August 19, 2013
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19 August is the United Nations’ World Humanitarian Day. In Prague, four aid workers from prominent Czech NGOs sat down to a table to talk about their experience. ADRA's Martina Mandlová, People in Need’s Jitka Škovránková, Caritas CR’s Vladislav Vik, and Medicines Sans Frontieres’ Pavel Gruber discussed their experience, including risks, and debated about the need for professionalism in helping people who suffer as a consequence of natural disasters or conflicts.
The number of aid workers, who were killed, kidnapped, and injured, has tripled in the past 10 years. According to Aid Worker Security Database, there were 189 victims of attacks from the beginning until July of this year. While the number of kidnappings has decreased, attack involving explosives and gunshots are surging.
The world needs humanitarian aid workers. Development Initiatives’ data show that between 2003 and 2012, people’s lives were most disrupted by floods (over 1 billion people), droughts (over 364 million people), and storms or hurricanes (over 300 million people). Humanitarian crises are also triggered by all sorts of social conflicts, as is the case in Syria, where a lengthy conflict between the government and opposition is taking place.
“Working in Syria is, sadly, getting more and more difficult. Security is weakened by the presence of several extremist groups. This is one of the reasons for the growing number of kidnappings of aids workers and journalists; for us, this risk is a lot more of a real risk than the continuing war,” says Jitka Škovránková, People in Need’s coordinator of programmes in Syria, who has visited the country several times. “Nonetheless, we are still capable of efficiently helping in Syria, owing chiefly to the cooperation with local people,” she added.
Medicines Sans Frontieres’ Pavel Gruber further explained: “The attacks against our workers and our equipment in effect impact mainly the people, who depend on our help, because they dramatically limit our ability to get medical aid to the most vulnerable. We see this in Syria, Somalia, or South Sudan.”
Hana Volná, in charge of humanitarian aid at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, also spoke at the meeting. She said that in spite of limited means available to the Ministry, about 30 humanitarian aid projects are supported each year. Those range from immediate help in the aftermath of natural disasters, through supporting civilians in military conflicts, to long-term aid to countries with complex humanitarian problems.
Vladislav Vik, regional manager of Caritas Czech Republic, said: “Today’s meeting is a part of the campaign we organized around the World Humanitarian Day, in order to raise awareness of the state of humanitarian aid – and also about aid workers, who often work in very difficult conditions.”
The United Nations declared 19 August the World Humanitarian Day in 2003, when Sergio Vieira de Mello, UN Secretary General’s Special Representative in Iraq, was killed in Baghdad, together with 21 of his colleagues. It is a reminder that aid workers increasingly become the targets of attacks – their number that has tripled in the past decade. On 19 August of each year, we pay homage to all those, who lost their lives while working, and show our respect to those who work in risky areas, helping others.
Campaign includes spot which is screened in Czech cinemas. Its English longer version can be seen on YouTube.
