Development alongside the Military

The Humanitarian Centre Annual Lecture has become a landmark in the Cambridge calendar. It draws a diverse crowd of familiar and new faces, eager to attend the talk itself and to learn more about the work of a range of Cambridge-based NGOs at the drinks reception held afterwards. This year’s lecture, which took place on 7^th February, was titled ‘Humanitarian-Military interaction in complex emergencies: the experience of Pakistan.’

The speaker was Masood ul-Mulk, who hails from Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Masood is the Chief Executive of Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP), the largest NGO providing relief and development in NWFP. SRSP was created in 1989 as a development organisation, and has since moved into emergency relief as a natural response to a series of humanitarian and environmental crises. The 2005 earthquake, 2009 counter-insurgency intervention in the Swat Valley and the devastating 2010 floods have all called for an immediate humanitarian response, which an established local organisation like SRSP was in a privileged position to provide.

In his talk, Masood stressed that SRSP’s development and relief work is underpinned by its principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence, and informed by the needs and priorities of local communities. He said that the relationship between military and humanitarian organisations must depend on local contexts, particularly on the nature of each conflict and the way it is seen by local people. Masood explained that Pakistan’s army is, despite its dubious role in the political development of the country, an important national institution. Because of its capacity and resources, the army plays a significant part in providing immediate relief to communities.

Masood highlighted the need for humanitarian organisations to gain trust from the military, who have, in his experience, been unfamiliar with the workings of NGOs and seen them as disorganised and slow. He gave examples to show that SRSP has been able to win this trust thanks to its ability to deliver on the ground. Following the Taliban’s systematic destruction of girls’ schools during the Swat Valley conflict, SRSP built 14 semi-permanent school buildings, which were a concrete demonstration of what could and should be done as part of the immediate reconstruction process.  After SRSP showed the new schools to military and civilian officials, the provincial government agreed to fund a more ambitious school construction project. Masood counts this as an example of SRSP successfully relaying local priorities to the regional and national levels through substantive actions undertaken on the ground.

Masood described SRSP as a catalyst of community mobilisation, providing the necessary assistance to enable collective action and a locally driven, ‘self-help’ approach. After the armed conflict in 2009, the ‘human tsunami’ of people pouring out of Swat Valley found refuge in the homes of other Pakistanis, the ‘moral community’, since official camps could satisfy less than 20% of the need. Masood takes this eminently ‘human attribute’ of the general relief effort as inspiration for a more long-lasting community-based recovery process.

Concluding his talk, Masood argued that there should be better international recognition of local organisations’ contribution to relief work. He stressed the importance of building trust between NGOs, communities and national institutions, and of building local capacities to deal with humanitarian crisis. Masood’s final message was that aid is an important instrument in alleviating poverty, but it is only effective if it is used wisely, carefully monitored and reflects local priorities.

Masood Ul-Mulk’s compelling talk stimulated a lengthy and informed discussion with audience members during the Q & A session. Questions touched on a number of key issues, including the military’s administration of emergency relief, and obstacles to building a trusting relationship between military, civilian and NGO actors.

In all, the topicality of the subject, the quality of Mr ul-Mulk’s presentation and the energy coming from the audience combined to make this Humanitarian Centre Annual Lecture an extremely engaging event.

As in previous years, the lecture was hosted by Emmanuel College, with the Master taking charge of introductions. Lord Wilson of Dinton used the opportunity to remind audience members that this year’s lecture, in particular, marks a turning point for the Humanitarian Centre. Ian Steed, Director for the past four and a half years, is leaving Cambridge next month for a job with the Red Cross in Geneva. Lord Wilson congratulated Ian for his work and his contribution to ‘putting the Humanitarian Centre on the Cambridge map’. The quality of the lecture that followed made it a clear example of Ian’s achievements in bringing fascinating speakers to Cambridge.

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By Michaela Collord / The Humanitarian Centre

Originally published on 11 February 2011; edited on 2 March 2011

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Links

Listen to the podcast: ‘Humanitarian-Military interaction in complex emergencies: the experience of Pakistan,’ by Masood ul-Mulk

Sarhad Rural Support Programme: www.srsp.org.pk