The Politicization Of Humanitarian Aid And Its Effect On The Principles Of Humanity Impartiality And Neutrality

Author : Thorsten Volberg
Publisher : diplom.de
Page : 87 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2007-02-22
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9783956361920

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The politicization of humanitarian aid and its effect on the principles of humanity, impartiality and neutrality by Thorsten Volberg Pdf

Inhaltsangabe:Abstract: The past two decades have seen a significant increase in frequency and intensity of complex emergencies and natural disasters, leading to a rapid transformation in the policy and the institutional context of humanitarianism. Humanitarian assistance, which once covered a very narrow set of basic relief activities carried out by a small group of relatively independent actors, has expanded significantly to an ever-widening and much more complex range of rehabilitation work. This includes the definition of aid as being a starting-point for addressing poverty or being a tool for peace-building in internal conflicts. A growing diversity of non-humanitarian actors in the field, such as various profit agencies, governmental and non-governmental armed forces, also changed the picture of humanitarian aid and the perception of its character. This transformation has created a broad variety of standards for performance in the field, and led to increasing uncertainties on the quality of humanitarian responses and its accountability. Humanitarian catastrophes, like the Rwandan genocide, finally forced humanitarian agencies to think beyond traditional relief assistance based on the delivery of food, shelter or basic health care, and take a deeper reflection on how they actually perceive their own role and accountability in the humanitarian sphere. In 1997, the Sphere project was launched to develop inter alia a so-called Humanitarian Charter , which tries to put relief aid on a legal basis provided by international law. It emphasizes humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality and expresses agencies commitment to act in accordance with them. These principles provide an ethical framework, which defines and delineates the humanitarian space within which NGOs are supposed to operate. Sphere and its commitment to these traditional principles have both supporters and critics within the humanitarian system, especially when it comes to its usefulness in addressing the complexity of political factors surrounding an emergency situation. Humanitarian assistance has always been a highly political activity, as it involves engaging authorities in conflict-affected countries or relying on financial support that can be driven by a donor s political considerations. Nowadays, relief organizations seem to remain even less in control of their working environment due to expanding peacekeeping and military-led missions of the [...]

Author : Anonim
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 262 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2020-09-07
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9789004431140

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Humanitarianism: Keywords by Anonim Pdf

Humanitarianism: Keywords is a comprehensive dictionary designed as a compass for navigating the conceptual universe of humanitarianism. It is an intuitive toolkit to map contemporary humanitarianism and to explore its current and future articulations. The dictionary serves a broad readership of practitioners, students, and researchers by providing informed access to the extensive humanitarian vocabulary.

Author : Hugo Slim
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 257 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2015-01-09
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780190613327

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Humanitarian Ethics by Hugo Slim Pdf

Humanitarians are required to be impartial, independent, professionally competent and focused only on preventing and alleviating human suffering. It can be hard living up to these principles when others do not share them, while persuading political and military authorities and non-state actors to let an agency assist on the ground requires savvy ethical skills. Getting first to a conflict or natural catastrophe is only the beginning, as aid workers are usually and immediately presented with practical and moral questions about what to do next. For example, when does working closely with a warring party or an immoral regime move from practical cooperation to complicity in human rights violations? Should one operate in camps for displaced people and refugees if they are effectively places of internment? Do humanitarian agencies inadvertently encourage ethnic cleansing by always being ready to 'mop-up' the consequences of scorched earth warfare? This book has been written to help humanitarians assess and respond to these and other ethical dilemmas.

Author : Michael Barnett,Thomas G. Weiss
Publisher : Cornell University Press
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2012-05-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780801465086

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Humanitarianism in Question by Michael Barnett,Thomas G. Weiss Pdf

Years of tremendous growth in response to complex emergencies have left a mark on the humanitarian sector. Various matters that once seemed settled are now subjects of intense debate. What is humanitarianism? Is it limited to the provision of relief to victims of conflict, or does it include broader objectives such as human rights, democracy promotion, development, and peacebuilding? For much of the last century, the principles of humanitarianism were guided by neutrality, impartiality, and independence. More recently, some humanitarian organizations have begun to relax these tenets. The recognition that humanitarian action can lead to negative consequences has forced humanitarian organizations to measure their effectiveness, to reflect on their ethical positions, and to consider not only the values that motivate their actions but also the consequences of those actions. In the indispensable Humanitarianism in Question, Michael Barnett and Thomas G. Weiss bring together scholars from a variety of disciplines to address the humanitarian identity crisis, including humanitarianism's relationship to accountability, great powers, privatization and corporate philanthropy, warlords, and the ethical evaluations that inform life-and-death decision making during and after emergencies.

Author : Carsten Wieland
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 201 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2021-05-20
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780755641413

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Syria and the Neutrality Trap by Carsten Wieland Pdf

The Syrian war has been an example of the abuse and insufficient delivery of humanitarian assistance. According to international practice, humanitarian aid should be channelled through a state government that bears a particular responsibility for its population. Yet in Syria, the bulk of relief went through Damascus while the regime caused the vast majority of civilian deaths. Should the UN have severed its cooperation with the government and neglected its humanitarian duty to help all people in need? Decision-makers face these tough policy dilemmas, and often the “neutrality trap” snaps shut. This book discusses the political and moral considerations of how to respond to a brutal and complex crisis while adhering to international law and practice. The author, a scholar and senior diplomat involved in the UN peace talks in Geneva, draws from first-hand diplomatic, practitioner and UN sources. He sheds light on the UN's credibility crisis and the wider implications for the development of international humanitarian and human rights law. This includes covering the key questions asked by Western diplomats, NGOs and international organizations, such as: Why did the UN not confront the Syrian government more boldly? Was it not only legally correct but also morally justifiable to deliver humanitarian aid to regime areas where rockets were launched and warplanes started? Why was it so difficult to render cross-border aid possible where it was badly needed? The meticulous account of current international practice is both insightful and disturbing. It tackles the painful lessons learnt and provides recommendations for future challenges where politics fails and humanitarians fill the moral void.

Author : Larissa Fast
Publisher : University of Pennsylvania Press
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2014-05-14
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780812246032

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Aid in Danger by Larissa Fast Pdf

Humanitarian aid workers increasingly remain present in contexts of violence and are injured, kidnapped, and killed as a result. Since 9/11 and in response to these dangers, aid organizations have fortified themselves to shield their staff and programs from outside threats. In Aid in Danger, Larissa Fast critically examines the causes of violence against aid workers and the consequences of the approaches aid agencies use to protect themselves from attack. Based on more than a decade of research, Aid in Danger explores the assumptions underpinning existing explanations of and responses to violence against aid workers. According to Fast, most explanations of attacks locate the causes externally and maintain an image of aid workers as an exceptional category of civilians. The resulting approaches to security rely on separation and fortification and alienate aid workers from those in need, representing both a symptom and a cause of crisis in the humanitarian system. Missing from most analyses are the internal vulnerabilities, exemplified in the everyday decisions and ordinary human frailties and organizational mistakes that sometimes contribute to the conditions leading to violence. This oversight contributes to the normalization of danger in aid work and undermines the humanitarian ethos. As an alternative, Fast proposes a relational framework that captures both external threats and internal vulnerabilities. By uncovering overlooked causes of violence, Aid in Danger offers a unique perspective on the challenges of providing aid in perilous settings and on the prospects of reforming the system in service of core humanitarian values.

Author : Yves Beigbeder
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 431 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2023-11-27
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9789004634589

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The Role and Status of International Humanitarian Volunteers and Organizations by Yves Beigbeder Pdf

Since its birth with the creation of the international Red Cross in 1863, international humanitarian assistance has developed considerably since World War II. In accordance with the Red Cross principle of humanity, it aims at preventing and alleviating human suffering wherever it may be found, protecting life and health and ensuring respect for the human being. International humanitarian assistance involves a complex network of government agencies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and individual volunteers: it has been labelled a `non-system'. While governments and intergovernmental organizations play a dominant and structured role in this field, the non-governmental organizations and their volunteers have proved to be their necessary operational partners, providing material, medical and moral relief and care wherever it may be needed, beyond borders, at the grassroots level. Following a brief review of recent humanitarian activities of intergovernmental organizations, and an analysis of current trends of voluntarism, this book focuses on the role, status and attitudes of the major humanitarian non-governmental organizations, including the Red Cross organizations, the British charities, Church-related agencies, medical volunteers (such as the `French Doctors') and U.N. volunteers. Should humanitarian non-governmental organizations provide relief assistance with the Red Cross concern for discretion, neutrality and impartiality? Or should they bear witness and denounce publicly human rights violations, at the risk of being expelled from recipient countries and having to stop their assistance? The controversial claim of a `right' to receive and a `duty' to provide humanitarian assistance beyond borders is also addressed, as well as the possible need for a status to be accorded to international volunteers.

Author : Jide Okeke
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 46 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2011-10
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9171066977

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Why Humanitarian Aid in Darfur Is Not a Practice by Jide Okeke Pdf

Author : Carsten Wieland
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 200 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2021-05-20
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780755641406

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Syria and the Neutrality Trap by Carsten Wieland Pdf

The Syrian war has been an example of the abuse and insufficient delivery of humanitarian assistance. According to international practice, humanitarian aid should be channelled through a state government that bears a particular responsibility for its population. Yet in Syria, the bulk of relief went through Damascus while the regime caused the vast majority of civilian deaths. Should the UN have severed its cooperation with the government and neglected its humanitarian duty to help all people in need? Decision-makers face these tough policy dilemmas, and often the “neutrality trap” snaps shut. This book discusses the political and moral considerations of how to respond to a brutal and complex crisis while adhering to international law and practice. The author, a scholar and senior diplomat involved in the UN peace talks in Geneva, draws from first-hand diplomatic, practitioner and UN sources. He sheds light on the UN's credibility crisis and the wider implications for the development of international humanitarian and human rights law. This includes covering the key questions asked by Western diplomats, NGOs and international organizations, such as: Why did the UN not confront the Syrian government more boldly? Was it not only legally correct but also morally justifiable to deliver humanitarian aid to regime areas where rockets were launched and warplanes started? Why was it so difficult to render cross-border aid possible where it was badly needed? The meticulous account of current international practice is both insightful and disturbing. It tackles the painful lessons learnt and provides recommendations for future challenges where politics fails and humanitarians fill the moral void.

Author : Elizabeth G. Ferris
Publisher : Brookings Institution Press
Page : 383 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2011-05-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780815721383

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The Politics of Protection by Elizabeth G. Ferris Pdf

For the past decade, humanitarian actors have increasingly sought not only to assist people affected by conflicts and natural disasters, but also to protect them. At the same time, protection of civilians has become central to UN peacekeeping operations, and the UN General Assembly has endorsed the principle that the international community has the "responsibility to protect" people when their governments cannot or will not do so. Elizabeth Ferris explores the evolution of the international community's understandings of protection, with a particular emphasis on the humanitarian community. "Protection" is a noble word, with positive connotations, but what does it actually mean in practice? Does providing assistance to vulnerable people protect them, for example? Does monitoring the number of rapes protect women? Does increased engagement in protection activities by humanitarian agencies jeopardize the cornerstone humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality? In The Politics of Protection, Ferris examines inconsistent ways in which protection is defined and applied. For example, why do certain groups receive international protection while other equally needy groups do not? Her case studies, ranging from Iraq to Katrina, illustrate the challenges—and limitations—of protecting vulnerable populations from the ravages of war and natural disasters. Ferris argues that the protection paradigms currently in use are inadequate to meet the challenges of the future, such as climate change, protracted displacement, and the changing nature of warfare.

Author : Zoe J. Radnor,Nicola Bateman,Ann Esain,Maneesh Kumar,Sharon J. Williams,David M. Upton
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 462 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2015-07-30
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781317602958

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Public Service Operations Management by Zoe J. Radnor,Nicola Bateman,Ann Esain,Maneesh Kumar,Sharon J. Williams,David M. Upton Pdf

How do policy makers and managers square the circle of increasing demand and expectations for the delivery and quality of services against a backdrop of reduced public funding from government and philanthropists? Leaders, executives and managers are increasingly focusing on service operations improvement. In terms of research, public services are immature within the discipline of operations management, and existing knowledge is limited to government departments and large bureaucratic institutions. Drawing on a range of theory and frameworks, this book develops the research agenda, and knowledge and understanding in public service operations management, addressing the most pressing dilemmas faced by leaders, executives and operations managers in the public services environment. It offers a new empirical analysis of the impact of contextual factors, including the migration of planning systems founded on MRP/ERP and the adoption of industrial based improvement practices such as TQM, lean thinking and Six Sigma. This will be of interest to researchers, educators and advanced students in public management, service operations management, health service management and public policy studies.

Author : Peter J. Hoffman,Thomas G. Weiss
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Page : 287 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2006-03-03
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781461642756

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Sword & Salve by Peter J. Hoffman,Thomas G. Weiss Pdf

In the first book to systematically explore the linkages between war and emergency response, Hoffman and Weiss focus on the profound impact of new wars with non-state actors. The authors trace the evolution of the international humanitarian system from its inception in the 1860s through the current challenges cast by recent U.S. military action in Afghanistan and Iraq. By bringing historical perspective to bear on the mechanics of war and humanitarian action, Sword & Salve provides an essential analytical framework for grasping the nature of crises and how aid agencies can respond strategically rather than reactively to change. Students will find it a powerful tool for understanding the roles of state and non-state actors in international relations, as well as the panopoly of means and ends encompassed by contemporary humanitarianisms.

Author : Nicholas Leader
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 61 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Humanitarian assistance
ISBN : 0850034795

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The Politics of Principle by Nicholas Leader Pdf

Author : Sarah Collinson,Samir Elhawary,Overseas Development Institute (London, England). Humanitarian Policy Group
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 4 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Humanitarian assistance
ISBN : OCLC:840425156

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Humanitarian Space by Sarah Collinson,Samir Elhawary,Overseas Development Institute (London, England). Humanitarian Policy Group Pdf

Author : John Holmes
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 255 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2013-03-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781781852088

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The Politics Of Humanity by John Holmes Pdf

John Holmes was the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs from 2007 until 2010. His work took him to some of the most troubled areas of the world: to Sri Lanka, Darfur, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, among other places, and exposed him to the harsh realities of humanitarian aid. Frequently he found that the UN's humanitarian programmes in these hotspots were tolerated but consistently undermined and mistrusted by both sides in any conflict, and its efforts to protect civilians and provide humanitarian relief frustrated by people working for purely political ends. Clear-eyed about the realities of development aid, Holmes realised early on that his role was to be a voice to the voiceless. THE POLITICS OF HUMANITY exposes, in often depressing detail, how difficult this job is, as well as analysing and exploring in great depth the wider policy questions of his role.