Topic: Protecting Humanitarian Workers in Conflict Zones
Country: Gabon
Delegate Name: Cody Hoeffel
School: Royal Oak High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Gabon position papers GLIMUN 2011 committees
The nation of Gabon, like most others is deeply concerned by the constant growth of attacks on humanitarian aid workers. It is Gabon's belief that the principle cause for the rise in attacks is xenophobia. Xenophobia in this case is due to a lack of distinction between aid groups and their parent nations and organizations, this is often a point made by a former assistant high commissioner to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. United Nations workers for example are targeted in some states because they are viewed as the people who had placed sanctions on their state. Identification is also a problem when many different aid groups enter the nation, resulting in confusion amongst the locals as to who is who. This is especially seen in nations such as Afghanistan where aid workers and solidiers are categorized as “the west” by groups such as the Taliban. This is because the many Non-Governmental Organizations that respond to emergencies all carry different symbols and often come from the same nation as the perceived invaders. There is one sole exception to the rule of increased death and confusion. That is the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has actually seen a decline in attacks on its workers. This is because the Red Cross is a relatively small operation in each country that attempts to communicate its neutrality to all conflicting parties, allowing them to operate with less dependence on military forces to provide security, something Gabon believes should be utilized by all NGOs and . Gabon would also hope to see NGOs attempt to coordinate their actions so that zones that are not safe for the workers are known by all parties. The NGOs, Gabon believes, should follow the Red Cross in its use of small field groups and assurance of all parties of their neutrality. Finally NGOs must also recognize the fact that they will not always be accepted by the people they wish to help, they may come from the UN, which in some countries is viewed as an enemy of the state. There is also an issue in that there is a great lack in coordination between the hundreds of organizations each act independently of each other. In Afghanistan the administer of Interior Affairs has even admitted to not knowing what reconstruction groups are doing in rural areas. Another result of this disorganization is that the prices of certain goods, including food and land, are driven up by the sheer presence of the aid workers. In Somalia there is a very large UN presence, yet information as to who is wounded, how many are wounded is scarce. The result is a lack of distribution of goods in the region. Finally, aid groups rarely reflect the diversity of the United Nations, many come from “the west” and this results in prejudice against them. In regards to this discourse of organization and representation Gabon believes that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has begun to develop the proper method of organization. OCHA utilizes “clusters” in which specific organizations are assigned a single aspect to address. This cuts down on the sheer chaos of having nine hundred or so NGOs all operating on their own without any coordination. Clusters allow these groups to focus and coordinate with one another to develop and implement the best solution. Finally, nations that have entered states of conflict should follow the Fourth Geneva Convention and establish zones of neutrality where civilians and aid workers can interact without fear of attack. In closing, it will be best for OCHA to manage NGOs. While NGOs and humanitarian aid groups should model their operations off of the International Red Cross.
