Friday, 17 May, 2024
By: Lakshita Bhagat
Without downplaying the destructive fallout of the crisis on the lives of people, what separates the Ukraine crisis from others is that it received immediate attention and funding, unlike other crises that do not make it to the forefront for several reasons.
As the Ukraine war broke out, its humanitarian cost had become apparent
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has published its latest index of the world’s most neglected crises. Based on 2021 estimates, the index ranked all crises involving the displacement of a minimum of 200,000 people. The top ten neglected displacement crises are in Africa. In contrast, the crisis in Ukraine demonstrated quick intervention by international players to provide relief. In this analysis, India Tracker looks at what are some of the most neglected crises around the world and why.
As the Ukraine war broke out, its humanitarian cost had become apparent. As it happens during times of wars, riots, and other inflated tensions, masses try to move away from the war zone and seek refuge elsewhere; some cross international borders and others become internally displaced. As the provision of basic necessities of food, clothing, and medical services becomes threatened, international organisations and donors step in to provide these amenities and more.
When the Russia-Ukraine crisis unfolded, it not just received global attention and solidarity but financial aid, as well. This is how human tragedies should be responded to. But does that happen in reality? Without downplaying the destructive fallout of the crisis on the lives of people, what separates the Ukraine crisis from others is that it received immediate attention and funding, unlike other crises that do not make it to the forefront for several reasons. In this analysis, India Tracker looks at what are some of the most neglected crises around the world and why.
Shifting gaze from Afghanistan to Ukraine
The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 witnessed the country plunging into economic chaos and further deepening the two-decade-long humanitarian crisis; various international players made significant efforts to provide relief to people. However, a few months later, with Russia’s war in Ukraine, all attention got fixated on Ukraine, diverting attention from the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and setting a ‘downward humanitarian spiral’ in motion. For instance, after the six months of Taliban takeover, Afghanistan received USD 1.6 billion in aid, whereas, within weeks of Russia’s offensive against Ukraine, the US approved USD 13.6 billion in emergency spending for the latter. As the Russia-Ukraine war enters the ninth month, the latter has received aid and donations from international organisations, governments, and individuals. While the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine shifted the gaze away from the Afghanistan tragedy, the latter is still a significant aid recipient (see chart below). However, since the world is ‘busy elsewhere’, the Taliban reign faces less severe scrutiny around its human rights abuses and emboldening of terrorist groups.
Largest recipients of humanitarian aid worldwide as of July 2022, by country/plan (in million U.S. dollars)
Source: Statista
Forgotten Crises: Away from the global spotlight
There are various persistent crises that have not caught the media attention and appear to have been buried under the rock. The rankings NRC rankings are based on three dimensions- dearth of humanitarian funding, lack of media attention, and the extent of political abandonment. The mentioned dimensions are measured in relative terms. With 41 countries analysed as per the criteria, the top ten most neglected crises are all from Africa, a first as per the NRC report. The protracted Syrian crisis is 11th on the list. Several Central and South American countries make it to the cut of neglected displacement crises, such as Columbia (15), Venezuela (20), Honduras (21), 21st), Guatemala (24) El Salvador (25) and Mexico (38).
Democratic Republic of Congo or DR Congo has maintained its top spot for the second consecutive year and has appeared on the list six times. Armed conflict, fight over natural resources, natural catastrophic events and economic collapse have led to food insecurity and widespread poverty. The second on the list Burkina Faso is marred by political instability involving extensive violence and killings within the country that has forced people to flee violent hotspots. Other countries on the list, like South Sudan and Mali, have been besieged by political and climate-related devastations. Clashes over natural resources and civil conflict in certain regions have led to the inclusion of Africa’s most populous country Nigeria and Ethiopia in the list. All these crises received low media coverage, humanitarian assistance and low high-level political discussion. According to the report, some reasons for neglect are donor fatigue and geopolitical priorities. To illustrate, since the crisis in Ukraine carried direct implications for the Western countries, notwithstanding the exodus of refugees to Europe, funds were diverted to the country for humanitarian relief and other assistance.
The provision of humanitarian assistance to crises-hit regions has already come under strain due to the increase in food and energy prices in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war. This can further aggravate inadequate food supply in regions reeling under tremendous economic and political tensions.
