April 28, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
While there are plenty of challenges facing aid workers in Burma, it is possible for humanitarian groups to operate there, writes Joel R. Charny, vice president for for policy with Refugees International, in Washington.
After his recent trip to Burma, Mr. Charny says, “ I concluded that donor governments were missing opportunities to support independent humanitarian work inside the country.”
Writing on the AlertNet blog, Mr. Charny lists some of the obstacles facing charity workers. The military government is deeply suspicious of the motivations of U.N. and nonprofit employees. They impose travel restrictions and delay granting visas.
Providing aid to Burmese refugees in Thailand is also difficult, says Mr. Charny. The Thai government refuses to allow Burmese refugees to leave camps and work legally.
Despite those obstacles, humanitarian work is possible and the “scope” of international aid groups in the country has increased over the last several years, he says. But donor governments have been slow to respond.
“U.N. agencies and international nongovernmental organizations need to make a conscious effort to find common ground on an overarching analysis of Burma’s humanitarian problems and ways to address them in the current political environment,” he says. “Organizations committed to the humanitarian principles of humanity, independence, and impartiality, whether they are based in Rangoon or along the Thai-Burma border, should come together to make a sustained case for increased aid.”
What do you think? Do donors need to give more to help charity work in Burma? Do aid groups need to become more vocal about the possibilities of operating there?
