What to know about humanitarian aid

By Enid Kabasinguzi Ocaya

August 19 was World Humanitarian Day. The day aims to honor humanitarian workers who have lost their lives or injured themselves in the course of their work and acknowledges the ongoing work of humanitarian staff around the world.

The date marks the anniversary of a terrorist attack on the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad in 2003 that killed 22 people, including UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello.

However, little is known about humanitarian work. This article, therefore, seeks to explain what is involved in humanitarian work and the terminologies used in some circumstances.

Humanitarian aid is, therefore, material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity.

It may, therefore, be distinguished from development aid, which seeks to address the underlying socioeconomic factors which may have led to a crisis or emergency.

In its most general form, humanitarianism is an ethic of kindness, benevolence, and sympathy extended universally and impartially to all human beings. Humanitarianism has been an evolving concept historically but universality is a common element in its evolution.

No distinction is to be made in the face of suffering or abuse on grounds of gender, sexual orientation, tribe, caste, age, religion, or nationality.

Humanitarianism can also be described as the acceptance of every human being for plainly just being another human, ignoring and abolishing biased social views, prejudice, and racism in the process, if utilised individually as a practiced viewpoint, or mindset.

A humanitarian crisis (or "humanitarian disaster") is defined as a singular event or a series of events that are threatening in terms of health, safety or well being of a community or large group of people. It may be an internal or external conflict and usually occurs throughout a large land area. Local, national and international responses are necessary in such events.

Each humanitarian crisis is caused by different factors and as a result, each different humanitarian crisis requires a unique response targeted towards the specific sectors affected. This can result in either short-term or long-term damage. Humanitarian crises can either be natural disasters, man-made disasters or complex emergencies.

In such cases, complex emergencies occur as a result of several factors or events that prevent a large group of people from accessing their fundamental needs, such as food, clean water or safe shelter.

Examples of humanitarian crises include armed conflicts, epidemics, famine, natural disasters and other major emergencies. All such crises may cause, involve or lead to a humanitarian crisis. As such, humanitarian crises are often interconnected and complex and several national and international agencies play roles in the repercussions of the incidences.

A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the Earth; examples include floods, eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other geologic processes.

A natural disaster can cause loss of life or property damage, and typically leaves some economic damage in its wake, the severity of which depends on the affected population's resilience, or ability to recover.

In 2012, there were 905 natural catastrophes worldwide, 93% of which were weather-related disasters. Overall costs were $170b and insured losses $70b. 2012 was a moderate year. 45% were meteorological (storms), 36% were hydrological (floods), 12% were climatological (heat waves, cold waves, droughts, wildfires) and 7 % were geophysical events (earthquakes and volcanic eruptions). Between 1980 and 2011 geophysical events accounted for 14% of all natural catastrophes.

Vulnerability

An adverse event will not rise to the level of a disaster if it occurs in an area without vulnerable population. In Uganda, the most vulnerable people among the population are considered as the following; children, people with disabilities, pregnant women, sickly people to mention but a few.

Vulnerability also depends on the context in which an organisation is operating.

Humanitarian response

When both natural and manmade disasters occur, the general population is affected however; the vulnerable populations are the ones that are most at risk.

In this case, vulnerable populations are the most desired targets for humanitarian aid. In giving humanitarian aid, there are humanitarian principles that govern the way humanitarian response is carried out. Core humanitarian principles include the following;

Humanity

The principle of humanity means that humankind shall be treated humanely in all circumstances by saving lives and alleviating suffering, while ensuring respect for the individual. It is the fundamental principle of humanitarian response.

Humanitarian imperative

The Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief (RC/NGO Code) introduces the concept of the humanitarian imperative which expands the principle of humanity to include the right to receive and to give humanitarian assistance. It states the obligation of the international community “to provide humanitarian assistance wherever it is needed.

Impartiality

Provision of humanitarian assistance must be impartial and not based on nationality, race, religion, or political point of view. It must be based on need alone.

Independence

Humanitarian agencies must formulate and implement their own policies independently of government policies or actions.

Defining principles

The core principles are defining characteristics, the necessary conditions for humanitarian response. Organisations such as military forces and for-profit companies may deliver assistance to communities affected by disaster in order to save lives and alleviate suffering, but they are not considered by the humanitarian sector as humanitarian agencies as their response is not based on the core principles.

Additional humanitarian principles

In addition to the core principles, there are other principles that govern humanitarian response for specific types of humanitarian agencies such as UN agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and NGOs.

Neutrality

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement follow, in addition to the above core principles, the principle of neutrality. For the Red Cross, neutrality means not to take sides in hostilities or engage at any time in controversies of a political, racial, religious or ideological nature.

Proselytism

The provision of aid must not exploit the vulnerability of victims and be used to further political or religious creeds. All of the major non-governmental humanitarian agencies (NGHAs) by signing up to the RC/NGO Code of Conduct have committed themselves not to use humanitarian response to further political or religious creeds.

The writer is the Disaster Risk Reduction & Community Resilience Manager, World Vision Uganda