'UN responds to crises with political agenda'

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - Acting slowly and often with political agendas has damaged the credibility of UN agencies, although they remain important in terms of their expertise, resources, and capabilities, according to an Africa analyst.

"The existence of UN agencies which have the ability to take actions globally is very important. However, the fundamental problem of these agencies is their slowness to take steps and their acting with global political agendas," Serhat Orakci of the Humanitarian and Social Research Center (INSAMER), an Istanbul-based think tank, told Anadolu Agency.

Speaking on the international response to environmental crises such as drought and famine in Africa, he said that although the need for changes to the global humanitarian aid system is often voiced, no serious steps have been taken in that direction.

"For instance, these [UN] agencies need a specific number of deaths of people to take action. Another problem is that the UN Security Council's right to veto can turn humanitarian or environmental crises into [issues of] politics," he said.

He went on to say that while drought in Somalia has been devastating, the UN's Somali policy was almost entirely limited to the struggle against the terrorist group al-Shabaab.

"Crisis, conflicts and migrations in the Darfur and Chad Lake Basins are related to ecological changes in the Sahara. However, when we look at UN policies in these regions, we see that they prioritize political and military solutions," he added.

He added that the UN has been criticized for supplying food aid at the wrong time, in the process destroying local agricultural production and paving the way for food crises in Sudan and Somalia.

-Strong countries, weak countries

On environmental disasters across Africa, Orakci stressed that individual governments' crisis management policies play a key role in preventing environmental problems.

"Countries which have strong institutions and funding structures can survive such disasters with less damage, while weak and collapsed states suffer huge humanitarian crises," he said.

He said that preventive measures are also crucial instruments for overcoming crises and avoiding disasters.

"In the 2011 East African drought crisis, many people died of starvation in Somalia. BUt in Kenya and Ethiopia for instance, fewer people died and those countries recovered quickly," he said.

He added that the Sahara and the Horn of Africa are the regions in Africa worst hit by lack of rain, clean water, drought, food crises, and conflicts. Furthermore, he said, the presence of armed groups deepens these crises.

"In Somalia's 2011 food crisis, the largest number of human deaths was seen in areas controlled by the terror group al-Shabaab because adequate aid could not be delivered to these areas."

Orakci said it is also difficult to deliver humanitarian aid to Nigeria, where Boko Haram militants are in control many areas, especially the northern part.

"Countries take money which should have been devoted to infrastructure and instead spend it on guns to fight these groups," he said.

The al-Shabaab terrorist group, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda, is the strongest militant force in Somalia and has launched numerous attacks centered around the capital of Mogadishu, as well as dozens of cross-border attacks into neighboring Kenya.

Since 2009, about 20,000 people, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed and 3 million displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast.

"The number of extreme climate-related disasters, including extreme heat, droughts, floods and storms, have doubled since 1990s, with an average of 213 of these events occurring every year during the period of 1990–2016," according to UN reports.

- 'Africans appreciate Turkey’s good work’

Turkey's humanitarian work to address environmental crises such as famine and drought is hailed by Africans, said Orakci.

He said Turkey’s presence in the countries of Sudan, Somalia, Chad, and Niger has a salutary effect on the people in the region.

"Turkey and Turkish people are beloved in Africa. As long as Turkey keep making positive contributions to solving problems, its positive image will grow stronger," he added.

In 2011, then-Turkish Prime Minister and current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Somalia to express solidarity during the country’s worst-ever famine. Turkey has since provided infrastructure, humanitarian, and medical assistance to East Africa countries.

Since 2004, as part of Turkey’s outreach to Africa, Erdogan has paid dozens of official visits to African countries and witnessed the signing of numerous bilateral pacts to benefit both sides.

The Turkish government has donated millions of dollars for infrastructure development on the continent and sponsored hundreds of African students as part of the country’s cooperation with Africa.

In 2015, Turkey’s official development assistance to Sub-Saharan Africa totaled nearly $396 million, according to Foreign Ministry data.

Turkey currently has embassies in 40 African countries, up from just 12 in 2009.

Also, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), Turkey's state-run aid agency, currently has offices in 25 African countries including, Tanzania, Union of the Comoros, Namibia, and Guinea.