The great land theft
Once again as post-tsunami aid poured in we heard the old refrain: “This time it’s going to be different, this time we will not fail the victims”. Six months on, it is time to ask just how different from other…
Has the tsunami affected funding for other crises?
On 3 June 2005, at the time of writing this article, the UN’s Financial Tracking Service (FTS)[1] reported that the UN’s flash appeals and consolidated appeals, which outline the programmes of key UN agencies and NGOs, were 41% funded. When…
DFID reviews tsunami response
DFID has led the British government response to the tsunami that hit the South East Asian region on 26 December. The lead staff member of the Operations Team of the Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs Department (CHAD OT) left London for…
Responding to Iraq’s ever-deepening violence
Since the bomb attacks on the UN office and the delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in August and October 2003 respectively, the ICRC has been one of the few international humanitarian organisations with a permanent…
Iraqis defend humanitarianism
Most of the Iraqis with whom we spoke expressed unequivocal solidarity with the goals and ideals of humanitarian work, sympathy with the efforts of ‘good’ humanitarian work and strong understanding of humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence. There is…
Iraqi refugees in Lebanon: continuous lack of protection
Most Iraqis have entered Lebanon via Syria. They include large numbers of Iraqi Christians who believe they will find safety among Lebanon’s Christian communities. Iraqi refugees find it next to impossible to obtain an entry visa to Lebanon so have…
Military-induced displacement
Population displacements caused by armed clashes and military operations remain largely unreported by the media. Affected areas are often difficult to access. In addition, displacement by armed clashes and military operations has generally been assessed as a short-term phenomenon, while…
Tackling sexual violence, abuse and exploitation of Iraqi women and girls
Few now know that Iraq once had the most progressive women’s movement in the Middle East, dating back to British colonial rule. Even under Saddam Hussein’s despotic rule, Iraq – unlike its neighbours – adopted many international laws pertaining to…
Iraq’s women under pressure
There is a pervasive myth that Iraqi society is just another Muslim society and similar to Afghanistan. Saddam Hussein was a cruel authoritarian dictator but his largely secular regime opened spaces for women to become educated and enter the workplace…
Iraq’s children pay the price of war
In a statement made on the eve of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Olara A Otunnu, the then Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, stressed that “the children of Iraq are innocent, and all parties must…