FoMSF Discussion Set 1: HANDOUT

What is Humanitarianism Anyway?

Disclaimer:The Friends of Médecins San Frontières are the official, independent student support organisation for Médecins San Frontières. It is important to make clear that the following discussion set was put together by FoMSF, to be used by FoMSF groups and other students. In no way does it represent the official views of Médecins Sans Frontières.

Scenario (FICTIONAL!!!)Disaster has struck. An earthquake has hit the middle of Townsville, the capital of Islandland, an island in the Pacific. The initial shock has killed or injured thousands. Tens of thousands more are left homeless, without food and clean water. Bridges have collapsed, roads have been torn apart and hospitals flattened. The health care system of the country has crumbled – whatever was left in the aftermath of the disaster has been overrun by thousands of injured citizens. The call for international aid goes out. Townsville’s needs are great.

It’s time for action. We’re part of a large humanitarian aid organisation. We’re going to send a team in to Townsville, leaving on the first flight out. Cargo planes are following to take all the essential equipment – medical kits, tents, maybe even a landrover. But nothing’s ever that easy…

Q1) What kind of problems might our team encounter when setting up camp and starting to offer out medical aid?

-------------------------------------Scenario (cont’d)Bit of a mess isn’t it? How would our team begin to deal with these problems in an organised manner, whilst still keeping the ‘alleviation of suffering’ as their top priority? Well, over the years, a number of key ‘principles’ have emerged which are essential in working towards the ‘alleviation of suffering’. The three core principles in humanitarian action are INDEPENDENCE, NEUTRALITY and IMPARTIALITY. These are useful for guiding decisions, both in a moral and a practical way. We’re now going to talk through this hypothetical storyline in Townsville. During this scenario, we will pick apart these key principles and discuss their use in practical situations

We’re going to start with INDEPENDENCE. Our team have arrived in Townsville. The local government heard of their arrival and sent an envoy to welcome them on the airstrip. After briefing our team on what has happened, the envoy says that the government wants to help them. They offer our team the use of some undamaged government buildings to use as a medical centre in the centre of town. They’ll also send over one of their officials to help our team navigate around town to see the damaged areas.

Q2) What are the good and bad points to the government’s offer?

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Scenario (cont’d)Ok, so our team over in Townsville deliberate over this problem. It is important to work with the government – it would be wasteful to set up parallel, overlapping services in a hospital outside of town. But they want to retain some independence. They negotiate with the government to use the land and an undamaged building in the town centre, but politely decline the offer of a government aide to help guide us around town. They quickly set up and start helping people in their clinic.

However, our team learns that there have been gangs controlling certain areas of Townsville for the past few years. The tension since the earthquake has led to some violent clashes between the gangs and the government. A government official pays the team a visit to ask if they could appear on TV to endorse the government’s efforts in the aftermath of the quake, and to condemn the gangs for causing violence during these tough times.

Q3) What’s good about this offer, and what’s bad?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Scenario (cont’d)A week after setting up, the number of people flowing through the doors is not letting up – diseases have broken out in the temporary camps. Unfortunately, resources are still scarce and the one functioning airstrip is getting clogged up by all the different actors coming to ‘join in’. The team gets another visit from a government official. They give the team a list, and say that they need the team to set aside a portion of their supplies for the people on this list. If the team refuses, then the government will ask them to leave the buildings that they’re currently using and give it to an organisation that will do as they ask.

Q4) What decision would you make and why?

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CONCLUSIONSHumanitarianism = acts which follow the humanitarian imperative of alleviating sufferingHumanitarian actions can be carried out by a range of actors in a range of settingsThe principles of independence, impartiality and neutrality provide a basic framework at both moral and pragmatic levels to work towards the achieving the alleviation of suffering.You should question anyone who claims they are humanitarian!

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REFERENCEHumanitarian Imperative: the alleviation of suffering

Independence:The ability of an actor to determine their own path, free from political, religious and economic direction or influences. Therefore, with the power to make its own decisions, assessments and actions directed towards achieving the humanitarian imperative, the alleviation of suffering.

Neutrality:Not taking sides in a situation, this is often broken down further into two aspects.a) Ideological: Not allowing the provision of aid or the actor themselves to ‘endorse’ a particular

viewpoint or ideology within a conflict, for example by publically coming out in favour of one party to a conflict.

b) Military: Not allowing the aid an organisation is providing to give a military advantage to either side. For example an ambulance smuggling weapons, fighters hiding in a hospital, storing arms in aid warehouses, using a hospital as a lookout.

Impartiality:Providing assistance proportionally, according to need and without bias.For example treating two patients (i.e. a member of a militia and a child), according to which has the greatest need, giving them the aid required by their condition and not discriminating against either on the grounds of subjective bias (e.g. deciding that one is good and the other bad) or objective bias (e.g. deciding to treat on the basis of an objective difference, for example religion, or race).

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- Pictet, J. (1979) The Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross: commentary. Available at www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/fundamental-principles-commentary-010179?opendocument [Accessed 12.12.09]

- Mackintosh, K. (2000) The Principles of Humanitarian Action in International Humanitarian Law. Humanitarian Policy Group

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