CARE International is deeply concerned about the possibility of a new war in Iraq that risks deepening and expanding the current humanitarian crisis, extending human suffering. CARE International has undertaken several activities, together with other NGOs in the UK, in seeking to shed light on the crisis that already exists and would be exacerbated by war. These activities include:
- Publishing statements in prominent newspapers
in the UK.
- Representing the view of the UK NGO
Platform on Iraq in interviews on several media channels.
- Lobbying the UK government and urging the international community to take an independent position from the United States with regard to military intervention.
UK NGO Platform on Iraq
CARE International UK is working in coalition with the UK NGO Platform on Iraq comprising 20 UK-based NGOs (non-governmental organisations), including Save the Children UK, Islamic Relief, Christian Aid, Tearfund, Amnesty International and Oxfam.
Some of the issues that this platform has come together to highlight include:
- lobbying of MPs to influence the UK
government's position on sanctions in Iraq.
- Organising street rallies and publishing
letters as well as discussion forums in academic and development circles
on humanitarian issues.
- promoting awareness among the British
public of the suffering and the humanitarian crisis that has unveiled under
the imposition of a decade of sanctions.
- through links with Save the Children, CARE has also taken this campaign to the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Statement on Iraq
Eight of the 20 members recently released a joint NGO statement on Iraq, published in the Financial Times on 23 September 2002.
In this statement CARE, along with the other 7 NGOs, highlights key issues such as the likelihood of large numbers of civilian casualties, the lack of access to food and medicines, the threat to key infrastructure and the potentially disastrous refugee problem, all likely as a result of a new war in Iraq. In the event that military intervention does take place against Iraq, the NGO group has been carrying out an assessment of aid agencies on the ground and how they could help UK NGOs respond to the possible bombing.
Background
The sanctions and the War in Iraq have resulted in more then 700,000 people being displaced, effected the livelihoods of people in the country and left infrastructure for basic services such as water, sanitation and health badly damaged. Moreover, most of the Iraqi people are entirely dependent on food rations through the UN Oil for Food programme. With the current situation, a new war on Iraq threatens to bring about a large humanitarian crisis. CARE is highly aware of the humanitarian consequences linked to any kind of attack, and through our work we continue to aid the suffering of the Iraqi people.
CARE international has been working in Iraq for the past decade since the end of the Gulf War and the start of an era of sanctions. CARE works in the south and central regions of Iraq, as well as in the north. Our projects involved the rehabilitation of water, sanitation and health facilities in order to improve the quality of basic services for the Iraqi people.