Humanitarian aid has its share of skeptics but the CEO of Medair says it is important to continue alleviating human suffering even in countries where underlying structural problems are perpetuating poverty.
David Verboom used the ministry's blog to answer some of the common questions around humanitarian aid, including why some countries have been receiving aid for decades with seemingly little improvement.
He said it was important for humanitarian organisations to assist in these places in order to save lives, even if the structural problems could not be immediately resolved.
'In short, humanitarian action saves lives but cannot directly solve underlying structural problems that cause humanitarian crises,' he said.
'Our primary purpose is to relieve human suffering wherever it is found, even if the structures perpetuate the suffering of people.'
He said humanitarian work in general was facing challenges, with more people in need due to an increase in prolonged conflicts and natural disasters.
At the same time, he said the humanitarian sector was facing more criticism and there was, in his view, 'less respect' for the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers caught up in conflicts and natural disasters.
However, he acknowledged that there could be mistrust in humanitarian work because of financial fraud.
'Corruption and fraud do exist and are unacceptable. They limit the amount of aid reaching people who are in desperate need of it,' he said.
'Emergencies create chaos and weaken governmental systems, making them more susceptible to financial abuse and misuse. Although we sadly cannot rule out the risk of corruption and fraud altogether, organisations can help minimise the risk of it and address it immediately when it happens.'
And on the question of whether there are too many humanitarian organisations all doing the same thing, he admitted there are 'considerable overlaps' in the work they are doing but added that there is 'strength in numbers.'
He added: 'I believe that these organisations, including Medair, should cooperate and partner more.'
