19 August 2004
NGOs and Ambivalence re Humanitarian Crises
Humanitarian NGOs are understandably distressed by the public's confusion over the prolific number of crises in the world today. Because the IT revolution has allowed the media to report many more disasters, both man-made and natural, than they could in the past, humanitarian NGOs are called on to deal with demands on their resources that outstrip their resources.
This is not a failure of donors and certainly not the fault of Western governments or UN Agencies. Humanitarian NGOs have different goals. National governments and their cooperative organizations, like the WFO, WHO, WTO, UNHCR, etc., must focus foremost on keeping order among themselves. This means military and political action in regions threatened by terrorist forces -- the Janjaweed in Darfur, the Taliban in Afghanistan, etc. Even powerful governments are able only modestly to contend with the forces of Mother Nature. Just look at the plight of victims of Hurricane Charley in Florida.
NGOs have dedicated their efforts to reducing the humanitarian effects of disasters around the globe where their resources can make a significant contribution to limited national government capabilities. Yes, that creates an alliance of purpose between the NGOs and national governments and their cooperative organizations when the latter define their objective of establishing order in terms of resolving human suffering. But sorting out public confusion of the goals of NGOs with those of national governments does not justifying pulling out of regions where NGO resources are needed. Specifically, Medecins Sans Frontieres has not been prevented from accomplishing its relief programs in Afghanistan by the corruption of its image into a supposed component of the Coalition powers’ political and military programs.
The purity of MSF’s public image can be maintained with PR, if that is so important. It is a fit of pique to pull out of Afghanistan. It will be costly to victims of the humanitarian crisis caused by Taliban rule. A crisis demands MSF’s efforts regardless of how its effects are characterized in the media.
Humanitarian NGOs are understandably distressed by the public's confusion over the prolific number of crises in the world today. Because the IT revolution has allowed the media to report many more disasters, both man-made and natural, than they could in the past, humanitarian NGOs are called on to deal with demands on their resources that outstrip their resources.
This is not a failure of donors and certainly not the fault of Western governments or UN Agencies. Humanitarian NGOs have different goals. National governments and their cooperative organizations, like the WFO, WHO, WTO, UNHCR, etc., must focus foremost on keeping order among themselves. This means military and political action in regions threatened by terrorist forces -- the Janjaweed in Darfur, the Taliban in Afghanistan, etc. Even powerful governments are able only modestly to contend with the forces of Mother Nature. Just look at the plight of victims of Hurricane Charley in Florida.
NGOs have dedicated their efforts to reducing the humanitarian effects of disasters around the globe where their resources can make a significant contribution to limited national government capabilities. Yes, that creates an alliance of purpose between the NGOs and national governments and their cooperative organizations when the latter define their objective of establishing order in terms of resolving human suffering. But sorting out public confusion of the goals of NGOs with those of national governments does not justifying pulling out of regions where NGO resources are needed. Specifically, Medecins Sans Frontieres has not been prevented from accomplishing its relief programs in Afghanistan by the corruption of its image into a supposed component of the Coalition powers’ political and military programs.
The purity of MSF’s public image can be maintained with PR, if that is so important. It is a fit of pique to pull out of Afghanistan. It will be costly to victims of the humanitarian crisis caused by Taliban rule. A crisis demands MSF’s efforts regardless of how its effects are characterized in the media.
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