Chasing The Flame

The Dignity of Aid

Samantha Power wrote in Chasing the Flame that Sergio believed “the best way for outsiders to make a dent in enhancing [individual dignity] would be to improve their linguistic and cultural knowledge base, to remind themselves of their own fallibility, to empower those who know their societies best, and to be resilient and adaptable in the face of inevitable setbacks.”  It’s sometimes easier said than done, however. Living in the United States often makes it difficult to get truly nuanced perspectives of different cultural realities, and the kind of humility that Sergio sought can easily be forgotten.

For that very reason, anyone interested in foreign aid would do well to listen to Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippet’s recent discussion with Binyavanga Wainaina, winner of the 2002 Caine Prize for African Writing, African’s most prestigious literary award; founding editor and executive director of Africa’s most well-respected literary journal, Kwani?; contributor to South Africa’s largest newspaper and director of Bard College’s Chinua Achebe Center for African Languages and Literature. It’s a strong reminder of the often unforeseen counterproductive effects of charity and the need to question easy assumptions.  How else can we try to do better?

Following in Sergio's Footsteps?

Those of you thinking of working for the United Nations - and those of you who already have - might be interested in Change.org's take on the best and worst aspects of the job.

Remembering and Looking Forward

Today marks the inauguration of World Humanitarian Day and the sixth anniversary of the bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad which killed 22 people – including Sergio.  Though that bombing marked the first time that the U.N. was the direct target of a violent attack, the loss of aid workers is sadly not a rare occurrence – according to Michael Bear at Change.org, 81 have been killed this year alone.

In the Huffington Post, Navi Pillay, head of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, used the anniversary to make a strong argument for supporting human rights in the midst of humanitarian crises, stating, “It is very often abuse of human rights that causes humanitarian crises in the first place…Similarly, if human rights are ignored during a humanitarian crisis, the crisis will often deepen.”  And Mark Leon Goldberg of the UN Dispatch posted a moving PSA as well as a link to an op-ed by Samantha Power from a year ago today.

Tragically, today will also be marked by one of the worst days of violence in Baghdad since June, with multiple explosions across the city, and the U.N. is reporting that two civilian employees of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan were among those killed in the attack on Kabul yesterday.  This occurs just a little over a week after the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to renew their mission in Iraq for another year.  We previously reported that Staffan de Mistura was stepping down as chief of that mission, and we wish his successor, Ad Melkert of the Netherlands, previously an associate administrator of the U.N. Development Program, the very best in moving forward.  As CARE asks in their World Humanitarian Day Post, we all must take a serious look at why aid workers are being targeted more frequently and what we can do to ensure their safety.

The United Nation’s Facebook Campaign Gets a Boost from Microsoft

Donations made on Facebook’s Causes section in honor of World Refugee Day on June 20th will now be matched by Microsoft, up to $50,000.  The campaign has already raised more than $10,000.

Follow Up On Texting Campaign

The State Department is reporting that it's raised $31,390 to help those fleeing the Swat Valley since Secretary Clinton announced a new texting campaign last week.  They've raised an additional $84,702 through traditional online donations.

In related news, President Obama just requested an additional $200 million in U.S. Aid for the region.

I Want To Know How That’s Going to Work...

The Virtual Student Foreign Service (VSFS) Internships that Secretary Clinton announced in her New York University commencement speech last week sound fascinating, but I’d love to find a description that actually clarifies what they will entail…

On the other hand, her call to text donations for those fleeing the fighting in the Swat Valley in Pakistan was clear and concise.  To get involved, text “swat” to 20222 to make a $5 donation that will help to supplement the $110 million in aid already promised by the U.S, or visit the UNHCR to make a direct donation.

During the Holidays, Remembering the Forgotten

This week, my colleagues at the International Rescue Committee and I welcomed an Iraqi refugee to the United States.  A musician, he had been persecuted under the regime of Saddam Hussein.  Following the invasion of Iraq, he was harassed by insurgents and religious fundamentalists.  Finally, he fled to Turkey.  He became one of the millions of Iraqis who sought a terror-free existence and ended up living without rights in a neighboring land.

Meeting him at the airport was a deeply moving experience.  For months, the IRC had been working to bring this man to the United States.  Suddenly, he was standing right in front of me.  I know his road won’t be easy.  To resettle in America and find a job in these distressed economic times will be challenging.  Still, his is a success story, the first step on a journey realized.  At last, he can live and express his music in peace.

The International Rescue Committee has been helping people like this Iraqi gentleman for 75 years.  When the IRC was  founded in 1933, there were no refugee programs or government agencies working to ensure the safety of uprooted peoples.  Paris fell to the Nazis in 1940, and the IRC spirited thousands of refugees---many of them artists, and political and academic leaders who had suffered under Hitler---to freedom.  Leaving the airport, I couldn’t help thinking that 75 years on, while the number and diversity of the people the IRC helps has changed, our mission hasn’t.  

This is the time of year when people think about their families and want to be near their loved ones.  It’s supposed to be a time of peace.  As humanitarian workers, we’re keenly aware of all we have to do to ensure that it is.  We remember that many crises seem to hit around the holidays:  last December’s post-election carnage in Kenya.  In 2006, the escalating violence and suffering in Darfur.  We think of those who lost their lives during the Pakistan earthquake of 2005 and the Asian tsunami of 2004.  

This year, the Democratic Republic of Congo descended deeper into chaos.  Somalia became the world’s most dangerous place for aid workers.  The IRC responded to deadly floods in Ethiopia, cyclones in Myanmar and displacement caused by violent conflict in Georgia.  In Darfur, millions of Sudanese families remain displaced and in danger.  I think back to women and children I met in Darfur in 2006 and wonder where they are, if they are, today.

Of course there are bright spots.  And it’s important not to lose sight of them:  the health epidemics averted, the children educated, the rape survivors who were able to reclaim their dignity and the refugees enjoying the safety and comfort of new homes.  Still, I’m struck by what “victory” constitutes---sometimes, merely the ability to continue providing a lifeline to those living hungry, homeless and afraid.

Soon, a new president will take office.  We have high hopes that he will pay attention to humanitarian crises and increase the amount of aid that the United States devotes to them.  Our hopes are tempered by the financial crisis and a long list of other presidential priorities.  Whatever happens, the IRC stands firm on the values and commitments we have made:  helping vulnerable people on every step of their journey from harm to home.

Photo Credit: Emily Holland 

The Good Kind of Leverage

"Leverage" has a bad name these days. The word evokes investment banks' habit of borrowing $30, $50, $100 for every dollar invested. That sort of leverage did not create efficiencies. Instead, it created illusions of capital where there was none, and it hurt public confidence.

Matthew Bishop, the New York bureau chief of The Economist and co-author of Philanthrocapitalism: How the Rich Can Save the World, reminds those focused on social and environmental impact that leverage, used in a healthy way, is indeed a powerful, legitimate asset. And leverage needn't involve borrowing money at all. Leverage, for nonprofits and civil society organizations, should be fundamental to their theory of change.

This kind of leverage -- using a relatively small donation to enlist others in a cause -- is very different from the Wall Street kind, which by multiplying the size of traders' bets sometimes has blown extra air into financial bubbles. Expect philanthropic leverage to become more important in tough economic times as social demands increase and government budgets get tighter -- the need to get the maximum bang for the increasingly sought-after philanthropic buck should become even more critical.

Bishop includes advocacy as a prime example of effective leverage. An idea may travel back and forth between the private and public sectors several times as it moves from concept to implementation to impact, and it may need to leverage public and private resources at different points along the way:

As Mayor Bloomberg says, his charitable foundation is giving millions of dollars away to try to eradicate smoking worldwide, but that money will struggle to match the impact of the ban on smoking in public he legislated in New York. Mayor Bloomberg also uses philanthropy to finance pilot projects that he thinks are too risky to ask taxpayers to pay for initially. If they are proven successful, however, this philanthropic investment can be leveraged with little controversy or risk to taxpayers by making the expansion of the project part of the city budget. A similar model is now being used by Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, who has a philanthropy coordinator in City Hall.

Another testament to the power that clever advocates -- specifically, efforts like the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization -- can exert by leveraging their spending to incentivize others to deliver services: The Economist reports that the big pharmaceutical companies are shifting their focus to serve the needs of developing countries. GAVI and similar commitments to buy useful drugs that have yet to be developed for markets in the global South are not the only reason for this shift in sales strategy, but they helped to point Pharma toward shifts in the marketplace. Increasingly, drugs to treat diseases that afflict primarily those in the developing world are becoming the R&D priority (instead of another heartburn med, for example):

For its part Pfizer, the world's biggest pharmaceuticals firm, recently announced a restructuring that makes emerging markets a priority. Jean-Michel Halfon, who is in charge of that effort, says serving customers in developing countries is now "a business, not a charity."

This is nothing less than a huge success story for global health advocates. And it serves as a case study for how a compelling idea, backed by comparatively little capital, can help change the system.

"Leverage" has a bad name these days. The word evokes investment banks' habit of borrowing $30, $50, $100 for every dollar invested. That sort of leverage did not create efficiencies. Instead, it created illusions of capital where there was none, and it hurt public confidence.

Matthew Bishop, the New York bureau chief of The Economist and co-author of Philanthrocapitalism: How the Rich Can Save the World, reminds those focused on social and environmental impact that leverage, used in a healthy way, is indeed a powerful, legitimate asset. And leverage needn't involve borrowing money at all. Leverage, for nonprofits and civil society organizations, should be fundamental to their theory of change.

This kind of leverage -- using a relatively small donation to enlist others in a cause -- is very different from the Wall Street kind, which by multiplying the size of traders' bets sometimes has blown extra air into financial bubbles. Expect philanthropic leverage to become more important in tough economic times as social demands increase and government budgets get tighter -- the need to get the maximum bang for the increasingly sought-after philanthropic buck should become even more critical.

Bishop includes advocacy as a prime example of effective leverage. An idea may travel back and forth between the private and public sectors several times as it moves from concept to implementation to impact, and it may need to leverage public and private resources at different points along the way:

As Mayor Bloomberg says, his charitable foundation is giving millions of dollars away to try to eradicate smoking worldwide, but that money will struggle to match the impact of the ban on smoking in public he legislated in New York. Mayor Bloomberg also uses philanthropy to finance pilot projects that he thinks are too risky to ask taxpayers to pay for initially. If they are proven successful, however, this philanthropic investment can be leveraged with little controversy or risk to taxpayers by making the expansion of the project part of the city budget. A similar model is now being used by Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, who has a philanthropy coordinator in City Hall.

Another testament to the power that clever advocates -- specifically, efforts like the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization -- can exert by leveraging their spending to incentivize others to deliver services: The Economist reports that the big pharmaceutical companies are shifting their focus to serve the needs of developing countries. GAVI and similar commitments to buy useful drugs that have yet to be developed for markets in the global South are not the only reason for this shift in sales strategy, but they helped to point Pharma toward shifts in the marketplace. Increasingly, drugs to treat diseases that afflict primarily those in the developing world are becoming the R&D priority (instead of another heartburn med, for example):

A Dangerous World for Aid Workers

The very notion of humanitarian work is in many ways central to Sergio's vision, especially when it comes to elevating human dignity, and the importance of security. Humanitarian crises, in particular those complex emergencies spawned by conflict, make a mockery of these principles, especially as conflicts today are as much a war against civilians as a fight between opposing forces.

With my contribution to Chasing the Flame, I want to explore the realities of humanitarian work, the complex challenges and compromises that come with trying to deliver assistance in Afghanistan or Somalia, Congo or Darfur. I've worked with humanitarian agencies in Afghanistan, across east and central Africa, and in Iraq, an education in the difference between how we wish things would happen, and what actually gets done. In our rhetoric we often speak in terms of sweeping goals, about combating poverty or ending conflict, when in reality these are far beyond our reach. Which is not to say, however, that humanitarian work is therefore somehow lessened. Instead, I think it can best be measured by the simplest of metrics - the impact that such assistance has on an individual, a family, or a community.

Yet it's difficult, if not impossible, to help those you cannot reach. This first post, crossposted at change.org, looks at the increasing number of attacks against humanitarian workers, which in turn make it increasingly difficult to reach those in need. Since October 17th alone, three aid workers have been killed in Somalia, and another in Afghanistan. It is a topic others have discussed on this site, but one I feel warrants further attention and exploration.

Attacks Against Aid Workers

Around the world, humanitarian workers are being targeted as never before. Since January, 31 aid workers have been killed in Afghanistan, in addition to 30 killed in Somalia and 11 in Darfur. [Statistics as of October 28th, including one aid worker killed in Afghanistan and two in Somalia in the four days between October 17th and October 20th, as well as another aid worker killed in Somalia on October 25th.] Over the last three years, aid workers have also been killed in the Central African Republic, Iraq, Lebanon, South Sudan, and Sri Lanka.

Providing assistance during armed conflicts has always been dangerous, yet this risk was traditionally mitigated by the fact that aid workers were rarely direct targets. Humanitarian staff worked closely with communities, building the acceptance and trust necessary to ensure their protection. Aid agencies based their security on the assumption that as long as they remained neutral, no one would see them as a threat.

In many conflicts, this assumption no longer holds true. There was a 92% increase in the number of violent attacks against aid workers from 1997 to 2005. A total of 947 aid workers were victims of these attacks, including 434 who were killed. The vast majority of victims (78%) were national staff. The most deadly year on record was 2003, with 86 aid worker fatalities. (A year-by-year comparison of attacks against aid workers is available here.)

Dear Mr. President:

As you've probably already figured out if you work on an internationally-focused issue, it's bound to be tough going out there for a while. Amidst economic belt-tightening at home it follows that people are asking where the U.S. should cut funding abroad. The far-off stuff of global health, development and environment will need to prove its worth again in the midst of tough times. Even the Pentagon is feeling the squeeze. Development assistance advocates are brainstorming how to help the candidates rethink their proposed spending delays or freezes. One example: Connect US, a fund for organizations that work on global issues, recently posted about "Emergency action to shore up public support for increasing aid." The main strategy recommended? Redoubled public education: "...Financing a response to the economic crisis does not actually require a cut in poverty-focused aid." I hope Chasing the Flame can help in that regard.

This is important; wild funding fluctuations make for terrible long-term policy and lousy results. (Yesterday I wrote about Oxfam making this case on behalf of the MCC.) But I suspect that it will require some sacrifice from within the ranks of global issues advocates to convince those without that funding to address these issues is well-spent even in economically bleak times.

As you've probably already figured out if you work on an internationally-focused issue, it's bound to be tough going out there for a while. Amidst economic belt-tightening at home it follows that people are asking where the U.S. should cut funding abroad. The far-off stuff of global health, development and environment will need to prove its worth again in the midst of tough times. Even the Pentagon is feeling the squeeze. Development assistance advocates are brainstorming how to help the candidates rethink their proposed spending delays or freezes. One example: Connect US, a fund for organizations that work on global issues, recently posted about "Emergency action to shore up public support for increasing aid." The main strategy recommended? Redoubled public education: "...Financing a response to the economic crisis does not actually require a cut in poverty-focused aid." I hope Chasing the Flame can help in that regard.

This is important; wild funding fluctuations make for terrible long-term policy and lousy results. (Yesterday I wrote about Oxfam making this case on behalf of the MCC.) But I suspect that it will require some sacrifice from within the ranks of global issues advocates to convince those without that funding to address these issues is well-spent even in economically bleak times.

Sea-Change: 8 African Countries set to "Emerge"

Like diplomacy, development work is a long, tortuous process. There are bright spots--many individual stories of success and certainly examples of communities changed. But there are also serious questions and unlooked-for side effects which development assistance advocates and practitioners can either digest and try to adapt to or ignore and risk undermining the integrity of their work. Sergio de Mello was such an effective leader and problem-solver on the international stage because he learned how to listen carefully and adapt to what he heard, while keeping his core principles intact.

I think the international development community could take that lesson to heart. It's rare that development institutions listen--beyond their project goals--to make sure their approach is evolving with the country they are seeking to help. For instance, the macro development success stories--the countries that have lifted tens or hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and malnourishment and have graduated from some forms of aid altogether--are the ultimate gold standard for success, yet aid organizations and agencies are slow to change the way they approach recipients, even as those places and groups begin to exhibit progress.

Most acknowledged maco-level successes are in Asia: China, Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand. These are today's "emerging markets," and they supply much of the world with high-value-added exports, absorb a lot of capital from foreign investors, and allow that capital to appreciate and eventually exit the country in the form of returns to investors.

It often seems that sub-Saharan Africa will never achieve these accomplishments--that somehow Asia found a path out of dire poverty that Africa can't access. But that view is changing, not only in the development community that traditionally acts as Africa's booster, but also in the investment and international finance worlds. The IMF recently released a study that favorably compares where eight sub-Saharan African countries (Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia) are right now compared to where the ASEAN countries were in 1980 at the start of their rise; the chart above shows how close their indicators are.

The IMF piece makes a compelling case that these countries could follow the Asia's curve in the coming decade, as South Africa has already done to a large extent. Eight more maturing and attractive markets throughout Africa would do a world of good for the continent--jobs, security and growth provide the foundation for development, around which aid, for all its targeted successes, can only hope to fill in the gaps. With this step comes better footing for the rule of law and other principles that will shape our relationship with Africa in the years to come.

This entry is crossposted on the Switchblog.

There is No Such Thing as a Distant Crisis

Reading Sergio de Mello’s core convictions, I was moved by this one in particular.  It’s the approach we take at the International Rescue Committee when discussing our work in humanitarian settings.  It articulates a belief that motivates our brave staff members in the field.  Sometimes, however, the assertion can feel optimistic applied outside the humanitarian environment.  Inspired by four heroic colleagues who made the greatest sacrifice, as this website recently reported, I felt an urge to investigate Sergio’s statement further and ask:  reality or hope?  Does Sergio’s belief reflect the way things are or how we’d like them to be?  And what can we learn from people whose lives exemplify this principle?

Geographically speaking, there’s no question distant crises exist.  The description refers to almost every situation where the IRC works.  From my desk in New York, it’s 5,586 miles to Georgia where violent conflict has displaced nearly 160,000 people.  It’s 8,400 miles to cyclone-ravaged Myanmar where 133,000 have died and two million been displaced.  In Syria, 5,670 miles away, an estimated one million Iraqi refugees are struggling to cope amid deteriorating conditions.  I perform these calculations on the Web.  With another click of a mouse, I can read about and even view what’s happening there.  Technology negates time zones.  Digital tools, the Internet, and the profusion of citizen journalists who feed it have opened a window and made near constant vigilance possible.  Of course, it’s up to us to exercise that virtual passport.