Humanitarian needs

Last Thursday, Aug. 19, was World Humanitarian Day. It was designated in the memory of the victims of a 2003 bomb attack in Iraq, which killed 22 people, including the chief humanitarian in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. Now, almost two decades after that tragedy, it is hard to imagine another period in history when humanitarian actions have such urgent import. As Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said a few days ago: “I can honestly say that I have never seen so many emergencies happening simultaneously. This moment in history is one of extreme fragility.”

Fragile is an appropriate word to use for the state of the world today. As the pandemic still rages and variants and vaccination engage in a battle of life and death, the lives and safety of many teeter on the brink. Events that would ordinarily be disastrous become almost apocalyptic, overwhelming networks of aid that are already stretched to the brink.

This year’s theme was meant to be focused on the need for climate action, and rightly so, due to the fact that global warming is the most existential threat facing our planet today. And yet, even acknowledging that, the sheer gravity of  more localized, immediate disasters cannot help but shift our focus. Two in particular stand out: the earthquake in Haiti, a country still in the midst of political upheaval after the assassination of its president; and the ongoing takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in the wake of the withdrawal of foreign forces, particularly those of the United States.

In a sense, it’s understandable that a more universal crisis could be overshadowed by others that are more immediate – one of the elements that characterize humanitarian efforts is a focus on immediate needs, on staunching the bleeding, keeping people alive. It is something more than individual charity, an organized commitment to assist those in need from groups and states that, ideally if not always in reality, stems not from the furtherance of an agenda but from the recognition of that need in a great number of our fellow human beings. Humanitarianism is compassionate help extended beyond borders, not out of filial or nationalistic duty but out of solidarity, a recognition of common humanity.

During this pandemic, where every nation on the planet seems to be stumbling from one crisis to another, humanitarian action is more difficult than it ever has been before – and all the more necessary.

Haiti’s hospitals are overwhelmed and a tropical storm threatens to hamper further rescue attempts, and the death toll continues to rise. But the needs of its vulnerable are in danger of being drowned out by other news, particularly from Afghanistan.

And the situation in Afghanistan is of grave concern. The reports of bloodshed and scenes of desperation have pierced the hearts of many. The speed at which the events unfolded has made the contrast between promises made and the reality of the present all the more glaring, and there is a deep hunger to figure out what went wrong and who is to blame.

All that can wait. There will be time enough to pore over the root causes of what occurred, what could have been done different and what we can learn from this series of events. But the people of Afghanistan need help now. Those who fear for their lives need a place to find refuge and start anew. The girls and women of Afghanistan need assistance in retaining their rights to participate in public life on their own terms. I agree with the words of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres when he called for “the Taliban and all parties to respect and protect international humanitarian law and the rights and freedoms of all persons” as well as the essential protection for the hard-won rights of Afghan women and girls.

Whatever the Taliban may say, it is undeniable that the reports of violence against protesters and women cannot be ignored, nor can the environment of fear that the Taliban brought with them be erased by mere polite words. Under the Taliban’s rule from 1996-2001, women were prevented from working and girls prevented from attending school. The international community cannot allow this to happen again – the rights of women to be treated as equals, as human beings, cannot be made contingent on government, culture or creed.

Not every nation is equally positioned to help another, but no nation can afford to avert its eyes from these ongoing crises. We must each help in every way that we can.

The Philippines has declared that it will open its doors to those who qualify for refugee status and political asylum seekers from Afghanistan, and I hope others will do so as well, particularly those that had a significant presence in Afghanistan.

I hope the nations of the world will not neglect to send aid to Haiti, as it faces crisis upon crisis.

What is humanitarianism? It is being ready to respond to urgent need. Even in the midst of our own difficulties, our own judgments.

For those who want to help, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is accepting donations for Afghanistan. Donations may be coursed through Maida Salcedo, the UNICEF Fundraising Officer, and she may be contacted through  [email protected] and +63917-8742408. All donations for this appeal will be earmarked and wired to the headquarters in Kabul and will be used to provide emergency water, sanitation and hygiene services to displaced families; ready-to-use therapeutic food for children; and essential health services and support COVID-19 vaccinations across the country.

The people of Afghanistan and Haiti have urgent needs. In the name of our common humanity, let us hope that the nations of the world can answer their pleas.

Our world is fragile, and only by linking hands can we keep it in one piece.