AIR TRANSPORtatION IN HUMANItaRIAN MISSIONS BY Phillip Taiwo A THESIS PRESENTED IN PARTIAL COMPLETION OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF The Certificate-of-Training in United Nations Peace Support Operations AIR TRANSPORT IN HUMANITARIAN MISSIONS C-130 Hercules A RESEARCH PAPER PRESENTED TO THE UNITED NATIONS INSTITUTE FOR TRAINING AND RESEARCH PROGRAMME OF CORRESPONDENCE INSTRUCTION IN PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS(UNITAR POCI), NEW YORK IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF DIPLOMA OF PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS OF THE UNITAR POCI BY PHILIP JOHN TAIWO UNITED NATIONS VOLUNTEER E-mail:[email protected] THESIS ADVISOR: COMMODORE DARIUS F. ONIMOLE,rt MSS, DSS, FSS, fellow of war college - (fwc), pass staff college-psc(+), MSc. Political Science (Strategic Studies) – University of Ibadan. JUNE 2005. EXECUTIVE SUMMARIES The United Nations system, with its array of organizations and agencies, governed by decisions of member states, can be said to be somehow complex. Often decisions taken in one governing body differ from those taken in another, as member States may push for contradictory decisions in different directions. Thus, coherence in requests for United Nations operational programs and even from its special agencies may not always exist. Also, the deluge of United Nations humanitarian assistance programs, together with their multiple implementing partners from outside the UN system, usually add to this complexity. The proliferation of relief actors, the inconsistencies of donor responses, disconnected bilateralism (when added to the uncertain boundaries of humanitarian assistance), and the scarcity of resources are all part of the environment faced by the international relief network. But as the dynamics of assorted events seem to wait for no one, there should b e a better way to resolve the cycle of crisis. The three known phases of crisis – be they military conflict, natural disasters, or other forms of crises – can be classified in the following order. The first phase is when particular events start exhibiting signs or indications of Deterioration – known as “Time for Prevention”; the second is the Crisis and Mitigation phase – when international opinion must have been awakened to such early warning signals as: worsening mortality rates, encroaching famines, military buildups, or battering gales/violent storms; while the third is the Stagnation or “Deterioration Again” phase – when the situation show either signs of recovery or sink into further abject deterioration. In real life there are frequently thin and very brief windows of opportunity between the phases, opened for humanitarian intervention, once the world has woken up to the situation. But what does it take to identify a crisis in the making? And depending on the nature of events, how long should it take the concerned few, such as the United Nations for instance, to respond to catastrophic emergencies anywhere in the world? The natural gestation periods occasioned by human frailties notwithstanding; there are other dimensions to the painful delays: the question of the right of humanitarian intervention (in the internal affairs of member states), and the due process necessary before the granting of mandates for commencement of UN operations by the Security Council (UNSC). There is yet a different phenomenon – unleashed on humanity soon after the Cold War – the escalation of seemingly uncontrollable intra or inter border conflicts, and the prevailing ascendancy and increasing sophistication of international terrorism – in addition to unrelenting waves of natural disasters, from earthquakes or tsunamis, to hurricanes and devastating floods. These unusual events appear to have provided firm moral ground in support of responsibility for the international community to intervene in order to protect innocent victims of disasters or conflicts, of such magnitude as the unacceptable assault inflicted on our collective consciences, following such horrible events as the Rwanda, Srebrenica massacres, the recent wanton and unprovoked terrorist attacks on New York and Washington DC, and the occasional devastations of coastal regions by floods caused either as a result of tsunamis or hurricanes. This paper richly highlights the existence of other Inter-Governmental Organizations (IGOs), International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs), as well as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), which are also involved in humanitarian relief operations, peacekeeping or peacemaking, either in support of, or in spite of the United Nations – principally as a result of unbearable delays often experienced before almost every UN humanitarian interventions. The paper therefore explores the evolution of humanitarian organizations, and examines the tremendous role played by air transports in the growing trend of humanitarian missions around the world. The paper elaborates on three main themes: the need for the international community to speedily react to disaster relief efforts; advocates for increased development aids by rich countries for the assistance of the under-developed world, and the urgent necessity to fund sub-regional stand-by modules of peacekeeping forces, to ensure quick intervention in crisis situations anywhere in the world. In order to achieve these desirable objectives, the paper makes a strong case for the establishment of a flexible yet economically viable, unique Air Transport Organization dedicated solely for humanitarian missions within the United Nations system. The study assumes that the UN would rightly undergo its proposed reorganization for more efficient and effective management of world peace; and to justify its existence into the 21st Century, the Security Council (UNSC) would be so structured as to reflect more balanced geopolitical considerations, and that there would be closer working relationships between an enlarged UNSC and other agencies of the UN to facilitate swift decisions, or mandates in support of humanitarian operations. A number of other current issues associated with above proposal are also discussed in detail in this paper, including the complexities of modern peacekeeping and/or peacemaking especially in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, an d multi-religious setting, with wide and sporadic conflicts – amidst stark under-developed economy – as the Sudanese Crisis, which the paper uses as a case study to test the unique air transport organization under proposal. Acknowledgement I will like to thank Commodore Darius F. Onimole, rt., for being my adviser of this thesis and for his assistance, patience and his dedicated and insightful commitment to this work. Without his expertise and guidance, this thesis would not have been possible. I am also grateful to the Director-Dr. Harvey J. LANGHOLTZ, and staff of United Nations Institute for Training and Research Programme of Correspondence Instruction (UNITARPOCI), for their assistance, patience and valuable guidance in bringing this work to completion. I am also grateful to Mr. Jorge M. Rodriguez Ponce, my former chief-Air Safety of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) - which will further build upon the first stepping-stones laid down in this work – for all his pragmatic insights and guidance. Finally, I would like to express my profound gratitude to my family, without whose encouragement, assistance and patience this project would have been so much harder to finalize. CERTIFICATION This is to certify that this work was carried out by Philip TAIWO under my supervision. ……………………………………….. Supervisor Cdre. Darius Folorunsho Onimole, rt MSS, DSS, FSS, fwc, psc (+), MSc ( Ibadan ) Course Authors, Thesis Adviser: Humanitarian Assistance, Logistics, Security, Maritime & Systems Management UNITAR POCI, NEW YORK, NY 10017 - 20475 DEDICATION I WISH TO DEDICATE THIS STUDY TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND THE LOVING MEMORY OF MY FAMILY AND TO ALL PEACE LOVING PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD. TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summaries i Acknowledgements ii Certification iii Dedication iv List of Tables, and Maps v Chapter One: Introduction-------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------01 Chapter Two: Intergovernment Organization--------------------------------------------- ----------03 What is an IGO? A brief history The humanitarian arena Budgets and financing Chapter Three: Non Governmental Organizations--------------------------------------- ----------10 What is NGOs? A brief history Budgets and funding Chapter Four: Humanitarian Relief in War Zones-------------------------------------- -------------14 Negotiated Access and Ongoing Conflict Conflict, Security and Protection Service-Packages and Non-Welfare Sub-Contracting Chapter Five: Humanitarian NGOs-------------------------------------------------------- ----------19 Africare American Red Cross (ARC) Care International Catholic Relief Services (CRS) InterAction International Rescue Committee (IRC) Lutheran World Relief (LWR) Medecins sans Frontieres USA (MSF USA) Mercy Corps International (MCI) Oxfarm America Refugees International Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO) Save the Children United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) US Committee for Refugees (USCR) World Vision Chapter Six: Organizations Involved in Humanitarian Missions--------------------- --------25 United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Assistance Chapter Seven: Geopolitical Analysis------------------------------------------------------ -------29 USAID Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) The UN Security Council (UNSC) and Peacekeeping Operations