Karen AbuZayd

Last night UNRWA “celebrated” its 60th birthday as a temporary relief organization. It was also the official farewell in Jordan to the Commissioner General of UNRWA Karen AbuZayd. Karen has been doing her job under still more difficult circumstances – both with regard to developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and with regard to the very difficult financial circumstances of the UNRWA. Her efforts on behalf of the UNRWA was highly praised by the Head of the Department of Palestinian Affairs in Jordan and her many partners.

Karen is not leaving without a bang. Her article from yesterday (in Jordan Times and other papers) shows a Commissioner General with strong opinions drawn from long personal experience working with Palestinian refugees. I don’t think this will be the last thing we will hearing from her.

Creating facts in the mind

By Karen AbuZayd

Sixty years ago today the United Nations General Assembly voted into existence a temporary body known as UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

UNRWA’s task was to deal with the humanitarian consequences of the dispossession of some three quarters of a million Palestine refugees forced by the 1948 Middle East war to abandon their homes and flee their ancestral lands. Just two decades later, the Six-Day War generated another spasm of violence and forced displacement, culminating in the occupation of Palestinian territory. Today, anguished exile remains the lot of Palestinians and Palestine refugees. The occupation of Palestinian land persists, there is no Palestinian state and the human rights and fundamental freedoms to which Palestinians are entitled under international law do not exist.

The occupation, now over 40 years old, becomes more entrenched with every infringement of human rights and international law in the occupied Palestinian territory. Political actors hold in their hands the power to redress the travesties Palestinians endure. Yet, the approach has been, at best, to equivocate over the minutiae of the occupation – a checkpoint here, a bag of cement there – or, at worst, to look the other way, to acquiesce in or even support the measures causing Palestinian suffering.

From my perspective as the head of the agency mandated to assist and protect Palestine refugees, it is particularly vexing that the prevailing approach fails – or refuses – to accord the refugee issue the attention it deserves. Over 60 years, dispossession has faded from the focus of peace efforts. The heart of where peace should begin is absent from the international agenda, pushed aside as one of the “final status” issues, one which belongs to a later stage of the negotiation process.

As forced displacements continue across the West Bank, as Palestinians are evicted from their homes in East Jerusalem, I ask a simple question: Is it not time for those engaged in the peace process to muster the will and the courage to address the Palestine refugee question?

On this regrettable 60th anniversary of the agency which I shall leave in less than one month, I wish to refocus the debate on the displaced and dispossessed, to put the refugees at the centre of peace-making efforts. Make no mistake, not a single conflict of contemporary times has been resolved, no durable peace achieved unless and until the voices of the victims of those conflicts were heard, their losses acknowledged and redress found to injustices they experience. The precedents of recent peace-making efforts and the methodology of contemporary conflict resolution affirm that giving high priority to resolving dispossession and the plight of refugees is a necessity, an international obligation and a humanitarian imperative.

The Israeli-Palestinian confrontation is uniquely complex. Among its myriad dimensions that require attention, the unresolved refugee issue is one of those most profoundly linked to the uncertainties of the regional situation and to the persistence of the conflict. Addressing it is, therefore, a sine qua non for making progress towards a negotiated solution. Failing to engage with the refugee issue and consciously shunting it to one side has served only to disavow the refugees’ significance as a constituency with a prominent stake in delivering and sustaining peace. This has left many with a dangerous cynicism about the peace process, thus strengthening the hands of those who argue against peace itself. I refuse, however, to conclude my time in office on a pessimistic note. Instead, I urge that we take steps to engage the marginalised. Let us confound the cynics. Let us create alternative realities to disarm those who favour violence.

I call on the peace makers to acknowledge, in their rhetoric and their policies, the need to address Palestinian dispossession. Let symbolism and rhetoric give way to substance. On the 60th anniversary of UNRWA, I call on the international community and the parties to the conflict to acknowledge the 60-year-old injustice as a first step towards addressing the consequences of that injustice. Let us build facts in the mind to create facts of a just and durable peace on the ground.

The writer is commissioner general, United Nations Relief and Works Agency. She contributed this article to The Jordan Times

Can the Mideast manage climate change?

By Rami G. Khouri

Daily Star staff

Saturday, September 19, 2009

The amount and quality of available scientific data on the global impact of climate change, I rediscovered at a seminar organized by the Danish Foreign Ministry in Copenhagen this week, is staggering. The debate that swirled around the issues of climate change and global warming just two or three years ago has vanished. There is much more certainty now on the nature and extent of the changes to the Earth’s climate that can be attributed to the impact of human activity, mainly the burning of fossil fuels that emit greenhouse gases.

The collective technical knowledge of humankind, however, is not yet matched by parallel political will to act early and decisively enough to reduce the consequences of climate change, and nowhere is this more evident than in the Middle East. The contrast between the actions of European countries – individually or collectively via the European Union – and the relative inaction in the Arab world is also staggering.

Equally dangerous is an emerging new trend in global climate change analysis and pre-emptive policymaking that sees climate change consequences as a security issue, rather than merely as a matter of environmental or economic consequence. Countries hard hit by climate change that do not take early mitigation or adaptation measures, it is feared, will suffer severe consequences and become a menace to themselves and to others. These consequences could include large-scale population displacements, job losses, food and water shortages, social and political strife, unchecked migration, waves of “climate refugees,” and armed conflicts over water or land.

The danger of addressing climate change challenges primarily as a security threat was succinctly noted in a report published this year that provides a terrific synthesis of our knowledge of the causes and consequences of climate change. The compact but rich 36-page report, titled “Climate Change: Global risks, challenges and decisions-Synthesis Report,” summarized the deliberations of 12 leading international scholars who met in Copenhagen in March under the aegis of the International Alliance of Research Universities.

In the document, University of Copenhagen professor Ole Waever, a leading scholar of international relations security theory, wrote that not only can climate change exacerbate conflicts and increase strains and violence among competing groups, but also that “[w]hen issues are cast in security terms, leaders get increased latitude for dramatic measures. It is crucial that this ‘security-driven empowerment’ in the case of climate change gets ‘channeled’ into strengthening of international institutions, and not unilateral emergency acts. Factoring security into the climate change equation runs the risk of escalating vicious circles. In the parts of the world where health and wellbeing are most negatively impacted by climate change, the likelihood of conflict will increase most, and these conflicts will further reduce living standards.”

The security-climate change nexus is critical for the Middle East, which is setting itself up for a catastrophe if individual countries do not soon summon the political will to acknowledge the likely consequences of climate change, and act preemptively to deal with them. In a region that is already fully or semi-arid, with its concomitant negative impact on agriculture, and major cities burgeoning out of control due to high birth and rural-to-urban migration rates, unchecked climate change that raises the average temperature by two degrees Centigrade is certain to aggravate the series of trends that have already turned our region into a showcase of incompetent public management and poor governance.

These trends include declining per capita available fresh water resources, degradation of water quality, urban hyper-growth, rising food costs, and widening disparities among populations when it comes to such indicators as income, health and social services, water and sanitation services, food quality, education, and overall quality of life.

The signs to date suggest that most Arab countries in the past generation have been unable to manage public services, the economy, and the equitable distribution of, and access to, national resources in a manner allowing the living standards of most citizens to improve. Rather, a small slice of Arabs has enjoyed significant wealth or very comfortable living standards, while the majority has remained mired in low-income living conditions – conditions not desperate enough to foment social or political unrest, but that also do not allow the bulk of citizens to graduate into a solid middle class life characterized by security, hope and wellbeing.

At a recent seminar at the American University of Beirut that brought together climate change researchers in four Levant countries, participants discussed the fact that massive quantities of fresh water are being pumped out of the ground and used by private interests, without the regulation of the state. Consistent over-exploitation of underground aquifers has seen available fresh water supplies decline steadily in many if not most Arab countries.

Water allocation, pricing, re-use, storage and conveyance are also widely mismanaged throughout the Middle East. It is difficult to see how a region that has been unable to master the most basic aspects of integrated water resources management can possibly muster the skills and political will to deal with the far more serious challenges of climate change. A resort to climate matters as a security issue is always possible in a region where security agencies dominate society and lead to severe distortions that partly account for the moribund state of Arab society.

The early warning signs are clear for all to see, and the scientific knowledge needed to deal with the challenges and potential threats is widely available to anyone with an internet connection. In the late 1970s, we were warned about imminent stress resulting from population growth, urban sprawl, arable land misuse, and water shortages. We did virtually nothing about all these issues, and they have blossomed into veritable crises that plague a majority of our citizens today, though the leaderships and elites are shielded from the pain.

We would look like world class idiots if we again ignored the early warnings about climate change, where the potential consequences are much direr. Amateurish national natural resource management for a generation should be as much as any people should be expected to suffer.

Global Peace Index – DK second most peaceful country

The annual GPI index “Vision of Humanity” was published on the 160th constitution day of Denmark (yesterday that was). DK got a nice gift on the occasion. Once again DK is the second most peaceful (and stable) country in the world. Only NZ is a notch ahead again.

Have a look at the figures and methodology at the GPI site for more info. And try also to make a comparison between two countries – like for instance Denmark and Jordan (ranking 64th). It is clear where the big and decisive differences are. Political instability, likelihood of violent demonstrations and military expenditure.

Looking a bit more closely you will see the very large difference in the driving political factors of democracy and transparency. Very low Jordanian scores on electoral process, functioning of government, political participation, civil liberties and corruption. These political factors are among the most important drivers of peacefulness and stability.

Rising Temperatures – Rising Tensions

Primarily thanks to the continuous efforts of environmentalists climate change has now become an established item on the global agenda. On a lower level “Being green” and showing care for the environment is in many countries regarded as a luxury in the light of everyday challenges but I think this is changing for good. Climate change has serious – and devastating – security implications. A scenario where migration is forced by and wars are fought over climate and resources has today a high probability of becoming reality.

Imagine what a people or a country will do if suddenly faced with no access to drinking water – or food – or land….

The Middle East – including Jordan – is often considered as one of the regions mostly affected by the impacts of climate change. The Middle East is also frequently presented as one of the regions that is most likely to erupt into conflict as a result of Climate change. In Jordan climate change is also very present in daily life. We name it draught or water scarcity and we see the Dead Sea shrinking every year. Rainfall has dropped and water consumption gone up and while a part of it is due to local phenomena this development will be accentuated by climate change to an intolerable degree.

For the countries of the Levant the disruptive impact of climate change will be determined by their vulnerability and their ability to adapt to its impact. Climate change might actually offer an incentive for countries in the region to work together despite their political differences. On the other hand given the current political landscape, to some extent characterized by general distrust among most if not all neighbours, hostility and current lack of cooperation, climate change could more likely aggravate tensions in a number of sombre ways.

Climate change is a fact of life and there is increasing global consensus that human activity carries a major responsibility for this. Climate change is furthermore one of the most serious threats facing the world – reducing the availability of water, threatening the production of food, undermining economic growth and threatening the very existence of some parts of the world. We therefore have to act fast through a firm global response.

Denmark will host the United Nations global meeting on climate change – the so called COP15 – in Copenhagen in December. Our objective is to conclude a new, ambitious global agreement on climate change that includes all countries of the world – including Jordan. The agreement should contain ambitious targets for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions considered the most important driver of climate change.

Against this background the Danish Embassy together with the International Institute for Sustainable Development will launch a report “Rising Temperatures – Rising Tensions” on how climate change can have a positive as well as a negative impact on present and future security challenges in the Middle East. It is our hope that the report can contribute to the broader efforts of promoting peace and security in Middle East.

The Launch will take place today at 17.00 at The Columbia University Middle East Research Center (CUMERC) and will be followed by a presentation of the report by one of its authors Mr. Oli Brown (IISD) and a panel discussion on the report’s findings. Places will be allocated on a first come – first serve basis, and please give a call to the embassy (592 66 20) if you plan to attend. A summary of the report can be downloaded here Rising temp rising tensions – summary.

UPDATE: The full (worth the read) report (4.4 MB) can be downloaded from this link. And a frontpage article from Jordan Times.

Gaza

The Gaza tragedy continues despite the UN Security Council resolution. Now other proposals to stop the war are floated. A common element is enhancing control of the borders for smuggling of weapons. In this regard there have been some references in Jordanian media to a Dutch-Danish Rafah Border surveillance proposal which I for easy reference have reproduced below. Apart from the ongoing political discussions in parliament, Danish media and demonstrations the humanitarian situation of Palestinians in Gaza and the attack on emergency aid has also lead to other official reactions.  

“Press release

Gaza: Denmark and the Netherlands offer police personnel to surveillance of the Gaza-Egyptian border

The Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Per Stig Møller, has today (the 7^th of January) along with his Dutch colleague proposed that the EU should contribute to control and monitoring of the border between Egypt and Gaza.

The Danish Foreign Minister has today along with his Dutch colleague, Mr. Maxime Verhagen proposed to the Czech EU-presidency and the other EU-countries that the EU offers the Egyptian and Palestinian authorities a significant contribution of police personnel to secure an efficient control and monitoring of the border between Egypt and Gaza. That would be one element in the international society’s diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the conflict. Furthermore, it could help to create the conditions for a permanent and viable ceasefire in Gaza.

 The Danish Foreign Minister, Mr. Per Stig Møller, states in that regard:

“The need for a ceasefire is extremely urgent. The terrible suffering of the civilian population in Gaza must be stopped, and the diplomacy must find a solution.

It is crucial that a ceasefire is permanent and viable and that it provides both the Israeli and the Palestinian people with the necessary security.  We think that the Danish-Dutch proposal can contribute towards that. One of the main problems has been that Gaza has by and large been closed since the violent takeover of Hamas in 2007, and that weapons have been smuggled to Hamas. If we can effectively counter that and open the border, so humanitarian aid and goods can enter, much will be won for both Israel and the Palestinian people.

The EU has earlier with success contributed to a functional Rafah-border between Egypt and Gaza. The intention of our proposal today is to build upon that mission. Of course in cooperation with the parties in the region. Denmark stands ready to contribute to such a mission on the border between Egypt and Gaza”.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Copenhagen. January 7, 2009″

“Press Release

Denmark donates DKK 20 million to the victims of the hostilities in Gaza

Denmark is giving DKK 20 million to the victims of the hostilities in Gaza. The humanitarian situation in the region has worsened greatly as a result of the past 10 days of hostilities and there is an urgent need for aid.

The Danish Minister for Development Cooperation, Ms. Ulla Tørnæs, states:

“The dramatic escalation of the conflict in Gaza has seriously aggravated the already fragile humanitarian situation in the region. I have therefore decided that Denmark is to provide assistance amounting to DKK 20 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). This contribution will help to cover the most urgent needs for food, shelter and financial help in the coming months.

“It is deeply worrying that the fighting in Gaza is affecting civilians to such a large extent when they have nowhere else to go. There are many women and children among the dead and wounded. That is totally unacceptable.

“The fighting has led to a serious lack of food, water, medicine and other health services and has delayed the distribution of emergency aid as well as making it more difficult. It is also difficult and dangerous for emergency aid workers to move around the region. It is therefore crucial that Israel helps to guarantee humanitarian access for the emergency aid.”

The UNRWA has been given a special mandate by the UN General Assembly to provide assistance to Palestinian refugees. The organisation was established in 1948 and its basic services are education, health and social services. In 2008 Denmark donated DKK 90 million to UNRWA, making it the organisation’s ninth largest donor. Denmark also provides humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees via the Danish Red Cross and DanChurchAid.

Since 1994 Denmark has provided substantial aid to Gaza and the West Bank with a view to establishing the foundations for a future Palestinian state. Each year Denmark contributes a total of some DKK 200 million in humanitarian and development aid to Gaza and the West Bank.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Copenhagen. January 5, 2009″

“Press Release

Danish Minister for Development: Unacceptable attacks on emergency aid workers

As a reaction to the attack on a UNRWA truck and the subsequent decision of UNRWA until further notice to cease the delivery of emergency aid to Gaza, the Danish Minister for Development, Mrs. Ulla Tørnæs has announced that:

“It is completely unacceptable to attack emergency aid, and I strongly condemn today’s assault on an aid worker from UNRWA. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is critical, and it is vital that emergency aid to the population of Gaza can get through and be distributed. Israel must do everything in its power to ensure that the emergency aid deliverances can be recommenced. This will be emphasised, when the Israeli Ambassador will meet in the Foreign Ministry tomorrow (Friday the 9th)”

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Copenhagen. January 8, 2009″