Juo Wi's Blogpost on International development assistance
International development assistance CHALLENGE or FAILURE due to location or exclusion

Introduction

The organization that I have chosen is World Food Program. The country that they are currently providing aid in is Somalia. It is said that Somalia is "one of the most dangerous places in the world" and with "the highest humanitarian need for the size of its population". According to UN reports, Somalia has the highest malnutrition rates in the world. It is not because the government is ineffective, but because there is not much of a government at all. Not only so, half of Somalia's population (3.25 million) is now in need of humanitarian aid, a 77% increase since the start of 2008, while 180,000 children under the age of five in South and Central Somalia are acutely malnourished.

Problems Faced

After looking at the amount of humanitarian need that Somalia requires, let’s look at some of the problems that World Food Program has encountered. First would be piracy in Somalia. In early 2010, WFP was forced to suspend the delivery of food assistance in southern Somalia due to the growing insecurity and threats and unacceptable demands from armed groups in the region. In the year 2008 alone, 36 aid workers were killed. On top of that, in February 2010, Al-Shabab, the Somali Islamist opposition group, has announced it will stop World Food Programme (WFP) operations in Somalia. In response to the ban, WFP insisted that its role in Somalia was “impartial and non political”. Even though Somalia is in need of dire aid, in November 2009, the Shabab imposed 11 conditions on UN agencies and non-government groups working in the country, insisting they stay out of Islamic affairs and pay a tax, or jiziya, of at least 20,000 dollars every six months. This cause WFP to stopped working in southern Somalia in January, announcing it had suspended distribution of food aid after months of attacks and extortion by rebels.

Recommendation

For the recommendations, the first problem to be met will be the piracy. I suggest that WFP work with the United Nations (UN) in tackling this matter. This is because UN would have more manpower and authority in handling the matter as an international organization. UN can make use of Interpol to bring the piracy matter under control. The second matter to tackle would be to gain the trust of the Somali Islamist opposition group, Al-Shabab. To do so, WFP will have to be more transparent in handling the funds used for the food aid. This is because questions have been raised about WFP’s credibility and to a certain point that some people accused WFP of corruption. Both of these recommendations are based on a quote made by Leo van der Velden, WFP’s Deputy Country Director, Somalia. He says: “If we are to operate normally and efficiently, we first need peace.”

Conclusion

In conclusion, the failure of an efficient food aid came about when the benefitting country does not co-operate with the organization that is providing the aid. Therefore, trust between the country and the organization is very important even when in the providing of aid.

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