Fragile states are our collective responsibility
2010-01-31 13:00
THE earthquake in Haiti is a tragedy beyond comprehension. It has
caused immeasurable human suffering, shattering families, communities and
hopes.
Among the many thousands who have lost their lives are good friends
and close colleagues from the UN. I mourn their loss and all those who died in
this disaster.
Fortunately humanitarian aid, provided by countries from all across
the globe and co-ordinated by the UN, is finally beginning to reach those in
need. The immediate priority will, for some time, remain the provision of
medical care, water, food and shelter.
But we must also plan now for the longer-term issues of recovery
and reconstruction. We must not waste this opportunity, however tragic, to get
things right in Haiti. The challenge is to do this in a way that is dignified,
provides hope, creates opportunities and builds the capacity of Haitian
authorities.
But there is a deeper, more basic, point to make. It should not
take a tragedy on this scale to focus on an unacceptable reality that perhaps as
many as a billion humans live in fragile states. Their plight is an affront to
human dignity and will increasingly have consequences for the security and
prosperity of us all.
There is no single definition of a fragile state, nor any consensus
on how many of them there are. What is important is that the absence of
effective state institutions and reliable governance mechanisms makes their
populations highly susceptible both to domestic and external shocks, be they
climatic, disease-related, economic or political.
Political instability, widespread poverty, and the absence of the
rule of law and economic opportunity don’t just increase people’s vulnerability
to natural disasters. They create conditions in which terrorism, piracy,
corruption and organised crime can thrive and enable these problems to be
exported across their borders. In today’s interconnected world, countering such
trends is in everyone’s interest.
Responding to today’s fragile states must go hand-in-hand with
anticipating those of tomorrow’s. The predictors are well-known and include
economic contraction, abuse of human rights, unaddressed political grievances
and environmental degradation, including climate change. These feed off each
other and make an ugly brew.
Members of the international community, particularly donor
countries, have a responsibility to engage with and repair fragile states, and
to prevent now-stable countries from joining their ranks.
We know what needs to be done.
Many countries are coping with intractable political problems and
face structural disadvantages that complicate their tasks of achieving economic
growth, fighting poverty, protecting the environment and preventing
disasters.
Their challenges will only have increased as the global economic
crisis puts new pressures on their resources and the fabrics of their
societies. Coherent international policies – whether on trade, aid,
investment, migration or climate change?– are needed to give them a real
chance, along with adequate financial and technical support.
But in fragile states we must go even further. More effort and
urgency is needed to support the development of effective institutions, both
local and national. This includes building and supporting their capacity to
provide security, administer justice and deliver basic services including
health, education, energy and communication.
We have to be prepared to engage for the long-term, even as world
attention moves on – possibly, alas, to the next disaster. This means bridging
the gap, one more rooted in institutional mandates than realities on the ground,
between emergency assistance and long-term development. It means empowering
national actors, state and civil society to articulate and achieve their
social, economic and political objectives. It means creating the conditions in
which the public and private sectors are incentivised to work in partnership to
promote economic development, create productive jobs and reduce the costs of
goods and services to the poor.
We cannot, of course, prevent natural disasters like the earthquake
in Haiti. But we can help fragile states and their populations to overcome the
chronic vulnerabilities caused by underdevelopment and long-term neglect.
For this we need to be bold. We need to think long-term. And we
need to act together.
The scale and complexity of the challenges?– as is highlighted by
Haiti?– should spur, not deter, action. Focused and sustained regional and
international support, along with enlightened leadership, can turn a country’s
fortunes around.
Mozambique was once a sad example of a fragile state. With
determination, vision and collective effort it has graduated into a peaceful and
democratic country with an economy that is growing strongly.
We need to show the same courage and sustained commitment in our
efforts to support fragile states overcome their problems. If we do, the prize
will not simply be a better life for a billion of our fellow human beings, but
more security and prosperity for all of us.
The recent UN Security Council resolution on Haiti, the promising
talk of a donor conference as well as the long-term initiative that former US
president Bill Clinton is expected to launch at next week’s World Economic Forum
in Davos, indicate that in the case of Haiti we may have learnt some
lessons.
But we must not stop here. There are many other countries,
including Afghanistan and Somalia, that require concerted and sustained help.
Now, not merely when the next disaster strikes.
- Annan is the former
secretary-general of the United Nations
- City Press