Humanitarian assistance consists in providing voluntary gratuitous assistance to the population affected by various emergencies: military operations, natural disasters, etc. The main purpose of such events is to alleviate the plight of people in disaster.
History of occurrence
In the 18-19 centuries. missionary organizations in Europe and North America preached Christianity in distant lands and provided assistance. Thanks to the activities of religious communities, residents of developed countries have realized the importance of humanitarian assistance and began to provide them with financial support.
An important stage in the development of international humanitarian law is the emergence of the Red Cross. The first international committee of this organization met in 1863. The "Red Cross" began its activities during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). He assisted the victims and organized a mail service between prisoners of war and their families.
Humanitarian aid in the Russian Empire appeared even earlier: at the beginning of the Crimean War (1853), with the submission of Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna , the Cross Exaltation Community of Sisters of Charity appeared. The organization assisted the wounded on the battlefield.
The Geneva Conventions, adopted from 1864 to 1949, form the basis of international humanitarian law. They established the principles in accordance with which assistance is given to combatants and civilians during the war.
The importance of humanitarian aid increased after 2 world wars, when many states were in a state of devastation. The United Nations Organization , created in 1945, set as its goal the strengthening of universal peace, the development of international assistance for the restoration of the economies of countries.
In the 1960s the attention of the international community has shifted to developing countries that have got rid of colonial dependence and needed economic assistance.
UN Humanitarian Organizations
After the end of World War II, the central figure in the support organization is the UN and its specialized agencies. She is engaged in humanitarian aid to this day.
- The Office for Coordination is a unit of the UN Secretariat. This body is responsible for mobilizing various organizations to provide humanitarian assistance in a specific situation. At his disposal is the Emergency Response Fund (CERF), with the help of which operational material support is provided to the affected regions.
- The United Nations Development Program is rebuilding regions affected by natural disasters.
- The World Food Program provides assistance in all refugee situations.
- UNICEF protects children in cases that threaten their survival.
Non-governmental organizations
In addition to the most famous humanitarian organization - the Red Cross, there are other international associations that are involved in providing assistance. Doctors Without Borders is an organization that works both in the process of armed clashes and in peacetime. She is engaged in the provision of affordable medical care: vaccination, the implementation of preventive measures, and work in hospitals. Amnesty International provides assistance to prisoners and prisoners of war.
Goals
According to Article 1 of the UN Charter, one of the tasks of international cooperation is the joint resolution of social, cultural, economic and humanitarian problems. In addition, the international community is committed to the development of human rights and freedoms. Humanitarian aid is an operational tool aimed at achieving these goals. In emergency situations, she solves the following tasks:
- Ensure the survival and preserve the health of people affected by natural disasters, military conflicts, technological disasters.
- Restore the independent work of life support services.
- Return economic activity and infrastructure to normal.
Principles of Rendering
The activities of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent have developed 7 principles for the provision of humanitarian assistance: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, voluntariness, independence, universality and unity. The Geneva Conventions highlight the principles of humanity and impartiality that characterize humanitarian action.
- Humanity is the sole purpose of providing any medical or social assistance. The meaning of humanitarian action is to protect people.
- Impartiality requires that assistance be provided without preference based on race, religion, or political belief. First of all, help should be provided to those who need it most.
The remaining principles are also applied in humanitarian assistance activities, however, they cause various disputes.
- Independence. The activities of the organization should be free from financial, ideological, military pressure.
- Neutrality If the subject provides assistance to victims of hostilities, he may not be interested in a military conflict. Assistance actions should not be interpreted as hostile to any side of the conflict.
The operational principles apply to specific humanitarian assistance activities. They give organizations rights and responsibilities to effectively assist in a specific situation.
- Free access to victims of armed conflict.
- The right to provide medical care anytime, anywhere.
- The right to help people in case of shortage of vital resources.
- Monitoring the distribution of assistance according to existing needs.
activity
Humanitarian assistance is provided through the following operations:
- Informing state bodies, public associations and international organizations, as well as joining forces.
- Direct medical and material assistance to the affected population. The provision of medicines, food, shelter, etc.
- Organization of access for humanitarian organizations to the victims.
- Providing technical equipment for emergency response.
Problems
The provision of humanitarian assistance by the state in a military conflict is a situation that always causes a lot of controversy. In the context of armed confrontation, it is difficult to assess the true intentions of a state that provides support to victims. In some cases, a country takes these actions, guided by its geopolitical interests, for example, wanting to strengthen its influence in a foreign region, to intervene in the internal affairs of another state. In international law, there is the concept of humanitarian intervention, which means foreign interference in the domestic policy of the country in order to protect human rights and stop the threat to security. The following situations can be cited as an example of this phenomenon:
- NATO Intervention in the Bosnian War of 1995 and the Yugoslav Conflict of 1999
- The intervention of Great Britain, France and the United States in the civil war in Libya (2011).
Humanitarian Aid in Russia
In international cooperation on emergency response on behalf of Russia, the Ministry of Emergencies acts. The body acts on the basis of international agreements of the Russian Federation concluded with the UN, NATO, ICDO, EU, UAE and other countries. According to the report on the results of EMERCOM activities in 2017, Russia sent humanitarian aid to the population of Yemen, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Cuba, and Mexico. A total of 36 operations were performed. EMERCOM of Russia helps foreign countries to extinguish fires, mine clearing, evacuate seriously ill people. The Russian Federation sent 13 humanitarian aid convoys to the south-east of Ukraine, to the zone of armed clashes.