Migration and Asylum
Andrea Quaden has been a German humanitarian aid worker since 2014. She earned her MA in European Studies from the University of Hamburg in 2013. As of 2007 Andrea was engaged in Germany in various initiatives on rights for refugees and migrants. She
ing additional destructive effects on the drinking water, agriculture, food photo: private security, electricity, public health and she worked for People in Need (PIN) in Dahuk, Iraq and the livelihoods of millions of people. I Norwegian Refugee Council in Erbil, Iraq, before joining SOS Mediterranée Germany will not even start with the Covid-19 in Berlin in 2018. She is currently working as an inter sector coordinator in Syria. pandemic. As one Syrian displaced family told me recently “Habibti (My dear), we have suffered through so much and we know there is gender-based violence and mental health issues, and ultimateyet more to come. We cannot afford to think about and frankly ly a rise in criminality driven by despair. we do not care about Covid-19.” If decision makers do not care about humanity and human Governments and their humanitarian departments turn to us rights, let me just remind everyone that this is a perfect breedhumanitarians on the ground to receive briefings on needs, ing ground for the rise of radicalism, extremism and terrorism gaps and context updates and with their limited financial enve– the trigger for “the west” to step up and act. But why only act lopes they try to do their best to finance what is most needed when “the west” feels threatened, when the damage is already and raise concerns to their politicians. But it is neither the job done for the affected communities? When it takes so much for nor the mandate of humanitarian action to “fix” a country. time to rebuild and recover? Frankly, it is not in our capacity either. However, we are here, on the ground, with our national colleagues and I can see every Mosul versus Raqqa day that the world is collectively failing to really support the Iraq and Syria have made it clear where the focus of the soaffected population – talk to my colleagues in other contexts called international community lies. When the “defeat” of the around the world, they witness the same. Restoring humanity, common enemy ISIL was declared in both countries, the focus dignity, hope and peace – a future – requires the collective, of the powerful media and politicians immediately shifted committed and long-term efforts of every stakeholder involved. away and so did the funding priorities of institutional humanitarian donors. Right in the moment where a window of opportunity opened up to work on more durable solutions for displaced populations, returnees and host communities, both UN agencies and NGOs had to cut budgets, close down projects, take national colleagues off their payrolls The decisions to do so are made at the capital level: Brussels, and people in need off their beneficiary lists. Washington, Moscow, Beijing – to name only a few. In Iraq at least, development actors stepped up for more It was hard to realise in my work that it is indeed a political mid- and long-term solutions, but in Syria, due to the political decision to ensure that no child has to work for US$1 a day at a context there is no World Bank to work on ways to rebuild the dumpsite, no mother has to lose her children in aerial bomcrippled economy, no UNDP and alike with funding to rebuild bardment, no family has to “live” in a tent in the bone-chilling people’s homes or at least public services, like hospitals, cold or scorching heat, no human being has to drown at sea on schools, water stations. That becomes ever clearer when one the journey to safety, no one has to starve to death. This list is compares Mosul, Iraq and Raqqa, Syria, both heavily bombed much longer, but everyone is very well aware of it. by the Coalition Forces in the fight against ISIL. While in Mosul So why is there no political willingness to truly and sustainably international money is supporting the reconstruction, in Raqqa dismantle this list across the globe so that one day humanity people are largely left alone to rebuild with the means they and and human rights are not empty shells anymore? their relatives abroad have. A political decision. You might not believe it, but I am fond of my work and I will continue to support people who were forced into inhumane A continuous failing of the global community conditions. The disappointment of political decision-making is The looming global climate change already hit the region years constantly on my mind, but I also have the hope that one day ago. This year the FAO declared a drought in Syria while the humanity will prevail. It is a decision. water crisis including along the Euphrates River starts showstarted her professional career with Welthungerhilfe, first in Gaziantep, Turkey and later in Iraq. Between 2016 and 2018
humanity, dignity, hope and peace – “Restoring a future – requires the collective, committed and long-term efforts of every stakeholder involved.”
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