia 24 per cent.
The annual appeal is put together by the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and is a product of the
Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP), a mechanism created a decade
ago by the UN General Assembly to plan a common humanitarian
strategy and maximize resources.
This year's campaign is being held under the theme "Hear Our
Voices," with some of the beneficiaries telling their own stories.
"We are trying to put the focus back on the people we are working
for," said a spokesperson for OCHA, Stephanie Bunker.
Moderating today's event, the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator and
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Jan Egeland, said
the appeal needed generous funding from more States and donors
since funding levels were remaining stagnant despite increasing
needs.
Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of the UN Development Programme
(UNDP), said the launch was not about asking for permanent welfare
checks. Rather, it was about strategically moving countries from
relief to rehabilitation and reconstruction.
For his part, Ambassador Ismael Abraao Gaspar Martins of Angola,
speaking in his capacity as President of the Security Council for
November, said that without the CAP, the conditions of people
living in conflict zones would be much worse. His own country had
benefited greatly from the CAP, both during and after its bitter
conflict. It had helped people regain control of their lives and
had put them on the path towards self-sufficiency, he added.
The crises included in this year's appeal are: Angola, Burundi,
Chechnya and Neighbouring Republics (Russian Federation), Central
African Republic, C“te d'Ivoire (plus 3 Burkina Faso, Ghana and
Mali), the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, the Great Lakes Region, Guinea,
Liberia, the occupied Palestinian territory, Sierra Leone, Somalia,
the southern Africa region, the Sudan, Tajikistan, Tanzania,
Uganda, West Africa and Zimbabwe.
For Media enquires:
Stephanie Bunker OCHA New York: Tel: +1-917-367-51-26; Mobile:
+1-917-892-1679; Email: bunker@un.org
Andrew Lawday OCHA Geneva: Tel: +41-22-917-1817; Mobile:
+41-22-79-477-0803; Email: lawday@un.org
New York, 18 November 2003 -
Secretary-General's 2004 Humanitarian Appeal Address
Thank you very much Mr. Chairman, Mr. President [of the Security
Council, Ambassador Gaspar Martins], Excellencies, Ladies and
Gentlemen and dear Friends,
It is a pleasure to be with you today to launch this annual Appeal
on behalf of the humanitarian agencies of the United Nations, and
non-governmental and Red Cross partner organizations. We are
appealing to donors to provide $3 billion for 21 countries.
Why? Because 45 million civilians urgently need humanitarian
assistance. They are struggling to survive displacement, loss, and
severe disruption to their lives in the world's wars, conflicts and
natural disasters. These 45 million are not a statistic, but real
people with real needs. Most of them are children, women and the
elderly.
What they hope for and need is not our pity, but our support. They
have been forced to flee their homes and their communities, and
have lost almost everything they owned. But they are not waiting
helplessly for aid. And they are not waiting for us to take care of
all their needs. Most of them are working hard, doing anything they
can to survive, drawing on all their capacities and resources to
recover and resume a normal life.
We are here today to show our solidarity with them. We must support
them in their struggle. We must help them survive until they can
rebuild their communities and care more completely for themselves.
But let me be clear: the aid we give them is not charity, it is
their right. Victims of natural and man-made disasters have the
right to the fulfillment of their basic needs. And donors and
citizens who can help have not only a moral responsibility to
provide emergency and life-sustaining assistance, but an obligation
to do so under international humanitarian and human rights law.
I am sure that every one of us would expect such assistance, and
consider it our right if we were in a dire situation like the
people to whom I lend my voice today.
No one should die because they lack food and medicines that are
available in surplus elsewhere.
As we have seen time and again, people respond generously when they
see on their television screens a hungry child, a dying mother, a
desperate father. But let us not forget that many of the world's
most serious crises happen far from the cameras, and that even when
a crisis or conflict is over, countries continue to need support
during the critical transition period leading to peace and
development.
I know that the world's wealthy nations understand their
responsibility to help people in need and uphold people's rights.
They rightly see the assistance they provide as a simultaneous
investment in security. A world where, amid increasing global
prosperity, millions still live in desperate conditions, will not
be a world at peace. Indeed, timely aid to those who need it most
can do much to help prevent conflict.
Yet, despite generous contributions, the financing of humanitarian
aid too often remains inadequate and unpredictable. The
Consolidated Appeals for the current year so far received only 66
per cent of the amount required. And this figure itself is
misleading. It is misleading as funding levels remain uneven. While
the amount requested for Iraq, for example, which represents more
than one third of the total Appeals, was 91 per cent funded,
Burundi, for instance, received only 28 per cent and Liberia, 24
per cent.
We must do better, and we must forget no one who depends on us for
help and for hope. If we were able to collect nearly $2 billion
dollars for Iraq alone, surely we can raise the $3 billion we are
asking for the rest of the world next year. $3 billion for the rest
of the world. We have raised $2 billion for Iraq alone. That is the
equivalent of little more than $3 per person in donor countries the
cost of a magazine or two cups of coffee. With that amount we will
help save lives in 21 of the world's most serious crises from
Chechnya (Russian Federation) to the Democratic People's Republic
of Korea and many countries and regions in Africa.
The Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) is designed not only to
alleviate immediate suffering, but also to identify the deeper and
longer-term needs. Of course, it cannot and does not provide
solutions to the crises themselves. We all need to make greater
efforts to address the underlying causes of these crises, and to
prevent other crises before it is too late.
Together, we can make a difference. So, I ask you to hear the
voices of the victims of these crises, wherever and whoever they
may be, and to fulfil your responsibility towards them by
responding swiftly and generously to our appeals. Let us give them
a helping hand in their efforts to help themselves. Thank you very
much.
U.N. Aid Coordinators For Africa Outline Needs Of 2004 Appeal
By Vince Morkri, U.N. Wire
http://www.unwire.org
November 19, 2003
WASHINGTON Ethiopia was able to avoid a "major humanitarian
disaster" this year because of the efforts of an international
food-aid drive, but up to 12.6 million people there remain at risk
due to the effects of drought or inconsistent rains, the country's
U.N. humanitarian coordinator said yesterday.
Samuel Nyambi, who spearheads a 21-member group of humanitarian
organizations in Ethiopia, said 13.2 million Ethiopians, out of a
population of 70 million, received food aid last year to counter
the effects of a devastating drought, with the United States having
contributed more than half of that amount.
"In the face of this challenge, the response of the international
community and donors has been a godsend a response which has
allowed us to avert a major disaster."
Nyambi said that although the worst effects of the drought have
abated, at least 10 million Ethiopians will need food assistance
next year. He also said funding requirements of $40 million for
nonfood needs mostly water and irrigation programs has gone unmet
this year, with the exception of a malaria-control program.
A joint program by aid agencies and the government intended to
address Ethiopia's chronic food needs for the next five years will
be launched Dec 1, although the impact of the program will be
gradual, he said.
He said the country will try to break its cycle of dependency with
the help of the program, but that given current conditions, "almost
50 cents of every [aid] dollar goes into emergencies and less and
less is going to investing in development."
Nyambi and the U.N. humanitarian coordinators for Liberia and
Eritrea were visiting Washington to promote the 2004 U.N.
Consolidated Interagency Appeals. They spoke at a luncheon to help
launch the campaign.
The humanitarian coordinator for Liberia, Abou Moussa, said the
war-torn country faces a malnutrition rate of 35 percent, and that
300,000 people who fled the capital, Monrovia, are living without
electricity and running water.
He said $157 million is needed next year to meet the needs of 1.7
million Liberians, including 750,000 schoolchildren, 500,000
internal refugees, 38,000 combatants and their dependents and
15,000 child soldiers and children associated with the fighting
forces.
With the transitional government of Chairman Gyude Bryant now in
place, having taken over from the ousted regime of President
Charles Taylor, the outlook for the economy has improved, although
Liberians "will have to rely on handouts for a long time," Moussa
said.
"What I think is important now is how the new government is doing
business," he said. "They have started to look at the issue of how
to revive the economy."
One positive sign is that government workers are being paid their
salaries this month for the first time in two years, he said. He
also said U.N. peacekeeping troops have helped make it possible for
aid agencies "to get access to some parts of the country so we can
determine what we need to do to start helping the people with food
and health programs and other requirements."
Simon Nhongo, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Eritrea, said
1.7 million of Eritrea's nearly 3.6 million people need food aid.
"The greater part of the humanitarian problem derives from
drought," he said. "The winter rains and spring rains were not
sufficient; the summer rains that came from about June to September
were short and poorly distributed, and there was a lack of quality
seed. Then, to add to that, you look at the shortage of labor oxen
as well as agriculture implements and machinery."
He said the rains that did come were so large as to damage crops,
and that the country also suffered from an infestation of
grasshoppers. Whereas the average crop output is 187,000 metric
tons, he said, last year just 54,000 metric tons were produced.
This year's forecast is for 100,000 metric tons.
The focus for aid agencies in Eritrea, he said, "will be on saving
lives and preventing malnutrition from deteriorating further;
providing assistance to and supporting the safety, protection and
return of refugees mostly from Sudan; strengthening coping
mechanisms in traditional practices, and strengthening the capacity
of the government, U.N. agencies and other partners to better
target the use of those resources to the most vulnerable
households."
The country needs about $148 million in aid for 2004, with
two-thirds of that needed for food aid, he said.
The 2004 U.N. consolidated appeal is targeting $3 billion in donor
funds to aid 45 million people in 21 countries and regions. During
last year's drive, the United Nations was able to fulfill 66
percent of its goal of $5.1 billion in donations.
[U.N. Wire Copyright 2003 by National Journal Group Inc. - re-use
according to UN Wire guidelines]
Sample summary of UN humanitarian appeal
[For this and other summaries, including details of financial
commitments by donors, see http://www.reliefweb.int]
Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP): Humanitarian Appeal 2004 for
the Great Lakes Region and Central Africa
November 18, 2003
SUMMARY
Displacement, drought, disease
While prospects for peace in the Great Lakes region are promising,
the region's 127 million people are struggling to cope with raging
conflicts, repeated and continued displacement, drought and
disease, including the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
People are not feeling political gains translated into improvements
in their daily lives.
The long-running crisis in the Great Lakes region has resulted in
a huge number of deaths, great suffering and hardship, severe
devastation, major population displacement, widespread criminality
and arbitrary violence.
The region is home to some 5 million of the world's 25 million
internally displaced persons. Most live in camps, which are
congested, unhygienic and lack basic services. Armed attacks on
these camps are frequent.
Children are primary victims in the present situation. Thousands in
the region have been forcefully recruited, abducted, and turned
into killers. Many armies are predominantly comprised of children.
Women and girls are particularly vulnerable in a region where
simple daily chores of food preparation or gardening can imperil
their lives, and expose them risk of sexual violence. Rape
increasingly is used as a weapon of war, to torture and subjugate
women and tear apart families.
All people in the region suffer the impact of the HIV/AIDS
pandemic. It is thought to have one of the highest prevalence rates
in Africa. In Burundi, DRC, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, there are
more than 4 million persons living with HIV AIDS and 3,120,000 AIDS
orphans. Transmission increases dramatically in conflict
situations.
Food insecurity, ever a problem, is exacerbated by the continued
conflict, frequent displacement and denied access.
Chronic poverty and misery now characterize daily life for
populations increasingly immune to horror. Thousands are being
forced into high-risk occupations, as 'voluntary' conscripts,
prostitutes or slave labourers.
Human rights abuses are almost routine. Sexual violence, abduction,
indiscriminate attacks and murder, are everyday events.
Aid, protection, peace
The Strategy designed by humanitarian actors in the region for 2004
will place particular focus on:
- Reaching IDPs; accessing and assisting IDPs currently not
assisted and expanding the scope of available aid
- Protection of children; identifying and bringing to light
violence committed against children, preventing it whenever and
wherever possible
- Preventing sexual violence; caring for victims and advocating to
bring perpetrators to account
- Peace and demobilization; integrating humanitarian principles in
all aspects of conflict resolution, demobilization, disarmament and
reintegration
Agencies and their partners will continue to develop, enhance and
promote complementarity among regional stakeholders. Although not
all stakeholders have included projects in the Appeal, all have
resolved to work together to meet needs in a coordinated and
principled manner.
Request
The Great Lakes Regional Appeal is for US$ 121,295,549.
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