The Humanitarian Imperative

After defining each component separately, I’ve come to understand the humanitarian imperative as an urgent, necessary, or even essential need to promote and work towards the welfare of humankind. I did further digging, both to professor Arcaro’s piece, “What is the ‘humanitarian imperative’?,” and UNICEF’s 2003 outline of Humanitarian Principles as well. What stood out to me in the former is that people across the world are generally compelled to operate by the “Golden Rule” philosophy of ‘doing unto others as we would have them do unto us,’ and also giving back to others in a way not necessarily shackled to immediate reciprocity, but more for the betterment of mankind. Despite this, those working towards the humanitarian imperative must fight against the “social stratification” prevalent in society, which in essence not only classifies people by emphasizing dissimilarities but has also allowed those in power to establish hierarchical systems based on those placements. In the passage on humanitarian aid in the UNICEF outline (seen below), they highlighted that the attainment of dignity and rights for especially the “most vulnerable” people was the goal and the humanitarian imperative implies a “right to receive humanitarian assistance and a right to offer it.” Again tying into this concept of universal welfare for all people.

The humanitarian imperative: Human suffering must be addressed wherever it is found, with particular attention to the most vulnerable in the population, such as children, women, the displaced and the elderly. The dignity and rights of all those in need of humanitarian assistance must be respected and protected. The humanitarian imperative implies a right to receive humanitarian assistance and a right to offer it. At times, humanitarian access to civilian populations is denied by authorities for political or security reasons. Humanitarian agencies must maintain their ability to obtain and sustain access to all vulnerable populations and to negotiate such access with all parties to the conflict. (UNICEF)

I think the idea of a humanitarian imperative is meant to be all-encompassing. As stated above, it is largely innate to be compelled by this “Golden Rule” to help others in need, and it is not something merely bestowed upon those in the West. It’s more of a human emotion than a Western one. What I do find to be influenced by the West is the ethnocentrism seen in defining who is in need, and in turn, what their needs are. I’m honestly guilty of this mind-frame in the past as well, where I’ve been ignorant of the fact that “betterment” to one culture may not mean the same to another.

The article, Two Ideas to Retire, by Jennifer Lentfer highlights this idea that we can “give” power back to those in the global South, as if we are the wielders of such power. This directly indicates a sense of superiority, which introduces the notion that “if you ‘give’ power to someone, by implication that also means you can take it away” (Lentfer). I am reminded of Teju Cole’s mention of the godlike savior complex that Americans or Europeans have when they visit areas in need. I believe this idea of power has caused us to be comfortable with telling others (who we say we aim to help) what they need help with and what skills or resources need to be developed, rather than asking them and building on what Lentfer calls their “existing capacity.”

I wonder if failing to allow natives to define what their own betterment looks like also plays a role in the unintended consequences of aid workers. I believe we are generally well-intentioned when giving to others but, frankly, the work of many aid workers doesn’t get to benefit those who the work is intended for. In “The Crisis Caravan: What’s Wrong with Humanitarian Aid, ” I was shocked by Linda Polman’s mention of how the sad commercials on TV that urge for donations hardly even get the money to the individuals in need, but they are more often exploited for the money by those in power. And that’s how they get us! Poverty-stricken individuals, especially women and children, are often the images we see because they are often the easiest to exploit and the most effective at generating more sympathy since they are seen as more vulnerable. Yet still, it’s hard to go against that ingrained need we have to help others. 

I think the humanitarian imperative is extremely important and guides people to want to do better for others in the world, but I also believe people need more understanding and less bias before trying to do aid work. Even things I would’ve thought of as minuscule, like donating a dollar here or there, could also not be beneficial. It is so important to do research to make sure that not only are we behind initiatives that benefit those who need the assistance, but also that we have an understanding of what help is needed based on the society there instead of making changes to suit our own culture. Ultimately, the humanitarian imperative is centered in our empathetic nature and we want to work for the welfare of others, which is an amazing thing, but kindness can get exploited for profit anywhere.

I enjoyed this video because it touches on the white savior complex and this idea of power that Europeans can “fix” the woes of the underprivileged. Mostly, I enjoyed the tips and think that is a great starting point for some and wake-up call for others.

Works Cited

Arcaro, Tom. What is the ‘humanitarian imperative’? 21 Mar. 2018, https://blogs.elon.edu/aidworkervoices/?p=985

Cole, Teju. “The White-Savior Industrial Complex.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 11 Jan. 2013, www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/the-white-savior-industrial-complex/254843/.

Lentfer, Jennifer, et al. “Two Ideas to Retire.” How Matters, 16 Mar. 2018, www.how-matters.org/2018/03/15/two-ideas-to-retire-empowerment-capacity-building/.

Polman, Linda, Liz Waters, and Linda Polman. The Crisis Caravan: What’s Wrong with Humanitarian Aid?, 2011. Print.

SOC371: 2-13  Class Google Document: The Human Imperative.

UNICEF’s Humanitarian Principles. UNICEF, July 2013. https://www.unicef.org/pathtraining/Documents/Session%204%20Humanitarian%20Principles/Participant%20Manual/4.2%20UNICEF%20Humanitarian%20Principles.doc