Chapter Summaries
Section One: Focus on ethics in aid
Chapter 1 – Humanitarian ethics in disaster and war
This year’s World Disasters Report argues that aid is becoming dangerously politicized. Millions of the world’s most vulnerable remain beyond the reach of humanitarian assistance and protection. Saving lives alone is not sufficient. Respecting people’s dignity and livelihoods is equally important. Humanitarian organizations bear two responsibilities. They must operationalize humanitarian principles by developing field indicators to put principles into practice and disseminating good practice in humanitarian judgement. They must also advocate humanitarian principles to other actors, support local associations which make a stand for principles and invite donors, the UN, host governments, private sector and civil/military units to sign up to the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief.
Chapter 2 – Building capacity – the ethical dimensions
In disaster situations local people are far more knowledgeable about their needs and capabilities than external organizations. If external agencies take any role at all, it should be to improve the capacity of local people to take control over the decisions that affect their lives. Many will argue that outside agencies have a moral responsibility to use disasters to address the root causes of vulnerability. But tackling poverty, marginalization, and inappropriate development involves challenging indigenous power structures. Where do the moral responsibilities of humanitarian agencies lie? Lasting social change takes years to bring about; agencies should be honest about what they can achieve within the context and resources available.
Chapter 3 – Famine stalks southern Africa
The first signs of a looming food crisis in southern Africa were discernible in mid-2001 but of three vulnerability mapping systems in use only one (Save the Children Fund’s) focussed on vulnerable people’s access to food and the role household assets play in coping with drought or flood. In late 2001, SCF argued that the food crisis in Malawi was nationwide but they were accused of exaggeration until they also reported that malnutrition in some districts had doubled to 19 per cent. Over 1,000 people had died in Malawi from starvation and cholera by mid-2002, deaths which could have been averted. Strengthening national food security and livelihood surveillance systems and improving donor coordination over shared early warnings are vital to avert future famine.
Chapter 4 – Afghanistan – power politics or ethical principles?
When coalition forces started bombing Afghanistan, world leaders promised they would not walk away but would help rebuild the country. The Afghans are still waiting. While insecurity and warlord power continue, real progress towards either a fully representative government or substantial reconstruction will be hard. These are not problems that can be solved by aid – they require sustained political engagement with the country. This chapter also explores the issue of whether action on human rights in Afghanistan is being sacrificed to short-term stability.
Chapter 5 – Forced migration – forgotten disaster?
Over 175 million people now live outside their countries of birth – double the figure in 1975. Many are economic migrants, who may be fleeing poverty and severe deprivation. They are an important development resource for their home countries, remitting about US$ 80 billion per year to developing nations (compared to US$ 50 billion in world aid). But while many opt to migrate, tens of millions are forced to flee life-threatening conditions at home. Largely unprotected by international laws and institutions, their plight is a forgotten disaster.
Chapter 6 – Measuring the impact of humanitarian aid
Knowing and being transparent about the effects of one’s actions is part of being an accountable organization. Yet the measurements of success too often focus on ‘outputs’ only – how many tonnes of food aid or blankets delivered, how many cubic metres of clean water provided, how much cash spent per capita. These crude measures fail to analyse the actual results of such aid – whether lives have been saved, health and nutrition have improved, money was well spent – and whether these results were because of the aid effort or for other reasons. Many challenges – both technical and ethical – face those aiming to assess humanitarian aid’s results.
Section Two – Tracking the system
Chapter 7 – Measuring disasters: challenges, opportunities and ethics
How many people are killed or affected by disasters globally every year? Where and when do disasters occur? What causes the casualties? These questions appear simple, yet the answers are vitally important for informed decision-making. Humanitarian aid tends to follow in the wake of high-profile conflicts. Less reported or less strategically significant crises attract less aid. High quality data on all disasters – especially war and famine – is lacking. Without it, thousands of victims die before humanitarian organizations even register their need. Inaccurate data can result in flawed decision-making that may cost lives or squander valuable resources. And without accurate information on global needs, no one can judge whether humanitarian spending is really impartial.
Chapter 8 – Disaster data: key trends and statistics
Last year saw more disasters reported than any year of the preceding decade. Fortunately, 2002’s disasters appeared less deadly than before – 24,500 people were reported killed, compared to the decade’s average of 62,000 per year. But they had more impact than ever. A colossal 608 million people were affected – three times the annual average from 1992-2001. Drought in India alone affected 300 million people during 2002. These figures do not even include data on those killed or affected by war, conflict-related famine or disease. Reliable global data on these more complex emergencies simply do not exist – but some studies of mortality in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo present death rates that dwarf those reported in the tables presented in this chapter. Disasters continue to target the world’s poorest and least developed. Of those killed in 2002, just 6 per cent lived in countries of high human development.
