Tuesday, May 24, 2016 12:42:54 AM
World leaders, aid groups gather for humanitarian summit in Turkey
"Will aid deliveries to Syria help advance peace talks?"
Anne Barker and wires
Updated yesterday at 7:08pm
Photo: Representatives of 175 countries are
attending the UN-backed summit. (Reuters: Murad Sezer)
Related Story: Doctors Without Borders pull out of UN-backed aid summit
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-05/msf-pulls-out-of-un-backed-aid-summit/7389008
Related Story: Pope flies Syrian refugee families to Vatican
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-16/pope-taking-12-syrian-refugees-from-lesbos/7332432
Related Story: Australia boosts Syria, Iraq aid by $25m
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-05/australia-boosts-syria-iraq-aid-by-25m/7142298
--
[ .. those boosts should be read in conjunction with these cuts ..
The blind truth of Australia's foreign aid cuts
Daniel Flitton Senior Correspondent December 11, 2015
"But foreign aid cuts by the Coalition government in Australia have robbed funding from eye clinics in Pakistan. According to the charity which runs them, these clinics would otherwise have screened 1200 premature babies for early treatment of preventable blindness.
The clinics are just one of dozens of programs – intended to lend a helping hand in some of the world's poorest regions – that have become casualties of the swingeing cuts that will soon drive Australia's foreign aid to its lowest ever level."
[...]
The clinics are just one of dozens of programs – intended to lend a helping hand in some of the world's poorest regions – that have become casualties of the swingeing cuts that will soon drive Australia's foreign aid to its lowest ever level.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/the-blind-truth-of-australias-foreign-aid-cuts-20151210-glk3e9.html
To be honest it's straight-out disgusting. Isn't it, Malcolm Turnbull?
--
Map: Turkey .. http://www.google.com/maps/place/Turkey/@39,35,5z
Hundreds of world leaders and aid agencies have begun meeting in Turkey for an unprecedented
United Nations backed summit seeking to transform the world's response to humanitarian crises.
The UN says increasing attacks on civilian targets such as schools and hospitals, as well as "medieval" sieges on civilians in Syria and Yemen, reflect a decay in respect for humanitarian law and the Geneva Convention on human rights.
"We have to stand up for international humanitarian law," said UN second in command Jan Eliasson ahead of the opening of the first World Humanitarian Summit, which has begun in Istanbul.
"We have seen a decay, a lack of respect for international law which is causing enormous damage in the world," he said.
The UN children's agency UNICEF said an average of four schools or hospitals a day are attacked or occupied by armed forces and groups, and civilians were being wounded and killed by indiscriminate warfare in countries including Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, Afghanistan.
Medical NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) — who saw 75 of its hospitals bombed last year — pulled out of the summit earlier this month .. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-05/msf-pulls-out-of-un-backed-aid-summit/7389008 .. saying it "can no longer see how the WHS will help" address weaknesses in humanitarian action.
Mr Eliasson said he admired MSF and was surprised at its decision to boycott the summit, and said he hoped the agency would see that the conference serves a purpose.
This month the UN accused the Syrian government of withholding aid to hundreds of thousands of people and risking a new siege.
While in Yemen, the UN has accused Iranian-allied Houthi militia of obstructing the delivery of humanitarian supplies to civilians in the country's southwest.
'Worst global humanitarian situation since World War Two'
Photo: The summit is seeking to transform the world's response to humanitarian crises.
(AFP: Amer Almohibany)
The two-day summit will bring together government and business leaders, aid organisations and donors from 175 countries, seeking to develop a more coherent response to what UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has called the worst global humanitarian situation since World War Two.
The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) — the peak body for Australia's aid agencies and charitable NGOs — said it would be the single biggest gathering of world leaders, NGOs and humanitarian agencies, seeking to address the scale of humanitarian crisis facing the world today.
"There are nearly 60 million people displaced around the world. Nearly a quarter of those are Syrians. More broadly about 1.4 billion people are living in conflict situations or situations where their lives are at threat," said ACFID CEO Marc Purcell.
"The economic cost of this [crisis] as well as the human cost is huge. Economic losses from conflict and disasters are estimated to cost $100 billion between 2010 and 2014.
"So this conference is about how governments and the UN and humanitarian organisations, the NGO's, respond to the scale of this broad humanitarian crisis around the world.
"It is at its peak at the moment in terms of stress on the system, on people, and on the system that is trying to help people."
Delegates at the summit include German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the presidents or prime ministers of Ireland, the Netherlands, Lebanon and Kuwait.
Celebrities attending include actor Sean Penn, whose new film The Last Face had its world premiere at Cannes on the eve of the summit.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon — attending the premiere — praised the actor's commitment to relieving world suffering.
He recalled a visit to Haiti after the devastating earthquake of 2010, when he noticed a very busy man trying to help those around him recover. He only later realised it was Sean Penn.
"I didn't expect such a celebrity, a movie star of the world, would be around so many refugees and displaced people. I was so moved," the UN chief shared with the audience.
"When I went [to Haiti] a second time, he was still there."
Push for increase in Australia's humanitarian funding
Australia is represented at the summit by Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, the Minister for International Development and the Pacific.
In a statement ahead of the summit, the minister said Australia was a world leader in providing humanitarian assistance, and has a strong record of contributing to global humanitarian efforts, including a recent commitment of an additional $220 million over three years to address humanitarian needs in Syria and neighbouring countries.
However, ACFID CEO Marc Purcell said Australia's contributions should be seen against a succession of cuts to the foreign aid budget.
Mr Purcell said he would use his attendance at the summit to push for a significant increase in Australia's humanitarian funding and its emergency response fund, and a bigger role for Australia in tackling climate change and helping to resolve the causes of conflict, for example taking a more active role in international negotiations on Syria.
"There's no doubt that the fourth successive cut to Australia's aid efforts have really damaged our humanitarian ability ... and more generally have had a bad effect on relationships with countries, particularly in Africa, where we see a lot of humanitarian disasters," he said.
"So there's a big job to both restore funding and rebuild Australia's aid program.
"Specifically on Syria the Australian Government has made an announcement for a three-year commitment to address needs in Syria. But we believe our humanitarian fund - our emergency response fund - is underdone for the scale of both big disasters overseas, but also emergencies close to home, like Cyclone Winston (in Fiji) and Cyclone Pam (in Vanuatu)."
Delegates at the summit will be asked to support five key goals to improve access to the resources needed to preserve the lives, dignity and safety of people affected by conflict, natural disasters and other emergencies.
ABC/AFP
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-23/united-nations-world-humanitarian-summit-starts-in-turkey/7438660
Also here .. http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=122855618
"Will aid deliveries to Syria help advance peace talks?"
Anne Barker and wires
Updated yesterday at 7:08pm
Photo: Representatives of 175 countries are
attending the UN-backed summit. (Reuters: Murad Sezer)
Related Story: Doctors Without Borders pull out of UN-backed aid summit
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-05/msf-pulls-out-of-un-backed-aid-summit/7389008
Related Story: Pope flies Syrian refugee families to Vatican
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-16/pope-taking-12-syrian-refugees-from-lesbos/7332432
Related Story: Australia boosts Syria, Iraq aid by $25m
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-05/australia-boosts-syria-iraq-aid-by-25m/7142298
--
[ .. those boosts should be read in conjunction with these cuts ..
The blind truth of Australia's foreign aid cuts
Daniel Flitton Senior Correspondent December 11, 2015
"But foreign aid cuts by the Coalition government in Australia have robbed funding from eye clinics in Pakistan. According to the charity which runs them, these clinics would otherwise have screened 1200 premature babies for early treatment of preventable blindness.
The clinics are just one of dozens of programs – intended to lend a helping hand in some of the world's poorest regions – that have become casualties of the swingeing cuts that will soon drive Australia's foreign aid to its lowest ever level."
[...]
The clinics are just one of dozens of programs – intended to lend a helping hand in some of the world's poorest regions – that have become casualties of the swingeing cuts that will soon drive Australia's foreign aid to its lowest ever level.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/the-blind-truth-of-australias-foreign-aid-cuts-20151210-glk3e9.html
To be honest it's straight-out disgusting. Isn't it, Malcolm Turnbull?
--
Map: Turkey .. http://www.google.com/maps/place/Turkey/@39,35,5z
Hundreds of world leaders and aid agencies have begun meeting in Turkey for an unprecedented
United Nations backed summit seeking to transform the world's response to humanitarian crises.
The UN says increasing attacks on civilian targets such as schools and hospitals, as well as "medieval" sieges on civilians in Syria and Yemen, reflect a decay in respect for humanitarian law and the Geneva Convention on human rights.
"We have to stand up for international humanitarian law," said UN second in command Jan Eliasson ahead of the opening of the first World Humanitarian Summit, which has begun in Istanbul.
"We have seen a decay, a lack of respect for international law which is causing enormous damage in the world," he said.
The UN children's agency UNICEF said an average of four schools or hospitals a day are attacked or occupied by armed forces and groups, and civilians were being wounded and killed by indiscriminate warfare in countries including Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, Afghanistan.
Medical NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) — who saw 75 of its hospitals bombed last year — pulled out of the summit earlier this month .. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-05/msf-pulls-out-of-un-backed-aid-summit/7389008 .. saying it "can no longer see how the WHS will help" address weaknesses in humanitarian action.
Mr Eliasson said he admired MSF and was surprised at its decision to boycott the summit, and said he hoped the agency would see that the conference serves a purpose.
This month the UN accused the Syrian government of withholding aid to hundreds of thousands of people and risking a new siege.
While in Yemen, the UN has accused Iranian-allied Houthi militia of obstructing the delivery of humanitarian supplies to civilians in the country's southwest.
'Worst global humanitarian situation since World War Two'
Photo: The summit is seeking to transform the world's response to humanitarian crises.
(AFP: Amer Almohibany)
The two-day summit will bring together government and business leaders, aid organisations and donors from 175 countries, seeking to develop a more coherent response to what UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has called the worst global humanitarian situation since World War Two.
The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) — the peak body for Australia's aid agencies and charitable NGOs — said it would be the single biggest gathering of world leaders, NGOs and humanitarian agencies, seeking to address the scale of humanitarian crisis facing the world today.
"There are nearly 60 million people displaced around the world. Nearly a quarter of those are Syrians. More broadly about 1.4 billion people are living in conflict situations or situations where their lives are at threat," said ACFID CEO Marc Purcell.
"The economic cost of this [crisis] as well as the human cost is huge. Economic losses from conflict and disasters are estimated to cost $100 billion between 2010 and 2014.
"So this conference is about how governments and the UN and humanitarian organisations, the NGO's, respond to the scale of this broad humanitarian crisis around the world.
"It is at its peak at the moment in terms of stress on the system, on people, and on the system that is trying to help people."
Delegates at the summit include German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the presidents or prime ministers of Ireland, the Netherlands, Lebanon and Kuwait.
Celebrities attending include actor Sean Penn, whose new film The Last Face had its world premiere at Cannes on the eve of the summit.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon — attending the premiere — praised the actor's commitment to relieving world suffering.
He recalled a visit to Haiti after the devastating earthquake of 2010, when he noticed a very busy man trying to help those around him recover. He only later realised it was Sean Penn.
"I didn't expect such a celebrity, a movie star of the world, would be around so many refugees and displaced people. I was so moved," the UN chief shared with the audience.
"When I went [to Haiti] a second time, he was still there."
Push for increase in Australia's humanitarian funding
Australia is represented at the summit by Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, the Minister for International Development and the Pacific.
In a statement ahead of the summit, the minister said Australia was a world leader in providing humanitarian assistance, and has a strong record of contributing to global humanitarian efforts, including a recent commitment of an additional $220 million over three years to address humanitarian needs in Syria and neighbouring countries.
However, ACFID CEO Marc Purcell said Australia's contributions should be seen against a succession of cuts to the foreign aid budget.
Mr Purcell said he would use his attendance at the summit to push for a significant increase in Australia's humanitarian funding and its emergency response fund, and a bigger role for Australia in tackling climate change and helping to resolve the causes of conflict, for example taking a more active role in international negotiations on Syria.
"There's no doubt that the fourth successive cut to Australia's aid efforts have really damaged our humanitarian ability ... and more generally have had a bad effect on relationships with countries, particularly in Africa, where we see a lot of humanitarian disasters," he said.
"So there's a big job to both restore funding and rebuild Australia's aid program.
"Specifically on Syria the Australian Government has made an announcement for a three-year commitment to address needs in Syria. But we believe our humanitarian fund - our emergency response fund - is underdone for the scale of both big disasters overseas, but also emergencies close to home, like Cyclone Winston (in Fiji) and Cyclone Pam (in Vanuatu)."
Delegates at the summit will be asked to support five key goals to improve access to the resources needed to preserve the lives, dignity and safety of people affected by conflict, natural disasters and other emergencies.
ABC/AFP
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-23/united-nations-world-humanitarian-summit-starts-in-turkey/7438660
Also here .. http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=122855618
It was Plato who said, “He, O men, is the wisest, who like Socrates, knows that his wisdom is in truth worth nothing”
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