Bibliotheken Online

Global perspectives on humanitarianism

When human welfare meets the political and security agendas

Ninna Nyberg Sørensen ; Sine Plambech ; Paolo Cuttitta ; Gioconda Herrera ; Ulla Dalum Berg ; Sealing Cheng

Buch

deutsch

Cuttitta, Paolo DNB
Sørensen, Ninna Nyberg DNB
Plambech, Sine DNB
Herrera, Gioconda DNB
Berg, Ulla Dalum DNB

DIIS Report

3

DIIS

Copenhagen

2019

35 S.

Concern about the politisation of humanitarian principles and action is not new. As conflicts and emergencies have become ever more complex and the desire to hinder derived effects of cross-border movements by just about any means possible has intensified, humanitarian organisations and the work they do have nevertheless attracted increasing critical scrutiny, both within the organisations as well as from various external quarters including both governments and academics (albeit on different grounds).

The Report ‘Global perspectives on humanitarianism: When human welfare meets the political and security agendas’ is based on comprehensive research undertaken in Europe, Latin America and Asia. It takes issue with various questions and dilemmas emerging from humanitarian relief practices. Can you avoid political instrumentalization when reducing harm without changing the structures that produce harm in the first place (e.g. poverty, war or insecurity)? What happens to humanitarianism when those in need of protection have different perspectives on the kinds of interventions that would relive them from suffering (e.g. access to asylum and work rather than food provisions)? And what critical lessons can be learned from exploring the wider effects of rescuing migrants from high-risk journeys as part of the governance of global migration?

Apart from an introduction to humanitarianism in the context of global migration and refugee movements, the report consists of three individual case studies focusing on respectively humanitarianism enacted on the maritime EU border in the central Mediterranean; a variety of recent state-defined migration crises in Latin America deriving from Cuban, Haitian and Venezuelan mass migrations combined with massive forced return movements of nationals deported from the United States and Europe; and, finally, the tensions between asylum seekers and the organisations that pledge to assist them in Hong Kong. Together, the contributions raise important questions of the directions humanitarianism may take during moments defined as ‘crisis’.

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