scholarly journals Solidarity Through Localization? Humanitarian Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Dany
Keyword(s):  
Humanitarian Aid ◽  
Grassroots Organizations ◽  
Refugee Crisis ◽  
Suitable Tool ◽  
Global Solidarity

This contribution discusses whether humanitarian aid is a suitable tool for expressing global solidarity in the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the distinction between the concepts of humanitarianism and solidarity, as well as the example of the so-called “refugee crisis,” it provides a mixed answer: humanitarian aid and solidarity are, principally, different things, hardly comparable and, at times, even contradictory. However, the corona pandemic presents an opportunity for localization of humanitarian aid, which is an opportunity for greater solidarity with those most in need. To make humanitarian aid a real tool for expressing global solidarity, one would have to regard the recipients of aid as equals and strengthen their agency, as well as that of local and grassroots organizations in the most affected areas - much as the localization agenda demands.

scholarly journals Localizing Global Solidarity: Humanitarian Aid in Lesvos

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Michael Shults ◽  
Hanne Haaland ◽  
Hege Wallevik
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
Humanitarian Aid ◽  
Refugee Crisis ◽  
Local Ownership ◽  
Transformative Potential ◽  
Conflicting Interests ◽  
Citizen Initiatives ◽  
Relief Efforts ◽  
Global Solidarity

The so-called “refugee crisis” in Lesvos, Greece provides a poignant example of situated, local suffering that has called for the coordination of global resources to provide relief. Some of the first to respond were local and international Citizen Initiatives for Global Solidarity (CIGS). While a growing role for CIGS has been interpreted as a call for more global involvement, arguments for the increased localization of relief efforts suggest the need for aid agents to maintain a reflexive awareness of the potential for an influx of outside assistance to disempower those most affected. We argue that barriers to implementing the localization of humanitarian aid can be better understood by positioning this localization alongside theories of global solidarity. This paper pairs theoretical contributions from the fields of moral and political philosophy with an analysis of interview material gathered in Lesvos between 2015 and 2019. Our goal is to use narratives of conflicting interests in Lesvos to explore conceptual distinctions concerning solidarity and emphasize the importance of the localization of global solidarity in humanitarian aid. We conclude that while global solidarity represents a demanding effort to identify with distant others and provide aid, the intensity and transformative potential of the process of “making the crisis one’s own” through solidary engagement can overshadow the importance of local ownership of crisis management.

Assessing the Civil Society’s Role in Refugee Integration in Turkey: NGO-R as a New Typology

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 683-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulaş Sunata ◽  
Salіh Tosun
Keyword(s):  
Local Level ◽  
Community Organizations ◽  
Humanitarian Aid ◽  
Active Citizenship ◽  
Refugee Crisis ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Refugee Community ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
The People ◽  
Main Factors

Abstract After the Syrian refugee influx in Turkey, the aspect of civil society in integration needs further clarification and categorization. Therefore, in this study, we aim to develop a general typology of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) that are active in immigration and immigration-related areas (NGO-R; non-governmental organizations—refugees). Our findings show that NGO-Rs play crucial roles in helping the refugees to access the rights provided by state, in integrating them into society at the local level by creating new social spaces and in sending humanitarian aid to the people of concern in Syria. Additionally, we claim that the refugee crisis facilitated the opportunities both for active citizenship as demanded and for new mobilization to manage the humanitarian and integration assistance towards the Syrians. Lastly, our fieldwork shows that religious and belief motives are the main factors playing a large part in the creation and maintenance of the NGO-R activities and refugee community organizations (RCOs) can have a distinctive integrative function by preferring to stay outside the mainstream channels.

scholarly journals EU–Turkey relations need an honest new start

European View ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-57
Author(s):  
Manfred Weber
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Humanitarian Aid ◽  
Refugee Crisis ◽  
Fundamental Interest ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Eu Membership ◽  
Joint Solution ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Eu

The EU has a fundamental interest in having a constructive relationship with Turkey. However, the EU–Turkey relationship has become strained over recent years. This is why EU–Turkey relations need a new start, based on honesty about the long-term goal: EU membership is not an option for Turkey. Instead, the EU and Turkey should focus on concrete fields of cooperation. Humanitarian aid in the refugee crisis is a good example of a field in which a joint solution has been successful, as is the protection of the common external border. More joint action from the EU and Turkey is needed as regards the situation in Syria and Iraq. Turkey must overcome its democratic shortcomings. Further economic cooperation will depend on the application of the rule of law in Turkey.

scholarly journals Diplomasi Indonesia dalam Menyelesaikan Krisis Pengungsi Rohingya Tahun 2017

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 114-131
Author(s):  
Fuat Albayumi ◽  
Nourma Meysita Hadi ◽  
Djoko Susilo
Keyword(s):  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Humanitarian Aid ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Humanitarian Assistance ◽  
Complete Picture ◽  
Refugee Crisis ◽  
Humanitarian Crisis ◽  
Reliable Source ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive

The armed conflict in Rakhine in 2017 caused a humanitarian crisis for the Rohingyas. This crisis resulted in the emergence of criticism towards Myanmar government for its refusal to offer humanitarian assistance to the victims of conflict. In spite of that, the Myanmar government has closed access for foreigners, including humanitarian aid. However, Indonesia have accepted to discuss the settlement of the case. This research will examine how Indonesia's diplomacy to resolve the crisis due to the conflict in Rakhine in 2017. This research uses research literature method to collect secondary data coming from reliable source. This research is using qualitative descriptive technique and analyzed to described or interpreted to obtain a complete picture of the answer to the problem under study. The results show that in resolving the crisis for Rohingya ethnic in 2017, Indonesia conducts humanitarian diplomacy, which includes communicating with the Myanmar and Bangladesh governments and foreign parties, acting as a liaison between the Myanmar government and the international community, and negotiating with Myanmar and Bangladesh governments regarding the settlement of the Rohingya refugee crisis.

scholarly journals Coming Together in the So-Called Refugee Crisis

2018 ◽  
pp. 34-44
Author(s):  
Nasima Selim ◽  
Mustafa Abdalla ◽  
Lilas Alloulou ◽  
Mohamed Alaedden Halli ◽  
Seth M. Holmes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Humanitarian Aid ◽  
Refugee Crisis ◽  
Social Categories ◽  
Shared Experiences

In 2015, Germany entered what would later become known as the ‘refugee crisis’. The Willkommenskultur (welcoming culture) trope gained political prominence and met with significant challenges. In this article, we focus on a series of encounters in Berlin, bringing together refugee newcomers, migrants, activists and anthropologists. As we thought and wrote together about shared experiences, we discovered the limitations of the normative assumptions of refugee work. One aim of this article is to destabilise terms such as refugee, refugee work, success and failure with our engagements in the aftermath of the ‘crisis’. Refugee work is not exclusively humanitarian aid directed towards the alleviation of suffering but includes being and doing together. Through productive failures and emergent lessons, the collaboration enhanced our understandings of social categories and the role of anthropology.

When States Fail: The Politics of Orthodox Churches, Forced Displacement and Humanitarian Structures in Serbia and Ukraine

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucian N Leustean
Keyword(s):  
Humanitarian Aid ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
State Failure ◽  
Orthodox Church ◽  
Refugee Crisis ◽  
Forced Displacement ◽  
The Social ◽  
State Governance ◽  
European Refugee Crisis ◽  
The Government

Abstract In Serbia, during the 2015 European refugee crisis, the Orthodox Church mobilized communities in providing humanitarian aid before local authorities and the government issued an organized response. Two years later, in December 2017, with the support of the Orthodox Church, Ukraine exchanged war prisoners with the separatist authorities in Donbas. In both countries, the social and political involvement of Orthodox Churches in dealing with forced displacement was unprecedented. Drawing on literature review and interviews with 25 representatives of governmental and civil-society bodies, members of the clergy and academics, this article explores the ways in which, in Serbia and Ukraine, when states fail to offer support for populations affected by violence, religious communities have been among the first actors to take over state governance and provide human security. It argues that, by doing so, Orthodox Churches become open to politicization from state authorities. The article contributes to the study of religion and forced displacement by linking the politicization of Orthodox Churches to the concept of state failure.

scholarly journals Exploring the Role of Ad Hoc Grassroots Organizations Providing Humanitarian Aid on Lesvos, Greece

PLoS Currents ◽  
2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Tjensvoll Kitching ◽  
Hanne J. Haavik ◽  
Birgit J. Tandstad ◽  
Muhammad Zaman ◽  
Elisabeth Darj
Keyword(s):  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Humanitarian Aid ◽  
Grassroots Organizations

Britain and the Arab-Israel Conflict: Questioning the Motives Behind Continued Aid to 1967 Palestinian Refugees

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-202
Author(s):  
Muhamad Hasrul Bin Zakariah
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
British Empire ◽  
Humanitarian Aid ◽  
National Archive ◽  
Refugee Crisis ◽  
Palestinian Refugees ◽  
Suez Crisis ◽  
Middle East Politics ◽  
Palestinian Refugee ◽  
The Cold War

British involvement in Middle East politics can be traced to long before the First World War when its economic and strategic interests appeared to be the main reason for the involvement. The emergence of the newly created Israeli state, following the Balfour Declaration, marked the beginning of the Palestinian refugee crisis. Between 1948 and 1956, historical liability and obligation forced the British to be involved in providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian refugees. British involvement in the Suez Crisis later in 1956, was a tragedy for British influence in the Middle East. Many scholars concluded that the 1956 campaign marked “the end of British empire in the Middle East” and the beginning of the cold war, American-Soviet rivalry that left Britain marginalised. Even prominent Middle East scholars such as Michael Ben Oren, in his book Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of Modern Middle East, did not give attention to the British role and involvement in the 1967 crisis. However, the British efforts to regain Arab trust whilst preserving its economic and strategic interests in the Middle East persuaded Britain to remain involved with the Palestinian refugee crisis. None of these scholars have tried to analyse the motives behind continued British involvement in humanitarian aid for Palestinian refugees – the crisis which lingers long after the end of the British Empire in the Middle East. This paper discusses this topic with a focus on refugees from the 1967 war and attempts to explain the reasons for continuation of British aid from an historical perspective. This research was based on historical document analysis and the extraction of archival sources from The National Archive (TNA) in London.

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