The surge in Middle East conflict, rise in global hunger and unpunished breaches of the laws of war underline the need for a “fresh look” at the systems that govern our world, the chief executive of MercyCorps Tjada McKenna told The National.
International humanitarian law meant to protect civilians, medics and aid workers has been flouted in several conflicts across the world. Last year was one of the bloodiest on record for aid workers, especially in Gaza where more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since a ceasefire was reached last October,
“The checks and balances systems are being tested and violated,” Ms McKenna said. “We need to come up with something different and make sure there are consequences. That's easier said than done.”
US-based NGO Mercy Corps operates in conflict, disaster and poverty zones, providing emergency response, food and economic solutions across 40 countries worldwide.
Ms McKenna spoke about structures that have remained largely unchanged for 80 years. The UN Security Council, created in 1945, grants veto power to five countries – France, Russia, China, the US and Britain – largely reflecting the victors of the Second World War.
“The Geneva protocols, the UN system, in terms of who is in power and who has veto power – all those things need a fresh look to develop institutions that work for everybody equally.”
Even when attempts have been made at resolving conflicts, diplomacy has failed to produce results in many cases.
US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan in Gaza included the October ceasefire and a reconstruction and governance plan, neither of which has materialised yet. A Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran signed in June to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz also saw breaches through attacks. Mediators have been working to end the Ukraine-Russia war, and while temporary truces were observed, a comprehensive ceasefire remains elusive since 2022.
“The number of conflicts has exploded, and I don't know if we've had the same uptick in diplomacy to resolve them,” Ms McKenna said. “To have a ceasefire that's actually a ceasefire to put an end to the violence – basic diplomatic work and elbow grease would go a long way to resolving these.”
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Pressure not only should come from governments, but from the people themselves, she added, who should understand that conflict could touch every side of the world.
Ms McKenna said she had been to Ukraine before Russia's invasion of Crimea. “People didn't imagine that it would happen to them,” she said.
Humanitarian systems, too, need reimagining. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the ongoing Iran war has put further strain on aid supply chains already hit by a lack of funding.
“Starting with Covid-19, we began to see some reversal of gains we've made in terms of the number of hungry people,” Ms McKenna said. Last year, unusually, aid groups were responding to two famines: one in Sudan and another in parts of Gaza, when it was already rare to see only one, she said.
The focus is now on providing emergency assistance rather than preventing disaster. “Some people say they want to only invest in life-saving aid. By the time you're doing that, it's seven times more expensive than if you'd helped address it before,” she said. “It's much cheaper to deal with crises before they occur, by helping people be resilient.”
Unforeseen hurdles such as the closure of the strait, coupled with the funding shortage, make a “reckoning” vital on how things are done and the need for long-term investments, as well as better collaboration, she added.
Still, not all hope is lost. Ms McKenna believes we live in a time where people are able to tell their own stories, and document their hardships in a way that allows their voices to be heard and used as evidence to enact change. Most important is the work people have to do within themselves to stay vigilant. “There are a lot of forces existing to make us distrust and hate one another, and we need to be consciously working against that,” she said.
