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| IES PROGRAMMES
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| LIBRARY
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| EVENTS
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Washington DC - 3/5 February
Brussels - 18 February
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| IN THIS ISSUE
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CLIMATE CHANGE & SECURITY AFTER COPENHAGEN
'Climate Change and the Military' back on IES agenda
On 17 February 2010 the Institute for Environmental Security, in association with the EastWest Institute, is organising the workshop 'Climate Change & Security After Copenhagen', within the framework of the Seventh Annual Worldwide Security Confererence.
The purpose of the
workshop is to re-state the importance of Climate Change & Security as an
issue; to separate it from the discussion about the Copenhagen Accord; to
identify an institutional home for the debate; to outline necessary research and teaching on the issue and
to plan co-ordinated action in 2010.
THE MANAGEMENT OF A DISASTER
The international
Community is making efforts to contribute to Haiti's relief process
after the devastating earthquake. But who is in charge of what? And what
could be the contribution of the military?
The
powerful earthquake that affected Haiti on 12 January has been defined as a 'historic' disaster. With more than 170.000 deaths, 1,5 million homeless and
tens of thousands without access to food, water or medical supplies, the
Haitian government is facing one of the toughest challenges in Haiti’s history.
Aid agencies confirm that it is among the worst scenarios they have ever had to deal
with. Troops, doctors and aid workers are flowing into the island from all over
the world and millions of dollars have been promised but aid distribution has
remained sporadic and, two weeks after the catastrophe, many victims have
remained unassisted. Therefore the question is raised: How can a crisis of this
scale be handled and by whom?
A
fundamental principle of disaster management and international assistance is
that the stricken country has to take the lead in inviting and co-ordinating international
assistance. Unfortunately the disaster has destroyed
governmental structures and infrastructure such as they were and has severely
undermined the capacities to organise assistance to the Haitian people. As a
result, US troops have had to rehabilitate the capital’s destroyed airport to
allow international aid to flow into Port-au-Prince. Similarly, several thousand US troops have been mobilised to help improve security conditions and
facilitate the distribution of aid. However, these powerful US-led measures
have not gone un-criticised, notably on the choices made when aircrafts full of
medical supplies are ordered to land in Punta Cana or other 'nearby' airports
by US officers, causing serious delays in the distribution of precious aid.
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