Are governments the correct answer?

Citation

(2006), "Are governments the correct answer?", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 15 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2006.07315caa.001

Are governments the correct answer?

Are governments the correct answer?

When major catastrophic events occur it is the survivors of that event that has to be the main concern of national responders, but these responders are often restricted in their actions by the concerns of their national governments.

Governments control the financial responses and without adequate finance the responders are limited in their actions. There are many examples of this type of occurrence in the past few years:

• •

  Governments have refused international aid or delayed their request for such aid much to the detriment of the survivors.

• •

  Governments have released financial aid too slowly to be of much help to the survivors.

• •

  Governments have made pledges to the survivors that have not materialised.

• •

  Governments have squabbled over territorial and border issues leaving those in desperate need to fend for themselves while the squabbling goes on.

• •

  Governments have put their own publicity well-being before the well-being of the victims.

• •

  Governments have antagonised relatives of victims through over-delay of the release of the names of fatalities.

So, is there an answer that will place the governments in a position which will alleviate the plight of the victims and their relatives in an appropriate manner?

There has to be an answer and that answer has to be found quickly. Whether it comes through a UN resolution which obliges the governments of member nations to respond more rapidly or through organisations such as the International Red Cross bringing pressure to bear, or what ever, an answer has to be found.

What is needed is a more resilient system which is outside the remit of national governments as catastrophic events are no longer territorial and confined to one nation; international travel has put an end to that scenario.

Such a system will require international funding, but not just pledges, but real hard cash:

• •

  it will need expert political negotiators capable of dealing with truculent government officials;

• •

  it will need a transportation system that can respond within hours and not days or weeks; the world is a shrinking place;

• •

  it will need base-line supplies at strategic venues throughout the world;

• •

  it will need the expertise to be able to fit their flights within the world-wide air transportation system;

• •

  it will need muscle, both politically and financial;

• •

  it needs the support of governments and their peoples world-wide to ensure that it is given the opportunity to achieve its objectives;

• •

  it will need many of the best international responders to operate such a system; and

• •

  it needs to be there for long-term recovery.

But, above all, it needs to be done, and done quickly.