A Shift in Humanitarian Crisis Response
What is the role of religious literacy in humanitarian action? Humanitarian practitioners and leading scholars involved in humanitarian efforts will discuss this question and others during the Symposium on Religious Literacy in Humanitarian Action. The event, sponsored by the Religious Literacy Project, will take place Jan. 19 and 20 at Harvard Divinity School. It is free and open to the public.
Tara Gingerich, senior humanitarian researcher with Oxfam America, will be one of the panelists. Below she discusses the role of local and international humanitarian actors, as well as faith-based organizations.
Q: What should be the roles of international actors and local actors in humanitarian action and do faith-based organizations have a unique role to play in humanitarian action?
Oxfam and a number of other voices in the humanitarian world believe that local actors – governments and civil society – should play the leading role in preparing for and responding to humanitarian crises in their countries, whenever possible. We believe that this will result in quicker, more effective, and more appropriate humanitarian action – so it will save more lives. It will also respect the dignity of the people most affected by crises.
Local humanitarian leadership is actually happening all the time, all over the world in response to floods, landslides, droughts, etc. and in conflicts. We just don’t hear about it. But Oxfam and others think that we need to completely reform the global humanitarian system so that these local actors have more power and resources, to help them develop the capacity they need, and to make sure international actors stop swooping in and taking over without regard for the skills and knowledge of the people who live there. Of course, this isn’t always possible. We certainly aren’t calling for empowering irresponsible, belligerent governments… but even in such situations, we think the system needs to work very differently than it does now so that good efforts taking place on the ground are supported and not sidelined or trampled. Our goal should always be that people in a crisis are better prepared in the next crisis – so that there are fewer lives lost, less damage, etc.
As for international actors – international organizations like Oxfam, Save the Children, Doctors without Borders, and the United Nations agencies – we believe that they have incredible skills to offer, but that the default should be that they follow the lead of the local actors, jumping in when necessary, but more often providing technical, financial and other kinds of support. Again, though, in conflicts or situations involving refugees, international actors play an important watchdog function.
Finally, you asked about the role that faith-based organizations should play. That is an excellent question and the subject of the Divinity School’s upcoming symposium next week! We know that people across the world are extremely religious and that the Global South, where people are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, natural hazards, and conflicts, is becoming more religious, not less. We also know that in many societies, it is the religious leaders and members of religious communities who are the most powerful and respected members of the society, with tremendous access to, and sway over, their community members. Yet while the negative aspects of religion and acts done in the name of religion are well known, many international humanitarian actors are oblivious to the positive role that religious factors and local religious leaders can play in humanitarian action.
Oxfam has been partnering with the Religious Literacy Project at the Divinity School to look at how humanitarian aid agencies engage with the subject of religion and religious actors in their work on local humanitarian leadership, the assumptions behind those policies and practices, and existing opportunities and challenges. We’ll be publishing our results in the spring, so you’ll have to check back with us then to learn what we’ve discovered.
—by Michael Naughton