Op-ed on World Humanitarian Day by John Holmes, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

Today is World Humanitarian Day, a day to remember the millions of people affected by war, natural disasters, sickness, and malnutrition, and those who are working to relieve their suffering. Those in need desperately require our help, but our ability to reach them is, sadly, increasingly at risk.

Humanitarian aid workers strive to ensure that all those who have experienced a traumatic event and need life-saving assistance receive it, regardless of where they are in the world, and regardless of their religion, race or social group. We have no other agenda than saving lives and delivering the basics of life--food, water, shelter, medical care, protection for the most vulnerable. Yet in too many places where humanitarians work, whereas once we were respected, today we are targeted.

Violent attacks on humanitarian personnel are increasingly frequent and brutal. Over 100 humanitarian workers were killed in both 2008 and 2009 – more than three times the number killed a decade ago and twice the number killed in 2005. 2009 was, statistically and by common consent, the deadliest year yet for humanitarian staff. Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia, where humanitarians are too often deliberately targeted, lead the way in the numbers of deaths, kidnappings and attacks, but Sudan, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, where banditry is more the problem, are becoming increasingly dangerous too. So far in 2010, at least 30 humanitarian workers have been killed while carrying out their work.

We face a future in which more humanitarian aid will be needed to cope with the impact of climate change and natural hazards, and the rising numbers of civilian victims of internal conflicts. There are currently more than 27 million internally displaced people and 10 million refugees as a result of conflict. One out of every six people is chronically hungry. If humanitarian aid workers do not have full and free access, many hundreds of thousands of the people they need to reach will not receive the quantity or quality of assistance they require.

We therefore need to improve awareness of and respect for the principles according to which this work is conducted: humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. Over many years, and across many--though not all--situations of armed conflict, humanitarian actors have had a generally high level of acceptance and respect by parties to conflict. We have been protected by the UN flag and the distinct humanitarian emblems and profiles of our organizations. However, we can no longer count on this to be the case. A perception is spreading that humanitarian aid is delivered exclusively by Western organizations or agencies, or somehow represents one ideological or world view. This perception is entirely wrong, yet increasingly widespread in some areas.

Those who propagate the kind of suspicion of humanitarians that has made our work so much more deadly in recent years are often those who have the most obvious political reasons to do so to justify their own behavior, or in some cases those who have the most to hide.

But in any case better acceptance of humanitarian work by state and non-state actors alike is desperately needed. The vast majority of aid workers come from the countries in which they work. Most of the victims of attacks on aid workers are these same national staff. National and international, male and female, aid workers reflect all cultures, ideologies and backgrounds. These brave individuals are united by their shared commitment to humanitarianism, which is a universal value and responsibility. They work on behalf of everyone. Preventing them from doing their work harms no-one more than the most vulnerable. Today is a good time for a renewed commitment to humanitarian principles by all concerned.  

John Holmes is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

In Sri Lanka, cricket leadership programme helps former child soldiers

Gopi, 16, makes a dash and lunges to take the catch. “You’re out!” she yells. Elated, with her short hair bobbing from under her cap, she joins the rest of her team to celebrate the victory.

A former child soldier, Gopi is part of an innovative sport-for-development programme in conflict-torn Sri Lanka. Through the vehicle of cricket, partners including UNICEF, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Government of Sri Lanka are working to help rehabilate former combattants like Gopi.

Child recruitment
Life was quite different a year ago, when Gopi was abducted by the military group known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and taken to one of their training camps in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province.

Forced to work as a driver for the LTTE, Gopi would have to transport those killed or wounded in Sri Lanka’s long civil conflict. Twice she tried to escape, but her cropped hair – typical for a LTTE girl combatant – made her easily identifiable and she was caught.

Throughout almost three decades of civil strife, many Sri Lankan children were abducted and recruited by armed groups. Since 2002, UNICEF has registered some 7,000 of them – likely only a fraction of the real number of child soldiers throughout the country.

Gopi did finally manage to escape. Just before the close of the war in May 2009, she surrendered to the government forces.

“We were registered by UNICEF and were taken to a special rehabilitation centre in [the capital] Colombo,” she said. “I started studying again and made lots of friends.”

‘Beyond the boundaries’ of sport
Since the end of the conflict, nearly 600 children formerly associated with armed groups have benefited from UNICEF-supported education, vocational, recreational and psycho-social activities.
A key aspect of rehabilitation is 'Cricket Peer Leader' training – a unique sport-for-development partnership with the ICC, UNICEF, the Government of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Cricket and the non-governmental organization Cricket for Change UK. “Cricket can be rightly proud of helping to develop a project which goes beyond the boundaries of our great sport,” said ICC Chief Executive Haroon Logart.

Gopi was among the first children to benefit from a week-long training on 'Street 20', an accessible version of cricket involving limited equipment. “I really enjoyed myself and especially learned about team work and leadership,” she said.

Leaders off the field
Beyond helping children learn the sport, the Cricket Peer Leader programme also helps children appreciate the values of trust, respect and fair-play off the cricket field.

UNICEF Representative in Sri Lanka Philippe Duamelle said that the programme had been successful in helping some of Sri Lanka’s most marginalized children. “We are using the power of sport through this great partnership to reach out to vulnerable children and help them realize their full potential,” he said.

With the support of Sri Lanka Cricket and UNICEF, the Cricket Peer Leaders will return to their homes and run their own cricket programmes, reaching out to other disadvantaged children. “Now, I want to teach others what I have learned,” said Gopi.

Combating harmful organic pollutants

Recent studies suggest that a large number of organic pollutants are hampering the health of those engaged in the infrastructure and development industries.

Studies indicate that Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) have become a threat not only to humans but also to the environment. Due to the ability of organic compounds to exist in the environment for long periods of time, the compounds tend to affect the life cycle of species in those environments. Already 12 such types of organic pollutants have been identified.  

There are many ways in which living beings are exposed to POPs. For instance, the most common means is through consuming contaminated water and food, inhaling polluted air while spraying pesticides during harvesting, or through inhalation, while using industrial chemicals.

In a bid to create awareness on the harmful effects of POPs, the People to People Volunteers Project was established through the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The Global Environment Facility’s Small Grants Programme (GEF/SGP) at UNDP provided funding to the NGO to carry out a range of activities. The objective of the project was to minimize the effects of long term organic pollutants and the project was initially launched in Welimada, Badulla district. The project which was operative through 2007 and 2008, carried out awareness programmes to minimize the emission of toxins such as Dioxins and Furans into the environment.  The programme, in collaboration with the District Council, undertook to minimize open burning of waste and introduce composting of waste in the area.

The organization also raised awareness on the dangers of using a  pollutant compound known as Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in the Kalutara district. The chemical was first identified in 1986 and is found in the oil used for operating transformers in Sri Lanka. This oil contains dangerous amounts of PCB and  could enter through the skin if used without protective cover. Small home-based industries such as welding plants usually buy the used oil at a cheaper price when discarded and use it in their appliances. They use their bare hands while working with this oil.

People to People Volunteers had the oil tested with the support of the Industrial Technology Institution (ITI) to confirm the presence of the chemical in such instances of usage. The group conducted survey reveals that 3,000 welders and workers in affiliated activities in Kalutara district are affected. Workers who handle welding tools were given systematic medical examinations. While the results are still pending it is believed that these tests will be effective in determining the extent of damage caused to the human system through PCB contamination. Medical examinations have been organized for workers performing maintenance and repairs for transformers as well.

In addition, awareness and educational programmes have been conducted through schools, governmental organizations, and NGOs in the district. It is also believed that precautionary methods such as avoiding waste incineration, using eco friendly methods of waste disposal, and maintaining a compost bin in the garden could minimize the release of toxins into the air.  

The group recommends the factories that manufacture products with natural rubbergun powder, paints and filler should be situated at a reasonable distance from human habitats and those involved in the production of these materials should avoid contact with the skin, and avoid disposing waste material into the environment.

(Special thanks to People to People Volunteer Organization - Kalutara)

WFP’s Food- for-Work programme rebuilds communities

At the height of Sri Lanka’s civil war in 2006, the closure of the A9 Highway for security reasons created difficulties for the residents of Jaffna. The fishing industry was severely affected, as were the agricultural and construction industries since only vehicles carrying essential items authorized by the Sri Lanka Army were allowed to use the roads.  

As trade came to a virtual standstill, a significant proportion of the district’s population lost their jobs. Life became a struggle with little or no access to even the most basic of food items.

Following discussions with  the Jaffna Government Agent (GA), a WFP soft Food-for-Work programme was agreed upon. The programme would engage the unemployed and those earning less than 2,500 rupees per month to work in the service of the community, or ‘Shramadhana’, in exchange for essential food items. Its aim was to benefit the district at large, and also to motivate participants by giving them a sense of pride through working to earn their own sustenance and prevent undue dependency on relief supplies.  

A total of 100,000 people from 34, 500 families, were drawn from 425 villages across the district to participate in the programme. Working in groups of 30, beneficiaries worked for four hours each day and eleven days of the month.  

Overseen by the Village Government Officer or Grama Niladhari, participants built wells and cleaned fields, streams and public areas such as schools, community playgrounds, religious sites and libraries, while also clearing away rubbish which had piled up in the town centres. More than two thousand kilometres of internal roads, and almost 1,200 hectares of community lands, were subsequently cleared and cleaned.  

Some groups were also engaged in clearing land-mines, under the guidance of a Technical Mine Expert, who issued a standard certificate on completion of mine-clearing duties. The distribution of food to these participants – one kilogram of rice and flour, 300g of lentils and 100g of sugar and coconut oil for each day that they worked - was supplied through the local Multi Purpose Co-operative Society (MPCS).

As all the Food for Work activities were undertaken prior to the monsoons, the resulting cleaner and healthier environment significantly reduced the spread of dengue that the monsoon rains traditionally bring on. Annual flooding, even after torrential rains in the district last year, was avoided through  the mass clean up by the Food-for-Work participants and included clearing of  800 kilometres of drainage channels.  

The programme proved so successful, that its scope has been increased to include the cleaning of lands whose owners have gone abroad and left their properties abandoned, in addition to the homes of elderly people and those individuals with mixed and varying degrees of abilities. 

A village comes alive

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The sight of a temple being constructed and children attending school at the Maniyarkulam village, in Vavuniya District, hints at the revival that is taking place within this quaint hamlet. Situated 3km south of the highway to Poovarasankulam, the village is lush and green and its inhabitants warm and friendly. Mr K. Thavarajah is the head of the Farmers’ Organization in the community and the unofficial leader of the village.

Mr. Thavarajah took some time off to discuss the progress made by the farming community in the village since the initiation of the Livelihood Development Programme by UNDP and the Japanese Government in 2008.

 “Those who moved back to this village took to farming by using the resources of the Maniyarkulam irrigation tank. The village possesses 160 acres of land which is mainly used for paddy farming. Some of the farmers depend on rainfall while the others depend mainly on the water from the lake for their farming. However, despite these natural resources, due to the lack of a proper canal in the area, only 50 acres of this land could be cultivated,” he said.

Mr. Thavarajah said it was amidst this hardship that the Livelihood Development Programme project enabled villagers to cultivate more land.  As part of the programme, financial assistance was granted to the Farmers’ Organization to construct a 300 metre canal. The perseverance of the villagers finally paid off and they built a 340 metre cement canal, resulting in more land being cultivated.

Mr. Thavarajah said another key issue that farmers had to deal with was the inability to transport their produce, without an access road to the Vavuniya market. Many farmers suffered heavy losses. Subsequently, UNDP helped them to construct a 2.2km road connecting Vavuniya Chettikulam to Maniyarkulam. Heavy vehicles transporting the produce of these farmers, are now able to reach their destination and support the livelihood of this community.

Following the completion of the road, officials at the Transport Board agreed to allocate buses along this roadway. This initiative contributed immensely to supporting the educational needs of the children who travel by bus to school in this village.

Mr. Thavarajah added that the community is also receiving a rice mill and paddy store house. This project, also supported by UNDP and the Japanese government,will be completed soon. The store house will enable farmers to retain the quality of their produce.  Mr. Thavarajah also said that the monthly income of the villagers has risen by 25 percent owing to the commencement of this particular project. He pointed out that previously the produce had to be sold immediately once harvested, due to a lack of storage facilities and most often, at a cheaper rate to the private sector.  

In addition to infrastructural support, UNDP is also providing technical training and capacity building support. UNDP is training CBOs in the village for better management of resources and services. The community is pleased to see its efforts bearing fruit. They quote the well-known Tamil proverb- ‘those who persevere will succeed’.

UNDP support  resurrects the North Sea net factory

During the height of the civil unrest in the 1990s the frequent imposition of restrictions on Jaffna’s fishermen badly affected their livelihood activities. The closure of the A9 road in 2006 made it worse. The number of people engaged in active fishing fell to a sixth of its original numbers.

However, even amidst these dire figures it was still felt that locally produced fishing nets support the livelihoods of these remaining fishermen in Jaffna. To this end the government established the North Sea project at a net factory at Gurunagar owned by CEYNOR.

K. Ganesh, Government Agent, in Jaffna recalls that the support extended to the North Sea project by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at this juncture, as being the turning point for recovery. He said 34 employees in the plant along with their families were able to rebuild their lives, when the UNDP commissioned a Rs. 9 million netting machine.

 “The policy of the Ministry of Industries was to close whatever business that is not profitable and so the pressure on North Sea to put up its shutters was mounting. However, realizing  the plight of those engaged in the industry the District Secretariat kept the project going with a subsidy of around Rs 2.2 million to meet staff salaries,” said Ganesh.

 He also added that the employees worked as a team to produce nets of good quality, which could compete in the market both in terms of price and quality.

The UNDP’s support for this project came through the funding of the European Commission. The 3-18 ply Netting Machine was procured from Japan in January 2008, and it was only in April 2009 that the machine was taken to Jaffna. The North Sea technical team was trained on the installation of the machine in Colombo by AMITA- the manufacturers of the machine. “With the old machine we could only produce a single net in three and a half hours, but with the new machine we can produce four nets in two hours,” says F. Ketheswaran, Deputy General Manager of North Sea. He explained that what they now require is assistance to procure raw materials to ensure a smooth uninterrupted production process. Here again the support of  UNDP came to purchase  3000 kilos  of yarn, which is the basic raw material used in the production of fishing nets, at a cost of Rs. 4 million. In addition, UNDP will also provide management training programmes. The ultimate goal of the project is to meet the minimum requirement of at least 25% of the peninsula’s fishing community.

Bittersweet return to a place called home

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In Mannar’s coastal village of Thevanpiddy, Mariananthini sits on the steps of a church, gently combing the hair of a small girl crouching at her feet. She leans over and whispers something to her husband who is sitting beside her holding on to two other children. They both smile, seemingly unfazed by the scorching heat and short bursts of dust-filled winds mixed with the odour of salt and fish. The scene could easily be captured on a picture postcard - a beautiful family, simply happy and content to be with each another.

But their surroundings tell a different story. Heavily damaged homes and buildings, some even reduced to rubble, still remain as reminders of Sri Lanka’s bloody war which ended last year. Tractors loaded high with bags of clothes, household goods, bits of furniture and the people themselves indicate that after the end of the conflict last year, Thevanpiddy is getting its life back. But the hundreds of people lined up near the trucks filled with humanitarian aid show their desperate need for help.

Mariananthini is among hundreds of thousands of people who were displaced during the final stages of Sri Lanka’s conflict. “My parents, my 11 siblings and their families all lived here. So when the sound of shelling drew closer in July 2008 we decided to leave together and find a safer place,” she said.

But that safety never came. They moved from place to place, desperate to get away from the devastation unfolding around them. Then tragedy hit the family. Five of Mariananthini’s siblings were killed, as they were trying to keep safe. Among those killed was Mariananthini’s 25 year old sister and husband, leaving their three children orphaned.  

But inside the conflict zone, there was little time to grieve. Once again the remaining members of Mariananthini’s family moved from place to place until they finally came across members of the Government forces and were transported out of the conflict zone to safety.

Subsequently Mariananthini and her family were accommodated in Sri Lanka’s largest displacement camp, Menik Farm located in Vavuniya district. By the end of the conflict over 280,000 internally displaced persons were accommodated in many camps spread across the country’s North.  “It was quite difficult at the start. There were many people in the camp and our entire family of ten people had to manage inside one tent. We got dry rations and other items from agencies, but the biggest problem was money to buy supplementary food. Since we couldn’t leave the camp, we couldn’t find work anywhere. But when the camp opened in December my husband started leaving regularly to do some labour work. So we had a small income from that. ”

Then in February this year, spending almost one year in Menik Farm, Mariananthini’s family was informed by camp authorities that they would be returning home soon.  A few days later Mariananthini and her family were among 99 families from her village on a bus making their way back to Mannar. They joined 89 other families in the village who had returned from camps in Mannar the previous day.

Mariananthini is among more than 180,000 persons who have left displacement camps in Sri Lanka’s North since August last year, to return to their places of origin under the Government-facilitated return process, to live with host families and friends, or to be taken care of at special institutions (i.e. the elderly and orphans). The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and its partners are supporting the return process, by providing the returnee families with basic household items like plastic mats, mosquito nets and jungle clearing tools as well as items of clothing and slippers to help them get back on their feet. Returnee families can also use the tarpaulins included in UNHCR’s return package as basic initial emergency shelter until the repairs are carried out on their homes or transitional shelters are built.

Like Mariananthini, many are unable to return directly to their homes which are either heavily damaged or destroyed.  Therefore as part of its assistance package, UNHCR has provided each returnee family in the North with Rs. 25,000 ($220) through the state-owned Bank of Ceylon and the local authorities to help them with shelter repairs or any other urgent needs. The returnees are free to use this money as they see fit, either towards rebuilding their houses or use it to start up an income-generating activity. The shelter cash grant also contributes towards boosting the local economy in the area.

In addition, UNHCR staff visit the return areas on a regular basis to speak with the returnees and help raise any concerns they may have or identify gaps in assistance.

Now that they have returned to Thevanpiddy, Mariananthini says her family will focus on repairing their homes, restart fishing to earn a regular income and return to at least a semblance of the life they had two years ago. All the while, they will be remembering those who were lost during their time in displacement. She and her husband have decided to adopt her late sister’s three children and ensure that they grow up to be well-educated, respectable citizens of Sri Lanka. ”My husband and I can never replace their parents”, Mariananthini says pulling her three children close. ”But what we can do is make sure that we do our best to lessen the sadness and loss in their lives. ”

Paving a path to peace

Four villages in Mannar district comprising multi-religious communities share a common cemetery and a 500 meter road leading to the burial ground which was in desperate need of upgrading.

The communities banded together to renovate the road, but during road rehabilitation work, various disputes between communities hindered the renovation process. These differences not only affected the road construction, but shadowed the importance of burying loved ones.

The local government authority and the President of the Village Development Society brought these concerns to the Youth Coexistence Committees (YCC) in the respective villages. The causes of conflict identified appeared to be a result of lack of understanding between communities from different religions, castes and professions as well as relocated families living among the local population hosting them.

An agreement was reached to raise funds and seek local government support. With funds collected, the YCC met community members and advocated for a common work approach. The community soon realized that they needed to look beyond their differences in order to work towards a common goal and within one day the community came together to complete 300 meters of the 500 meter road, and subsequently the remaining 200 meters.

For the past three years, the Community Rehabilitation Programme funded by the Australian government (AusAID) and implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has supported development activities that promote durable peace in Sri Lanka.

In addition, the Community Rehabilitation Programme creates awareness through specific peace-building activities that promote confidence among different communities and improves their engagement with local community support structures.

Under this programme, IOM in partnership with the Foundation for Co-Existence (FCE) - a local NGO, supports the establishment of Youth Coexistence Committees (YCC) among different ethnic and religious groups at community level in the Mannar district.

Youth are also encouraged to be involved in social work that addresses needs of the most vulnerable groups in their villages. FCE is mobilizing the YCCs to identify and reach out to vulnerable groups to gather information and address social issues such as child abuse, drug addiction, child labour, sexual harassment, domestic and gender based violence, land dispute, early school drop outs and refer them to relevant authorities if necessary.