Aid Agencies Re-Evaluate Strategies in Uphill Battle to Support the World

Around the world there are many areas facing crisis’s such as flooding, droughts and even locusts, and a new report out has urged the top humanitarian groups to have a more local presence in disaster areas, and to change their “fire fighting mentalities’.

However, in the current society is seems that many countries instead of running to the aid of these disasters, are pre-occupying themselves with the modern-day threats of terrorism and other political issues. This has had a knock-on effect on many aid agencies, and left them struggling to make an early response in helping people who are often in dire situations.

Now a group of the world’s leading Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO’s) have called upon experts to advise them on how to cope. The group includes well-known names such as CARE, World Vision, Oxfam and Save the Children.

What has resulted from this request by the NGO’s has been the new report which has been entitled, “Ambiguity and Change: Humanitarian NGOs Prepare for the Future”

Peter Walker, who is an American disaster-relief expert, led the team that compiled the report. He said, “It's time to realise: You can't sit...and send fire-fighting missions [to the world's disaster zones] any more, you have to get local, become embedded in each country. You have to be there before disaster strikes and stay there when the emergency's over."

Another problem that has been highlighted is that many aid agencies are not being seen as helpers and neutrals in certain countries where their ‘western appearance’ makes them seem like they are from opposing, rival enemies. This is despite the fact that the aid groups have relied on the principle that their work is completely independent from military or political influences. This principle has sometimes been hard to keep, but has been particularly tricky in today’s tense world climate.

Aid agency figures have direct contact with local people in disaster areas, and because of this they are often being used to be a ‘public relations’ branch of the US-led military operation to win more support from the locals.

Oxfam’s head of advocacy, Phil Bloomer said, “We need the partners in the war on terrorism and particularly the US to start respecting humanitarian principles. We want them to separate their political and military activity from the operations of humanitarian agencies; otherwise there is a danger that all humanitarians are perceived as nothing more than an extension of...the military operation."

Oxfam have recently decided to stop accepting funds provided by the British government, which was previously one of its biggest sources of funds.

Complaints from aid agencies have also been reported against US-led military operations in jeopardising aims to be kept neutral in tense areas. ‘Doctors without Borders’ said that their members had been endangered; “The United States-backed coalition consistently sought to use humanitarian aid to build support for its military and political ambitions."

The current efforts to tackle world terrorism have also had a negative effect in some areas on aid agency work. NGO’s in North Korea have faced particularly grim situations. The World Food Program, who is the chief provider of food rationing to the country had only raised by June 20% of the funds it needed for this year’s humanitarian efforts. As a result they have faced the heart-wrenching prospect of having to stop feeding some people.

"We have had to stop giving food rations to the elderly. It's an excruciating decision to have to make," says the deputy director of the Rome-based WFP.

People are beginning to ponder carefully who to give their donations to and the UN has been criticised for being too bureaucratic and entangled in political issues with individual member nations.

The current climate has seen donors slowly move to big, reliable, specialised agencies and many aid agencies are now struggling to publicise many crisis that lack an “evil-doer”.

Breda Barton, the WFP’s chief spokesperson in Rome said, “These days, because there are so many disasters, there have to be millions facing death before the West is going to notice. We have noticed that the media and the public imagination can respond massively when there is a 'villain' in the picture. But when the villain is Mother Nature, people find it harder to react."

In Bangladesh the flooding has made headlines around the world, but the funds have not been proportionate to the 20 million natives whose homes are under water.

"The people of Bangladesh are not the only ones whose plight has gone largely unnoticed," said John Powell, the deputy executive director at the World Food Program.

The WFP representative also highlighted other disaster areas in the world which are getting next to no coverage or support: swarms of locusts in West Africa, droughts in Kenya, Cuba and Afghanistan, freak weather conditions in Nicaragua and Peru.

He pointed out that there are now so many disasters to fight against that there is a fierce battle to gain media attention, which seems to be the key to getting donations and support. On top of this, Powell said, “It is hard for us to tell people about hunger when they are obsessed with obesity and trying to lose weight.”