Last November, as Typhoon Haiyan left a wave of destruction affecting 14 million people in the Philippines, pre-positioned United Nations relief teams went into action.
In close cooperation with the Government of the Philippines, UN agencies and non-governmental aid organizations provided emergency relief supplies including food, water, and hygiene kits. They cleared debris from 900 kilometers of roads and distributed tents and tarps to more than 550,000 families. And they set up job programs to help people whose livelihoods were destroyed. Just days after the typhoon struck, the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) released $25.3 million to support these efforts.
Even as media attention wanes, UN agencies remain hard at work helping families in the Philippines recover. Along with humanitarian partners, and in support of the Government of the Philippines’ response plan, the UN developed a “Strategic Response Plan” for the period of November 2013 to November 2014 to address people’s immediate needs and to help communities rebuild.
From natural disasters such as Typhoon Haiyan to emergencies caused by conflict, UN humanitarian aid workers are on the front lines of crises around the world. UN agencies have the expertise, the mission, and the reach to respond and help people in their greatest time of need.
The list of essential services and supplies the UN provides worldwide is long: food; shelter; medication and vaccinations against diseases like measles and polio; education supplies and opportunities; water and hygiene kits; logistical expertise and equipment to move supplies; and coordination among humanitarian aid partners so the response is efficient and effective.
Additionally, CERF provides funding that can be quickly deployed in an emergency anywhere in the world. Donations to the fund from governments, businesses, foundations, and individuals form a common reserve of money that can be rapidly released when a crisis erupts so international aid organizations, such as UNICEF and the World Food Programme, among others, have resources from the start of the response.
The UN’s aid work is multifaceted, comprehensive, and along with partners, forms the backbone of the global humanitarian response system.
While this system is strong, it’s under a greater strain than ever before.
Richard Brennan, the World Health Organization’s Director of Emergency Risk Management and Humanitarian Response has called the past months “an unprecedented period for those…who work in humanitarian assistance,” citing the humanitarian emergencies in the Philippines, Syria, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic—all recent “level 3” emergencies, the UN’s classification for its most severe emergencies.
Aid agencies, both within and outside the UN, are stretched thin, leaving people in need vulnerable to falling through the cracks.
So what can be done to support UN agencies and other humanitarian organizations?
First, they need the resources to do their jobs. The UN and its partners launched a record appeal for a total of US$12.9 billion in 2014 to support humanitarian relief efforts for more than 52 million people around the world. Yet right now, these efforts are woefully underfunded.
As of the beginning of April, the UN humanitarian responses in South Sudan and the Central African Republic have only been funded by 31 percent and 23 percent, respectively. The response to aid Syrians inside the country and in surrounding countries has only been funded by 20 percent, and the Typhoon Haiyan Strategic Response Plan has only been funded by 53 percent.Donors, whether governments, non-governmental organizations, companies, or individuals, must do what they can to provide humanitarian agencies with the financial support that will allow them to protect people whose lives have been uprooted by conflict or disaster. It’s the right thing to do, and it builds important goodwill.
Second, all of us need to speak up for the safety of aid workers. Since the conflict in Syria began, at least 50 aid workers have been killed and security for workers remains an issue in places around the world. Humanitarian workers are heroes, not targets, and the international community must condemn threats to their safety.
Finally, as the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs urged in a recent report, the international community must “shift from cure to prevention” by identifying risks, acting to prevent humanitarian crises, and building resilience in communities. By taking these steps, we can strengthen the humanitarian system and reduce suffering.
UN agencies deliver life-saving aid; moreover, they send a message of solidarity. As Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said, “Wherever there are people in need, there are people who help them—men and women coming together to ease suffering and bring hope. […] They also draw the world closer together by reminding us that we are one family, sharing the same dreams for a peaceful planet, where all people can live in safety, and with dignity.”
We can make our shared dreams a reality—but we must all do our part in supporting the UN.
Susan Myers is the Vice President for UN Relations at the United Nations Foundation.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon surveys some of the damage and debris left by Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's May/June 2014 print edition. Subscribe here.
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Supporting the UN to Save Lives
June 20, 2014
Last November, as Typhoon Haiyan left a wave of destruction affecting 14 million people in the Philippines, pre-positioned United Nations relief teams went into action.
In close cooperation with the Government of the Philippines, UN agencies and non-governmental aid organizations provided emergency relief supplies including food, water, and hygiene kits. They cleared debris from 900 kilometers of roads and distributed tents and tarps to more than 550,000 families. And they set up job programs to help people whose livelihoods were destroyed. Just days after the typhoon struck, the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) released $25.3 million to support these efforts.
Even as media attention wanes, UN agencies remain hard at work helping families in the Philippines recover. Along with humanitarian partners, and in support of the Government of the Philippines’ response plan, the UN developed a “Strategic Response Plan” for the period of November 2013 to November 2014 to address people’s immediate needs and to help communities rebuild.
From natural disasters such as Typhoon Haiyan to emergencies caused by conflict, UN humanitarian aid workers are on the front lines of crises around the world. UN agencies have the expertise, the mission, and the reach to respond and help people in their greatest time of need.
The list of essential services and supplies the UN provides worldwide is long: food; shelter; medication and vaccinations against diseases like measles and polio; education supplies and opportunities; water and hygiene kits; logistical expertise and equipment to move supplies; and coordination among humanitarian aid partners so the response is efficient and effective.
Additionally, CERF provides funding that can be quickly deployed in an emergency anywhere in the world. Donations to the fund from governments, businesses, foundations, and individuals form a common reserve of money that can be rapidly released when a crisis erupts so international aid organizations, such as UNICEF and the World Food Programme, among others, have resources from the start of the response.
The UN’s aid work is multifaceted, comprehensive, and along with partners, forms the backbone of the global humanitarian response system.
While this system is strong, it’s under a greater strain than ever before.
Richard Brennan, the World Health Organization’s Director of Emergency Risk Management and Humanitarian Response has called the past months “an unprecedented period for those…who work in humanitarian assistance,” citing the humanitarian emergencies in the Philippines, Syria, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic—all recent “level 3” emergencies, the UN’s classification for its most severe emergencies.
Aid agencies, both within and outside the UN, are stretched thin, leaving people in need vulnerable to falling through the cracks.
So what can be done to support UN agencies and other humanitarian organizations?
First, they need the resources to do their jobs. The UN and its partners launched a record appeal for a total of US$12.9 billion in 2014 to support humanitarian relief efforts for more than 52 million people around the world. Yet right now, these efforts are woefully underfunded.
As of the beginning of April, the UN humanitarian responses in South Sudan and the Central African Republic have only been funded by 31 percent and 23 percent, respectively. The response to aid Syrians inside the country and in surrounding countries has only been funded by 20 percent, and the Typhoon Haiyan Strategic Response Plan has only been funded by 53 percent.Donors, whether governments, non-governmental organizations, companies, or individuals, must do what they can to provide humanitarian agencies with the financial support that will allow them to protect people whose lives have been uprooted by conflict or disaster. It’s the right thing to do, and it builds important goodwill.
Second, all of us need to speak up for the safety of aid workers. Since the conflict in Syria began, at least 50 aid workers have been killed and security for workers remains an issue in places around the world. Humanitarian workers are heroes, not targets, and the international community must condemn threats to their safety.
Finally, as the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs urged in a recent report, the international community must “shift from cure to prevention” by identifying risks, acting to prevent humanitarian crises, and building resilience in communities. By taking these steps, we can strengthen the humanitarian system and reduce suffering.
UN agencies deliver life-saving aid; moreover, they send a message of solidarity. As Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said, “Wherever there are people in need, there are people who help them—men and women coming together to ease suffering and bring hope. […] They also draw the world closer together by reminding us that we are one family, sharing the same dreams for a peaceful planet, where all people can live in safety, and with dignity.”
We can make our shared dreams a reality—but we must all do our part in supporting the UN.
Susan Myers is the Vice President for UN Relations at the United Nations Foundation.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon surveys some of the damage and debris left by Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's May/June 2014 print edition. Subscribe here.
