OPINION:The United Nations must make the safety of humanitarian workers a priority
SO OFTEN we hear stories of heartbreak from the Third World, but in the past few days, after some very dark hours, we have been privileged to meet two genuine heroes. People talk about natural resources and gold standards as a measure of a country’s value. The greatest foreign reserves this nation holds are its overseas aid workers.
The courage and dignity with which Sharon Commins and Hilda Kawuki bore their 107-day kidnap ordeal moved the hearts of the world. They brought home the message of just what a priceless gift a human life is, and why it must be cherished.
Thankfully, our Government recognises the unique character of our humanitarian workers; it strove tirelessly to secure the women’s release. The challenge now is to broaden this into an international consensus so that a body with global reach and enforcement powers takes on this protective role. The UN is best suited and equipped to take up this critical sentry duty.
In good times and bad, two things have been constant in Ireland: the generosity of the Irish people, and the unstinting commitment of our workers in the Third World.
It is seldom that the media spotlight picks out either; when it does they shine – as we saw with the outpouring of good wishes from ordinary people. As for the two women themselves? Who could not have been inspired by the manner in which they endured such terror and darkness, and yet still managed to keep hope alive in their hearts?
Suffice to say that, even in the face of extreme danger, their spirits shone through. These are the spirits that light up the darkest corners of the Third World, where basic living is an extreme endurance test. And such spirits have never been more sorely needed. The slump in aid and investment in agriculture has caused a shocking surge in world hunger. The UN tells us that there are now one billion people hungry on our planet.
In the context of these urgent needs, there is a real danger that new volunteers for aid agencies may hold back because of legitimate safety concerns. Unless the international community responds to the threats in the field, yet another grave injustice will have been visited on the world’s poor. The plight of 79-year-old Fr Michael Sinnott, also abducted in the most callous circumstances, reminds us of the safety vacuum being exploited by cowardly opportunists.
The mercenary predators who target the vulnerability of the aid community must be confronted. The UN must demonstrate that it takes the protection of aid staff seriously. Field workers expose themselves to enormous risks so that those with nothing have a chance to survive. Groups such as Goal and other NGOs are not in a position to achieve total security.
Where poverty and war thrive, desperation drives people over the edge, and aid workers are often the ones in the firing line.
If world leaders are remotely sincere about aid projects, they must make the safety of aid workers a priority. It is a scandal that although they shoulder the formidable burden of doing critical work in the most hostile corners of the planet, there is no one charged globally with keeping them safe.
Attacks on aid workers have increased dramatically since 2006, according to the Overseas Development Institute. Last year was the worst in 12 years, with 260 humanitarian workers killed, kidnapped or seriously injured in violent attacks. This is clearly unsustainable. We must never take for granted the astonishing work done by so-called “ordinary” Irish men and women in the Third World.
As our country’s reputation takes a severe battering, the people who stand out as true heroes, winning distinction and admiration, are our aid workers.
Sean O’Casey once said: “Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.” This may well be a tall order for most of us, but it is one that the life-saving work of aid workers fulfils every single day.
The very least we owe these workers is to keep them safe.
John O’Shea is chief executive of Goal