Author: c.bunce

The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect released a statement on Friday following the U.S. airstrikes on a Syrian airbase. The Centre acknowledged that the airstrikes were in direct response to the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government and the failure of the UN Security Council to act nor adhere to its responsibilities, but noted that “it does not condone unilateral military action outside of military law.”

Many argue that the airstrikes were unconstitutional and in violation of international law. In its statement, the Centre wrote that the international community must hold those accountable in Syria under international law for atrocities, including the use of chemical weapons. The Centre also urged UN member states to accept Syrian refugees into their countries.

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting yesterday to address the chemical weapons attack that killed over 80 innocent civilians in Syria this week. The U.S., Britain, and France blamed the Syrian government for the attack and criticized Russia for objecting a draft resolution  condemning the use of chemical weapons.

In her speech to the UN Security Council, Haley warned that “when the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action.” Will the U.S. take sole military action in Syria? President Trump said that the attack “crossed a lot of lines,” but any type of intervention strategy remains to be foreseen either by the U.S. or the UN Security council as a whole.

 

A recent report by the Department for International Development (DFID) discusses the potential benefits and constraints of the use of technology for civilians and humanitarian organizations in Syria. DFID conducted a qualitative research study which analyzed the use of mobile technology in Syria. They compiled their findings from interviews with Syrian-based respondents and aid workers.

Smartphone ownership and internet access is still widespread among civilians despite the conflict. Eighty-one percent of Syrians own a cell phone. Social media apps help civilians and refugees communicate with their families, but also allows them to connect with humanitarian organizations. Additionally, humanitarian organizations use technology to communicate with and provide services to aid beneficiaries.

Despite internet disruptions and security drawbacks, international organizations are strategically using technology to help address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Syria. Technology is especially helpful in inter-agency coordination and the exchange of information.

The featured story in today’s NY Times, “Fleeing Boko Haram, Thousands Cling to a Road to Nowhere,” illustrates the dire conditions of thousands of people displaced by Boko Haram who settled along National Route 1. Times journalists interviewed and documented the stories of more than 100 people who fled Boko Haram and now live along the paved stretch of deserted highway north of the city of Diffa, Niger. Food and water is scarce in the region, but residents feel a sense of safety and security because Niger’s military regularly patrols the area.

International humanitarian agencies, including Doctors without Borders and the International Rescue Committee, provide some aid, but are limited in their capacity to help. Despite being one of the poorest areas in the country, local communities help an estimated 80 percent of the displaced with food and shelter. UNICEF set up 27 schools in the region, but fewer than half of the 137,000 children in the area attend school.

Earlier this month, the UN urged long-term action in the fight against Boko Haram and pledged its support to Nigeria’s government. Aid services are desperately needed to help 8.5 million people affected by the fight with Boko Haram and resulting humanitarian crisis.

The UN Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs office announced that they have only received $423 million of the $4.4 billion needed to help the people on the brink of famine in Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen. Earlier this month, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned the international community that it was crucial to raise the funds by the end of March to help 20 million people at risk of famine, including 1.4 million children.

The funds will help provide humanitarian assistance, including food, water, medicine, and other basic necessities to 20 million people at risk of famine. Only 8 percent of the funds have been raised for Yemen, 9 percent for Nigeria, 18 percent for South Sudan, and 32 percent for Somalia.

According to a recent UN humanitarian report, over two-thirds of the population in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is affected by a humanitarian crisis worsened by natural disasters and political tensions. More than 18 million people in North Korea lack access to food security and basic services. The report states that $114 million is needed to provide crucial humanitarian needs.

The crisis in DPRK has been largely overlooked and ignored despite some efforts by the international community to provide humanitarian aid. Six UN agencies and seven NGOs are among several partner agencies collaborating on relief efforts, but they lack the necessary funding to provide nationwide assistance. The report also notes that international sanctions enacted on DPRK have indirectly affected the current humanitarian situation. Efforts have been hindered by blocked funding, limited donations, and difficulties in transporting and delivering aid supplies to vulnerable populations. The adverse effects of the sanctions reveal some of the problems of global governance, leading us to wonder – are the sanctions doing more harm than good? They seem to be, at least from a humanitarian standpoint.

President Trump is reportedly seeking to slash U.S. funding for United Nations programs by up to 50%. The U.S. is the largest contributor to the UN and its partner agencies, donating about $10 billion per year. Diminished funds from the U.S. could significantly impact UN operations, including efforts by the World Health Organization, World Food Program, and UNICEF to provide humanitarian assistance to millions of people. The timing is particularly concerning given that the world is in the midst of one of the worst humanitarian crises in decades. A famine was recently declared in South Sudan and 20 million people are facing starvation.

Aside from slashed funding, the Trump administration has also threatened to withdraw from agencies that it deems counterproductive, including the U.N. Human Rights Council. The U.S. is the biggest funder of the U.N., but also plays a significant role in U.N. decisions as a permanent member of the Security Council. We can only hope that Trump’s team will carefully assess the detrimental effects that slashed funding could have on millions of people who rely on crucial services provided by UN agencies.

In a recent report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry found that the Syrian military, not rebels, was responsible for severing water supplies that affected 5.5. million people in and around the city of Damascus. The Syrian Air Force carried out airstrikes for several weeks starting in December which severely damaged water supplies and further escalated the humanitarian crisis.

The commission called the bombings a war crime and reiterated other accounts of human rights violations being carried out by the Syrian government in their report, including deliberate attacks on children and medical personnel. The report condemned the international community for its failure to address the gross violations of human rights and laws occurring in Syria.

After a famine was recently declared in South Sudan, the United Nations warned that the world is at risk of the largest humanitarian crisis since 1945. Stephen O’Brien, UN humanitarian chief, shared with the Security Council last week that “we are facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the United Nations.” He also stressed that $4.4 billion is needed by mid-year in order to avert the crisis and help 20 million people on the brink of starvation in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, and Nigeria. Collective global action is desperately needed, but continued challenges in the affected countries are hindering efforts to provide humanitarian aid.

A recent study by the UNHCR found that a large proportion of the 3.2 million people displaced in the first half of 2016 have settled in some of the world’s poorest countries. Over half of those refugees fled the Syrian conflict and relocated to neighboring countries. As of 2016, Syrians accounted for 32 percent of the world’s refugee population. The refugee crisis in South Sudan is also of particular concern. Nearly 1 million refugees from South Sudan are putting pressure on some of the least developed countries in the world who host them, including Sudan, Kenya, and Ethiopia.

Actions by powerful and developed countries, such as Trump’s refugee ban, will only further burden poor countries who cannot properly provide the economic support and help that refugees so desperately need.