World Food Programme Cross-Border Operations
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Rome, June 01 2019 Volume 3 Volume 2019 June 01 Rome, World Food Programme Cross-Border Operations World Food Programme Cross-Border Operations Personal Experiences of Alumni The World Food Programme Alumni Network Published by: The World Food Programme Alumni Network https://wpfalumni.wfp.org Joseph Kaifala, Editor World Food Programme Cross-Border Operations Personal Experiences of Alumni The World Food Programme Alumni Network Disclaimer The opinions expressed are those of the individual authors, and do not necessarily reflect those of the World Food Programme (WFP) or the WFP Alumni Network. Responsibility for the opinions expressed in this book rests solely with the authors. Publication of this book does not imply WFP or WFP Alumni Network endorsement of the opinions expressed. Copyright © 2019 WFP Alumni Network All rights reserved. Book and cover design, Joseph Kaifala Front cover image: Iraq food recipient, WFP/Abeer Atefa Dedication To those who devote their lives to humanitarian service with the World Food Programme; to the resilience, courage and determination of those in the places they serve; to the mothers and children who are recipients of their nutritious food; and to the 68.5 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. Foreword Once again, our committed World Food Programme (WFP) Alumni have taken the time to share their life stories in this latest Oral History publication, “World Food Programme Cross-Border Operations: Personal Experiences of Alumni.” Providing food assistance in a single country is a challenging and complex process. The complexity multiplies significantly when WFP is called upon to assist across borders. Often, those crossing borders do so at great personal risk. In addition, the capacity of recipient countries may be stretched beyond the capacity to provide adequate support. This book provides insight to such challenges through anecdotes ranging from cross-border food assistance in Bosnia-Herzegovina to getting food into Afghanistan from Pakistan. There are stories from South and Southeast Asia. Other examples include transboundary support between Cyprus and Iraq, and between Namibia and Angola. When I first met the WFP Alumni Network, I was impressed with their accumulated experience and knowledge in every sphere of our work. I felt their passion for their work and indeed the compassion in their hearts. The Oral History publications are an indispensable record of the spirit of the WFP family and reflect WFP Alumni’s continued contribution to the organization. In this regard, I am thankful for the enduring support of WFP Alumni colleagues towards achieving Zero Hunger. Best wishes, David Beasley, Executive Director I I Preface n 017, the World Food Programme Alumni etor AN) started to publish its Oral istory series based on the ersonal eperiences of alumni, ith toics selected through a surve of A members. The series started ith the outhern African rought mergencies (2017), folloed by nnoations at WFP 018. This third olume is based on the eperiences of alumni ho ere inolved in cross-border operations. The current olume contains contributions from 13 alumni and is focused on the folloing regions Afghanistan-Pakistan, osnia-erzegoina, prus-Ira, Namibia-Angola, ri ana, and hailand-ambodia. Persectives on cross- border oerations have also been etracted from Bread and Stone: Leadership and the Struggle to Reform the United Nations World Food Programme (2006), a book ritten by former WFP ecutive irector, ames ngram, coering his tenure at WFP, esecially a age on the United ations order elief Operation, and Une Vie en Bleu (2018), a book ritten by ean-acues raisse, a former WFP eut Executive irector. t ould not have been possible to produce this volume without contributions from the alumni ho cared to share their resective stories. hoe that these eperiences and ersectives will be useful to the management and staff of WFP ho have come after these alumni. ould like to thank our editor, oseh aifala, and my colleagues on the ditorial Panel. oseph has once again oen together a compendium of personal stories with appreciation from the Editorial Panel. uresh . harma President, WFP Alumni etor teering ommittee II II Introduction As a historian, when I heard that this year’s volume was going to be about ross-border operations, I was immediately ecited. ven though these are stories o orld ood rogramme (WFP Alumni who were involved in humanitarian servies, roviding ood to hungry eople in ompliated border situations, I knew they would inlude firsthand historial inormation—narratives not usually available in history books uided by humanitarian priniples o neutrality and impartiality, these ontributors oten had to negotiate with multiple onlicting arties and survive under treaherous natural onditions to reah those in need o relie. These stories show that ross-border operations oten our in violent onlit zones where humanitarian workers themselves an be targets o violent attacks The end o colonialism led to identity rises and national self-deinition in many regions aross the world, ithing racial, religious, ethni or other revolutionary grous against eah other In these situations, as the Liberian warlord harles Taylor oten said, when elehants fight, the grass sufers—ordinary people fleeing as Internally islaed ersons IDP and reugees ometimes even feeding vulnerable people is politicized by those resonsible for their sufering and these humanitarians are usually the only hoe for food and shelter. The stories in this volume are not only about the intriaies o these oerations, but also about the lives o these selfless servants themselves, who have had to relive the pain o losing olleagues and riends in these oerations As a strong suporter o the work o United ations agenies, I still remember the pain I elt after the 2003 bombing o the anal otel in aghdad and the humanitarian workers the world lost that day. ore than 22 eople were killed ut even when other aid workers were evauated after the bombing, the WFP ast Inormation Tehnology and eleommuniations mergeny and uport Team ITTEST) stayed behind to maintain ommuniation lines A major part of this volume is ontributions from Torben ue, Anette riksen, arlos eloso and others who were involved in the Iraq Operations Unortunately, humanitarian workers ontinue to work under dangerous onditions, many still dying in the line o duty aross the world. Aording to the 2018 Aid orer eurity eort, in 017 there were 158 major inidents o violene against humanitarian oerations in 2 ountries, affeting 13 aid workers f this total, 39 were killed, 02 wounded, and 2 idnapped hese inidents onstitute a 30 perent inrease from 2016. I hoe those who read these touhing stories o ourage and servie to humanity would apply more eorts towards inreasing protetion for humanitarian workers As with previous volumes o these series, I have learned a lot from these impatful ersonal aounts As a ormer reugee, I am indebted to WFP and all III III those who leave their own amilies at home to serve humanity in faraway laes. or these series, I am grateul to ein Skullerud, who has oten gone out o his way to help us find the best images, and Arianna eparotti It is always a delight to work with the ditorial Panel, eseially those who assisted with this volume: r uresh harma, rethen loom, Angela an ynbah and eggy elson oseh aifala ditor IVV TABLE OF CONTENTS oreword .................................................................................................. I Preae .................................................................................................... II Introdution ............................................................................................ III Table o ontents ....................................................................................... 1 1. Asia ................................................................................................... 2 United ations order elie Operation James Ingram) ........................... 3 Thailand - ambodia avid Morton) ..................................................... 5 Thailand - ambodia ulian eevre) ................................................... 12 ambodia erner H hleiffer) ......................................................... 15 ambodia Adelina antos ankia Myrvang) ......................................... 21 Pakistan - Aghanistan Piero Terranera) .............................................. 25 ri anka uresh harma) ................................................................ 30 2. Arica ............................................................................................... 35 enya - udan Jean-aues Graisse) ................................................ 36 Namibia - Angola (ouglas asson outts) ........................................... 39 3. uroe ............................................................................................. 49 osnia-eregovina (Martin hlsen) .................................................... 50 The alkans (harles inent) ............................................................ 58 3. Middle East - Iraq .............................................................................. 62 Ira Torben ue) ............................................................................. 63 Ira Jean-aues Graisse) ............................................................... 81 yprus - Ira (ane Peare) ................................................................ 83 United Arab mirates - Ira (Peter asier) ........................................... 85 Ira Anette Eriksen) ........................................................................