Second Conference on Volunteer Work: UN-OCHA participation

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs was invited to participate in the 2nd Conference on Volunteer Work organized (11-14 March) under the auspices of HRH Prince Nief Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Interior, the Saudi Arabian Red Crescent Society in collaboration with the Directorate General of Civil Defense, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Conference provided a unique opportunity for exchange of knowledge concerning Saudi efforts to promote national and international experience and public awareness on volunteer work.

Rashid Khalikov, Director, OCHA New York, one of the presenters/key note speakers at this Conference spoke about the cooperation between the UN and charitable and humanitarian organizations of this region, reaffirming the understanding that volunteer work is deeply rooted in the cultures and religious beliefs of all peoples around the world. He stressed great potential in cooperation between the UN humanitarian agencies and countries in this region, and invited all to work together to realize this potential, to the benefit of vulnerable people all over the world.

Saudi Conference on Volunteer Work

Presentation by Rashid Khalikov,
Director of the New York Office UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
March 2007

Distinguished Mr Chairman, Distinguished Dr Saleh Al-Tuwaijri, Chariman of the Organising Committee; Dear colleagues, and Participants, I am honored to join you in Riyadh for this very important conference, and am most grateful for the opportunity to share some thoughts on the United Nation's humanitarian efforts.

I am very impressed by the work carried out by Saudi Red Crescent, its partners and other voluntary organizations in the region, to assist vulnerable people all over the world. Particularly in this day and age, where effective and timely assistance matters as much as the assistance itself.

I would like to begin my presentation today by underscoring those values shared by all people around the world. Clearly, what unites us is stronger than what divides us. We have a common ethical foundation, as expressed in Islam, which includes a respect for humanity, compassion for the suffering, generosity to others, and selflessness.

Our shared belief in humanitarian values outweighs any political and cultural differences. Compassion has no borders, and suffering carries no passport. Humanitarianism is about acknowledging our common humanity. It is a universal concept that applies to all people at all times, irrespective of nationality, ethnicity, politics, religion or culture. Humanitarianism is premised on the belief that human life has one and the same value, regardless if one lives in Cairo or Chicago or Calcutta, Riyadh or Rotterdam.

Humanitarians believe aid should be provided according to need alone, not according to creed, politics, nationality, race, religion, media attention or any other criteria. The United Nations provides humanitarian aid in an impartial, neutral manner to all communities and nations through its humanitarian mandate. We help whenever and wherever people are in acute need. At all times, have but one agenda: saving human life and alleviating human suffering. The United Nations' humanitarian agenda is entirely separate from politics.

The United Nation's Role in Humanitarian Assistance

We have also been quite impressed by the deep analysis of roots for inspiration and guidance on voluntary work made by speakers at yesterday's opening ceremony and at this morning's conference.

Allow me to provide a bit of background on the United Nation's role in responding to and coordinating humanitarian assistance. Of course, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as a founding member of the United Nations, is part of this international framework.

The United Nations has been mandated by its member states to respond to disasters that are beyond the capacity of national authorities acting alone. Today, the Organization is a major provider of emergency relief. The office I work for, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (known as OCHA), helps to coordinate the international relief efforts of all UN Agencies as well as the Red Crescent/Red Cross Movement and NGOs. OCHA's Headquarters is in New York and Geneva, with staff working in 50 countries. OCHA is 92% funded by voluntary contributions.

Many people wonder why coordination is so important. In brief, coordination is essential to make sure we can help the most people, in the shortest amount of time, with the fewest delays with technically sound and principled humanitarian aid. In a crisis, every delay, every supply bottleneck, every misrouted truck, causes people to suffer longer.

United Nations Humanitarian Assistance to Muslim Populations

Over the last fifteen years, much of the United Nation's humanitarian work has been directed to assisting populations in need all over the world, including Muslims in need. I am pleased to announce that since 1992, more than one-quarter (27%, or $9.3 billion out of $35 billion) of all the United Nation's humanitarian funds raised through the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) has gone to assisting Muslim countries coping with the effects of a natural disaster or conflict.

[If one includes countries and regions that are partially Muslim, for example Sudan and West Africa, that figure increases to $20 billion out of $35 billion - or 57% of all the monies raised by the UN for humanitarian work.]

In the last decade, the United Nations has provided a significant portion of the humanitarian assistance given to suffering populations in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Indonesia, Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, the occupied Palestinian territory, Somalia and Sudan. The United Nations' commitment to the people of Palestine, for example, has continued uninterrupted for nearly 60 years. In Pakistan, the United Nations coordinated a relief effort that provided aid to over three million people whose lives were shattered by the devastating South Asia Earthquake in October 2005.

Investing in People: Increasing Opportunities for Training and Volunteerism

Islamic culture has a long and highly distinguished tradition of service and charity to those who are less fortunate. The international community can learn from the experience of your nations, and in particular, the skills and insights of the Muslim charitable sector.

The greatest treasure of any nation is its people. The international community can benefit from your experience, talent and local know-how in responding to disasters and assisting the suffering.

To that end, we encourage the Government of Saudi Arabia, along with other Gulf countries, to join in the many UN-supported professional training programs for humanitarian workers so that the talents and skills of your citizens can be utilized - and recognized - in the international humanitarian system. We support your participation in training for natural disaster response, civil-military humanitarian coordination, urban search and rescue missions, and other junior professional training programs.

We also support your interest in increasing the number of nationals from Arab States working for UN humanitarian agencies. This will also enable citizens in this region to learn from the UN, and to share this knowledge among others.

Building a Mutually Supportive Partnership

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is now dedicating more attention to building humanitarian partnerships, including with governments and aid actors in the Middle East. We invite countries in this region to continue to work as full partners within the UN humanitarian community, to integrate the work carried out, and the generosity you provide, within this framework. In this way, we will get to know each other better, and can coordinate our assistance in a way that is transparent, efficient, and accountable for all concerned.

By working together, we will build a stronger, more representative and universally accepted and legitimatized humanitarian community. In working as partners, your efforts and generosity will receive the international visibility they fully deserve. Finally, through enhanced collaboration, countries from this region will be better placed to help set the international debate on humanitarian aid

In brief, I believe countries here have more to gain by working within the international humanitarian system than outside of it.

First, citizens from the region will be trained, utilized and recognized by the world community for their expertise. As I think you would all agree, this investment in human capital is priceless, and will reap benefits for generations to come.

Second, the long-standing generosity of nations in this region as donors will become internationally visible, acknowledged and highly regarded when channeled through the United Nations multilateral framework. Donor contributions to the UN Humanitarian Appeal are listed on the Financial Tracking Service internet site, which is widely used by international institutions, the public and the global media as a measure of donor generosity.

Last but certainly not least, by working together, we can save more lives. As I said at the outset of my talk, what unites us is stronger than what separates us. Our shared belief in humanitarian values transcends any political or cultural divide. By working together, we demonstrate 'compassion in action' to all those who suffer, and give new life and breath to our common humanity.

Thank you.