“Air drop is dangerous for people on the ground because when people see things falling they will run to where that is, and so it can actually cause more problems than it causes help,” he said.

It is understandable that people look at Haitians’ suffering in the aftermath of last week’s earthquake and ask why more cannot be done faster. Certainly the need is there. and, let’s face it, the fact that Haiti is on the U.S. door step makes it seem all the more possible to get the aid there fast.  But for aid to reach as many people as possible, it needs to be distributed smartly. That means setting up distribution centers, as I hear the U.N. is doing, and having procedures for people to get food and medical care safely. If air drops were done, it would be the strongest and fastest who reached the packages — not the ones who may need them most. As craven as it may seem, some of those who would get the supplies would not pass them around for free, they likely would sell them. This isn’t a knock on Haitians — these illicit, underground markets spring up in every crisis.

UN Photo/Marco Dormino

When I first began managing a Kosovar refugee camp in 1999 for the International Rescue Committee, I took a flight over the area of Macedonia where our camp was located and saw the blue plastic that the UN distributes in all of the neighborhoods around the camp; I saw the plastic, so useful and valuable, for sale in the local market. The unscrupulous refugee residents of the camp stole other supplies, such as shoes and diapers, from fellow camp residents and sold them in the nearby town. We did everything we could to protect the supplies and distribute them fairly to camp residents, but abuses still occurred.

I don’t relate this to impugn anyone, but to emphasize realities in these situations. Most Haitians are decent and are pitching in to help their fellow Haitians. They are the ones who have done most of the rescuing and will do most of the reconstruction work. But people who are rotten before a disaster often continue to be rotten after it. Additionally, deeply impoverished folks get desperate when war or a natural disaster pile on their troubles. Who can blame them, in one respect, for trying to grab what they can get? Most people are NOT selling relief supplies on underground markets, they are using it for their own families and friends. Still, getting relief shouldn’t depend upon knowing someone who is speedy, more resourceful or less scrupulous.

So what is the best way to combat this and deliver supplies as effectively as possible? I know I keep pounding on this, but it’s to set up good procedures and practices for distributing it. That’s why it is important for coolness and reality to prevail among those who are on the ground in Haiti.

Good answer, Gen. Fraser.

UN Photo/Marco Dormino

For Immediate Release: March 31, 2009Contact:
Vanessa Parra; +1-202-540-7025
Vanessa@refugeesinternational.org

Congressional Testimony Warns Greater Attention to Displaced Iraqis Needed to Stabilize Iraq

Washington, D.C. -As security in Iraq improves, refugees and internally displaced Iraqis are starting to return home, but the returns are slow and tentative, Refugees International told Congress today. The new security climate in Iraq has not yet translated into increases in the provision of services to displaced Iraqis and more must be done to assist and protect them. Last month, Refugees International completed a mission to Baghdad, Eskanderia, Fallujah, Karbala and Hilla to assess the humanitarian situation inside Iraq. According to the United Nations, about 20 percent of Iraq’s population, or more than four million people, remain displaced.

“In its strategy to encourage returns, the Government of Iraq has failed to take political, social and economic reality into consideration and examine the country’s capacity to absorb large numbers of returns,” said RI President Ken Bacon.  “Instead, it has made the return of displaced Iraqis a component, as opposed to a consequence, of its security strategy.” The testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee adds that, “Assistance to returnees, property restitution, and the provision of basic services are essential for Iraqis to return home. But many will still not return until they feel the root causes of the conflict have been addressed. They need to feel accepted by the community and provided with security guarantees.”Refugees International also expressed concern that the Government of Iraq is no longer registering internally displaced people in an effort to make the displacement problem disappear.  Corruption within Iraq’s government is widespread and makes it extremely difficult to effectively deliver assistance and for international and national aid agencies to operate. However, Refugees International met with impressive local groups, who provide assistance to thousands of vulnerable Iraqis without any support from the Iraqi government or the international community.

“There is no unified process to deal with returning internally displaced persons or refugees. Property disputes will linger for many years to come and are likely to spark renewed violence,” added Mr. Bacon. “While security remains the major factor in a family’s decision to return home, other factors play a role - infrastructure, particularly water and electricity, employment opportunities and health care. The Government of Iraq, the U.S. and the United Nations have to do a better job of working together to provide the services necessary to support returning Iraqis.”

Refugees International is a Washington, D.C.-based organization that advocates to end refugee crises. Since November 2006, the organization has conducted nine missions to the Middle East to assess the needs of displaced Iraqis and work with international leaders to develop effective solutions to this crisis. RI’s latest field report on displacement inside Iraq will be available on April 9, 2009. For more information, go to www.refugeesinternational.org.

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