As outlined in the course lesson, the United Nations (UN) has played an active role in protecting and serving the global community in a variety of areas that include maintaining international peace and security, protecting human rights, delivering humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable development, and upholding international laws. In this discussion, you will consider the role of humanitarian aid.
The UN is well-known for providing humanitarian aid such as food, water, medical supplies, personnel, resources, and necessities after disasters, such as terrorist attacks, that occur in war-torn areas of the globe. Do you believe that the humanitarian aid provided by the UN is enough? Do you believe that other NATO nations should be required to provide humanitarian aid after a terrorist attack? Why, or why not?
ANSWER THE ABOVE QUESTION AND THEN REPLY TO MY CLASSMATE’S RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE QUESTION AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU AGREE? (A MINIMUM OF 150 WORDS EACH)
CLASSMATE’S POST
This is an interesting question. The United Nations is, indeed, well-known for their humanitarian efforts around the globe. According to the United Nations website (n.d.), “The Organization is now relied upon by the international community to coordinate humanitarian relief of emergencies due to natural and man-made disasters in areas beyond the relief capacity of national authorities alone.” However, what one has to consider is
what is
enough
?
The mission of the United Nations is, indeed, a good one. It brings together nations from across the globe to help each other in the areas descried in the Professor’s post. In assessing
is it enough,
one has to think about the obstacles that occur in the provision of humanitarian aid. In third-world countries, the aid doesn’t always reach the intended target. In war-torn countries, there are often attacks on those trying to simply deliver humanitarian aid to those in need. “Tragically…the growing threat of violence against aid workers is putting humanitarian efforts at risk” (Warren, 2020). One would think that someone trying to aid other men, women, and children would not be at risk but, unfortunately, that is simply not true. Patricia McIlreavy, Vice President of Humanitarian Policy and Practice at InterAction, as cited in Warren (2020) states: “Aid workers are under attack. We are bleeding from a thousand small cuts. We are being robbed, raped, and murdered in Afghanistan, South Sudan, Yemen, Syria, and countless other places.” Therefore, the question lingers of how to effectively deliver humanitarian aid to all countries in need when it is so very difficult in some places. Van Brabant, as cited in Childs (2013), states “Acceptance, in the sense of a risk management strategy, is the reduction of the likelihood of targeted attacks by reducing or removing the motivation to attack.” In response to this quote, Childs (2013) states “Aid agencies have depended upon an appre ...
Science 7 - LAND and SEA BREEZE and its Characteristics
As outlined in the course lesson, the United Nations (UN) has pl
1. As outlined in the course lesson, the United Nations (UN) has
played an active role in protecting and serving the global
community in a variety of areas that include maintaining
international peace and security, protecting human rights,
delivering humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable
development, and upholding international laws. In this
discussion, you will consider the role of humanitarian aid.
The UN is well-known for providing humanitarian aid such as
food, water, medical supplies, personnel, resources, and
necessities after disasters, such as terrorist attacks, that occur in
war-torn areas of the globe. Do you believe that the
humanitarian aid provided by the UN is enough? Do you believe
that other NATO nations should be required to provide
humanitarian aid after a terrorist attack? Why, or why not?
ANSWER THE ABOVE QUESTION AND THEN REPLY TO
MY CLASSMATE’S RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE QUESTION
AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU AGREE? (A MINIMUM OF 150
WORDS EACH)
CLASSMATE’S POST
This is an interesting question. The United Nations is, indeed,
well-known for their humanitarian efforts around the globe.
According to the United Nations website (n.d.), “The
Organization is now relied upon by the international community
to coordinate humanitarian relief of emergencies due to natural
and man-made disasters in areas beyond the relief capacity of
national authorities alone.” However, what one has to consider
is
what is
2. enough
?
The mission of the United Nations is, indeed, a good one. It
brings together nations from across the globe to help each other
in the areas descried in the Professor’s post. In assessing
is it enough,
one has to think about the obstacles that occur in the provision
of humanitarian aid. In third-world countries, the aid doesn’t
always reach the intended target. In war-torn countries, there
are often attacks on those trying to simply deliver humanitarian
aid to those in need. “Tragically…the growing threat of
violence against aid workers is putting humanitarian efforts at
risk” (Warren, 2020). One would think that someone trying to
aid other men, women, and children would not be at risk but,
unfortunately, that is simply not true. Patricia McIlreavy, Vice
President of Humanitarian Policy and Practice at InterAction, as
cited in Warren (2020) states: “Aid workers are under attack.
We are bleeding from a thousand small cuts. We are being
robbed, raped, and murdered in Afghanistan, South Sudan,
Yemen, Syria, and countless other places.” Therefore, the
question lingers of how to effectively deliver humanitarian aid
to all countries in need when it is so very difficult in some
places. Van Brabant, as cited in Childs (2013), states
“Acceptance, in the sense of a risk management strategy, is the
reduction of the likelihood of targeted attacks by reducing or
removing the motivation to attack.” In response to this quote,
Childs (2013) states “Aid agencies have depended upon an
appreciation for their work – the delivery of assistance within
the framework of international humanitarian law – to gain that
acceptance.” There’s really no way to measure whether
humanitarian aid from the United Nations or any other global
organization is enough without discussing the obstacles in
delivery of that aid.
Should NATO nations be
3. required
to deliver humanitarian aid after a terrorist attack? This is a
complex question. I don’t believe that any nation should be
required
to do anything. “Organizations come into coordination
structures voluntarily. They have difference, occasionally
contradictory, mandates. Variations in approach, perspective,
and priorities are inevitable and reflect the diversity of the
humanitarian community” (de Mul, 2002). I believe it may be
the
moral
thing to do but whether that morality reaches the level of
requirement, I do not believe it does. One point to make is that
a terrorist attack is different than other humanitarian crises such
as hunger, medical issues, and such. We have to remember, in a
way, that terrorist attacks are violent responses by organizations
that are deemed enemies. Imposing a
requirement
that NATO nations respond to all terrorist attacks also places
that particular nation at risk as well. If a nation can help
another nation, that speaks volumes to the humanitarian nature
of that nation but a
requirement
to help is out of the question.
REFERENCES
Childs, A. K. (2013). Cultural Theory and Acceptance-Based
Security Strategies for Humanitarian Aid Workers.
Journal of Strategic Security
,
6
(1), 64–72. https://doi-
org.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/10.5038/1944-
0472.6.1.6
4. de Mul, E. (2002). Coordination of humanitarian aid--a UN
perspective. (Health and human rights).
The Lancet
,
360
(9329).
Nations, U. (n.d.).
Deliver Humanitarian Aid
. United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/our-work/deliver-
humanitarian-aid
Warren, J. (2020). Aid workers under attack.
RoSPA Occupational Safety & Health Journal
,
50
(1), 17–20.
