The EU & Humanitarian Action: Breaking Down Boundaries? Dr Gerry O’Reilly Geography Department, St. Patrick’s College Drumcondra Dublin City University
Framework Defining Humanitarian Action / Crises HA Responses: Governments, agencies & citizens: EU/ECHO EU processes: Centripertal / Centrifugal - integrating humanitarian institutions, organizations & actors Case studies: Ireland. Haiti. Geographical & map networks
What are the main categories of humanitarian disasters? (a) Natural e. g. earthquakes (in Pacific Rim & Himalayas, Haiti), droughts (Sahel states), floods (Burma, Indonesia, Angola), tsunami (Sri Lanka). => Physical Geography (b) Human-made e. g. political including war: inter-state & civil, & combinations thereof; corrupt regimes & human rights abuses e. g. Burma, DRC, Sudan, Chechnya & so forth. => Political Geography & Geopolitics
(c) Technological e. g. nuclear accidents – Fukushima, Japan 2011, Chernobyl, Ukraine 1986; chemical explosions Bophal, India 1984 - Union Carbide Plant. Þ Economic Geography (d) Complex / Mixture: (a+b) natural & human-made disasters e. g. Aceh / Indonesia – tsunami & rebels; Burma – flooding & dictatorial regime refusing international aid in 2008; (a+c) mixture of natural & technological e. g. Japan tsunami, earthquake & Fukushima nuclear power plant , 2011. (a+b +c) Nuclear weapons, LDCs, non-democratic, location e. g. N. Korea, Iran & Pakistan.
HUMANITARIAN CRISES Impact of humanitarian disaster is directly proportional to level of vulnerability of population concerned e. g. contrastive HDI: USA, Japan, Italy, Turkey, Chile, Bangladesh, Burma, Somalia => LDCs Hurricane Sandy: NY/USA Vs. Haiti 80% in LDCs, former European colonies 1975 = 78 recorded disasters in world. 2012 = 385 Pop. Threatened: 70 -80 M/year
UN HDI (Human Dev. Index) HDI = life expectancy, education & income indices - levels of human development. 192 countries. Norway: 1 USA: 3 Ro. I: 7. France: 20. UK: 26. Mali: 182. Niger: 186.
Democracy Index (EIU compiled) 60 indicators in 5 categories. N. America = 8. 6 E/U - W. Europe = 8. 4. Latin Am. /Carib. = 6. 4. Lowest: Sub-Saharan Africa = 4. 3 MENA = 3. 7 (2012)
Corruption Perception Index (re: Transparency International) Index: 176 countries. Rank: 1 -100 Cleanest: Denmark, Finland, New Zealand. Ro. I = 25 th place (2012) Lowest: Afghanistan, N. Korea & Somalia.
Humanitarian Aid & Action Principles: humanitarianism, impartiality, neutrality & independence. Action: protection of civilians, & provision of vital services by agencies. Sphere Coalition Charter (NGOs): Assistance: funding & in-kind services via humanitarian agencies or host government.
HA: Governments, agencies & citizens Government: e. g. Ro. I - Dept. Foreign Affairs - Irish Aid, UK – DIFD, USAID. Intergovernmental organizations: e. g. , OCHA - UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. ECHO - EC Humanitarian Office. NGOs: e. g. ICRC (Red Cross/Crescent), MSF, CONCERN, Trocaire, Goal.
ECHO - EC Humanitarian Office EU as a whole = world's biggest donor. Member states & institutions: > 50% official global humanitarian aid. ECHO founded in 1992 - has provided € 14 billion to victims of conflict & disasters in 140 countries. 2010: first dedicated EU Commissioner for international cooperation, humanitarian aid & crisis response appointed.
ECHO Activities ECHO > 300 people working in its HQ in Brussels & > 400 in 44 field offices in 38 countries. Needs-based approach. ECHO cooperates with > 200 partners (14 UN agencies, 191 NGOs & international organisations: ICRC & International Organisation for Migration). => Rapid response.
Eurobarometer: HA – 2012 Report (1) Awareness of HA (2) Importance of EU HA (3) Support for EU funding HA despite economic crisis (4) Common or national approach to HA (5) Knowledge & information on EU HA (6) Attitude towards a European voluntary aid corps
Eurobarometer: Main Results 88% consider it important for EU to fund HA (79% in 2010). 84% agree that EU should continue to fund HA in spite of economic crisis. 71% believe HA provided by EU is more efficient than when provided by each Member State separately (58% in 2010).
ECHO: HA & Civil Protection DG http: //ec. europa. eu/echo/index_en. htm Integrated Rapid Response List of experts Education: e. g. NOHA Network / Faculty listed by ECHO as model for European research, joint Masters & Doctorates. Remaining challenge for ECHO is education in a digital age: 1 st - LLP
ECHO/UN - R 2 P UN Charter: - Ch 1. non-interference in internal affairs of sovereign states. - Ch 7. Risk of destabilization of other countries. Vs Increasing globalization: concepts of global governance & International Humanitarian Law. EU Common Foreign Policy?
UN: GA Resolutions & Security Council Collective security principle has often failed. People-centred approach now emerging. UN SC (& P 5 veto n. b. France, UK) Vs UN GA (all other states). 115 states Non-Aligned / Former colonies. Failed states (e. g. Somalia): increasing trend for regional state interventions as in Africa. N. B. EU UN & EU experiences: Libya Vs. Syria. ÞGeoploitics. Media. Digital revolution
R 2 P: UN Secretary General: "every sovereign government … 'responsibility to protect' its citizens & those within its jurisdiction from genocide, mass killing, & massive & sustained human rights violations. " – UNSG Report (2005).
“… if national authorities are unable or unwilling to protect their citizens, then the responsibility shifts to the international community to use diplomatic, humanitarian & other methods to help protect the human rights & well being of civilian populations. … the UNSC may out of necessity decide to take action under the Charter of the UN, including enforcement action. . . ”
Education - NOHA 1993: Master´s in HA - 7 EU HEIs - NL, Sp, Sw, Ger, Irl, Belg & Fr. Sem 1: all 7 HEIs - Geopolitics, Anthropology, Public Health, Management, Law, Geography. Sem 2: Specialisms. Mundus: 6 partner HEIs & >100 NGOs. EU cites as model
HOW DOES IRELAND RESPOND TO HA? State: bilateral/multilateral programs, & NGOs – Irish Aid / EU – ECHO / UN. Irish Aid: > 40 countries. Partner countries e. g. Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Timor Leste, Vietnam; & others Neutral state: with defense forces: UN R 2 P 1958 on: UN > 51 Peacekeeping missions. 1993: UNTSI (UN Training School Ro. I). 1997: EU: Treaty of Amsterdam / CFSP 1999: NATO Pf. P / Petersberg Tasks
DF & HA 2000: Defence White Paper: “HA tasks go hand-in-hand with military tasks in many crisis situations. ” 2006: EU battle groups: “to stop … unrest in many locations … deteriorating into … crises… Irish soldiers may be ordered to participate in HA missions. ” DF: Officers seconded to UN Relief & Works Agency & GOAL, CONCERN & ICRC.
DF / HA Merging Roles? Most DF policies now contain reference to HA. DF ‘cooperating’ with military organizations; legitimating actions by HA. DF/NGO synergy enhancing HA delivery. Irish HA in: Afghanistan & Iraq. Triple lock system: DF involvement abroad requires authorization of Gov. , Oireachtas & UNSC at present.
NGOs Dóchas (umbrella for 35 Irish NGOs) Trócaire: R 2 P -UN/multilateral mandate only. CONCERN: Mandate to respond, “to extreme poverty … due to disaster or long-term economic & social factors. ” GOAL: 150 GOALies alongside 2, 000 local staff in HA in 14 countries. “Programs aimed at poor & those suffering effects of war &/or natural disaster. ”
Haiti 2010: Earthquake, flooding & cholera. Pop: 10. 1 M. Area: 27, 750 sq. km. Vulnerability: UN HDI: 161 st / 187. 2010: 50% deaths = HIV/AIDS (infect = 2. 2% adult pop) (WHO 2012). 200 -year history: 32 coups. Indexes: Corrupt - High. Democ - low. Literacy = 49%.
EU/ECHO Responses Haiti: http: //www. urd. org/Evaluation-of-DGECHO-s-response Evaluation of DG ECHO’s global response to situation in Haiti Dec. 2010– April 2011 = T/D-B/U plethora HA networks ECHO/EU: linked to all scales, NGOs (e. g. Haitian & Irish), & UN institutions (e. g. WHO, FAO)
Conclusions Post Cold War responses to geopolitical contexts & humanitarian spaces within EU & outside Europe 1992: EU/ECHO created 2010: 1 st dedicated EU Commissioner for international cooperation, humanitarian aid & crisis response appointed Centripertal / Centrifugal - integrating humanitarian institutions, organizations & actors e. g. Ireland & Haiti narratives Future research: ECHO time/space processes & humanitarian space & networks
Thank You! Dr Gerry O’Reilly, gerry. oreilly@spd. dcu. ie Geography Department, St. Patrick’s College Drumcondra – Dublin City University
Скачать презентацию The EU Humanitarian Action Breaking Down Boundaries
b6f0af220a39d57dd9c3be2240c9f186.ppt