No excuse for indifference towards refugees

Despite worldwide shock and indignation, it looks like little Aylan Kurdi’s death on September 2 on a beach near Bo drum, Turkey, changed little. This isa sad comment

Despite worldwide shock and indignation, it looks like little Aylan Kurdi’s death on September 2 on a beach near Bo drum, Turkey, changed little. This isa sad comment on our collective humanity.

HT Image

The power of images and social media, so effective for celebrity purposes, seems to have fallen flat on its face in mo bi li sing assistance for those less fortunate. Indeed, since Kurdi’s death, countless more innocents have died prevent able deaths.

It’s true that we are faced with major humanitarian crises, unlike anything since World War II. But, there can be no excuse for the global in difference on display.

What is alarming is that a majority of humanitarian crises are conflict-related and of a protracted nature. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Syria.

Beyond Syria, whether West Asia or elsewhere, humanitarian crises are transcending borders. Today ,125 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Then umber of displaced persons at 60 million has almost doubled in just a decade. These numbers stand as testament to the suffering caused by the growing complexity of humanitarian crises, our inability to tackle them, and the widening financial gap between increasing needs and limited resources.

Something has to be done and Turkey is setting an example by galvani sing the international community towards action.

Turkey hosts the largest refugee population( more than 3 million) in the world. Providing shelter and vital services such as free healthcare, schooling and vocational training for these refugees is a financial burden Turkey has had to assume largely on its own.

Our holistic approach covers humanitarian and development assistance—it also seeks to address the root causes and push factors. This approach is demand-driven and can best be seen in the countries of the Sahel region, where Turkey has pursued an integrated policy conducted with a multi-stakeholder approach. It has combined official aid with the active involvement of the business sector and civil society, and has managed to dramatically improve countless lives.

While individual efforts, like Turkey’s, are crucial, the international humanitarian system is being deprived of funds and the clock is ticking. There are simply too many live sat stake, and in action is not an option.

It is at this critical juncture that Istanbul hosted the first ever UN World Humanitarian Summit on May 23-24. The choice of Turkey constituted a timely recognition of our efforts.

The World Humanitarian Summit provided a vital platform to address the challenges burdening the humanitarian system. It was an occasion for the nations to take action while millions stand on the brink of life and death. I would like to believe that we learnt something from that image (of Kurdi) and that we do not need more such images like this to comp el us into action. We’ re responsible for what happens to those vulnerable people looking up to us for help.

The author is minister of foreign affairs, Turkey. The views expressed are personal.