Humanitarian aid

Overview

• What is humanitarian aid?• A different form of aid? Ethics and

humanitarianism• Why give humanitarian aid?• The diversity of humanitarianism• Key actors• The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement• Challenges to humanitarianism• Linking humanitarianism to security

What is humanitarian aid?Diverse contexts….

A different sort of aid? Ethics and humanitarianism

• Distinguishing humanitarian from development aid

• Overlapping institutions– The importance of the ‘Dunantist’ institutions.– The ethical dimension and codes of conduct:

IFRC Code of Conduct – 300 signatories of which 197 from Europe

IFRC Code of Conduct (1994)

1. The humanitarian imperative comes first. 2. Aid is given regardless of the race, creed or nationality of the recipients.3. Aid will not be used for further a particular political or religious standpoint. 4. We shall endeavour not to act as instruments of government foreign policy.5. We shall respect culture and custom 6. We shall attempt to build disaster response on local capacities. 7. Ways shall be found to involve programme beneficiaries in the

management of relief aid.8. Relief aid must strive to reduce future vulnerabilities to disaster as well as

meeting basic needs. 9. We hold ourselves accountable to both those we seek to assist and those

from whom we accept resources. 10. In our information, publicity and advertising activities, we shall recognise

disaster victims as dignified human beings.

Why give humanitarian aid?

• Human solidarity and religious motivation• Regional solidarity• Security• Political and ideological reasons – the rise

of consequentialism– Teleological ethics: actions justified by

consequences– Deontological ethics: duty-based ethics

Humanitarianism ‘good in itself’?

• Central Africa, mid 1990s

Tsunami relief, 2005

Key actors

• Bilateral aid (official humanitarian assistance – OHA);

• UN agencies (esp. OCHA, UNHCR, WFP); NGOs (especially ICRC/IFRC)

• military

The diversity of humanitarianism

• The dominance of western donors?• Institutions proliferate:

– 1994, Bosnia, 16 donors pledge aid

– 2005, Indian ocean tsunami, 92 pledge support

• Non-DAC donors – the G77 countries, including India, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE

• Non-DAC donors 1-12% of OHA 1999-2004

The Red Cross Movement

• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)– Helping victims of war and armed conflict– Founded 1863– Geneva conventions, 1864, 1949– Employs 11, 000 people of whom 800 based in Geneva,

1400 ‘expatriates’ around the world, half of whom are Swiss

– ‘Committee’ – 15-25 people, all Swiss– Funded by voluntary donation: average £340 million

per year

The Federation and National Societies

• IFRC as umbrella organisation for the national societies.– Founded 1919– Annual income around £106 million.

• National societies– In almost all countries, around 100 million members and

volunteers– Not only war – disaster relief too– Claims almost 230 million beneficiaries each year– British Red Cross: annual income about £250 million

• Note: independence of IFRC and ICRC

Challenges to humanitarianism

• ‘Dependency’?• Perpetuating conflict• Unaccountable

agencies• Meeting needs?

Humanitarianism and security