Humanitarian Agenda 2015: Afghanistan Country Study
Donini, Antonio
2006
- Paper dated June, 2006. This study is part of a research program undertaken by the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University on The Humanitarian Agenda 2015: Principles, Politics and Perceptions (HA 2015).1 The key findings of the research in Afghanistan are presented in the following pages under the four HA 2015 headings: the universality of the humanitarian enterprise; terror and ... read morecounter-terror and its impact on humanitarian action; coherence of political and humanitarian endeavors; and issues related to security of communities and humanitarian personnel. This is preceded by a brief historical background and by an overview of Afghans perceptions of the aid effort. A final section presents key conclusions and (policy) recommendations. The four themes of the HA 2015 research come together in Afghanistan with clear-cut relevance. The externality of the aid enterprise and the baggage that comes with itvalues, lifestyle, attitude, and behavior of aid workerschallenge the purported universality of humanitarian action. The context of terrorism and counter-terrorism is at the heart of the international communitys involvement in Afghanistan: the initial objective of the US-led coalition was to smash Al Qaeda and the Taliban, not to engage in nation-building. The coherence agenda, exemplified both by the integration of humanitarian and human rights concerns within the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and by the pressures on NGOs to be part of the Coalitions combat team, colors the operating environment of the aid community. And the heavy toll inflicted by insurgents and criminal elements on the security of aid workers, both Afghan and international, cuts across the three other themes and deeply affects staff morale and ability to address critical humanitarian need.read less
- ID:
- vq280044p
- Component ID:
- tufts:UA197.001.DO.00002.00002
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