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	China should step up its contributions to international humanitarian assistance by Joanna Chiu IRIN News, agencies   Sixty-two Chinese rescuers and six sniffer dogs were the first global team on the ground in Nepal the day after a massive earthquake devastated the country just over a year ago.   The quick deployment was a sign of China’s growing role in emergencies, but critics say its humanitarian contributions are still paltry compared to its economic and diplomatic clout. With the world''s second-largest economy and largest standing army, China''s contributions do not match official pronouncements about its growing international role.   “We are trying to play a bigger role in the existing international order,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a press conference in March.   “The world is so big and faces so many problems; the international community wishes to hear China''s voices and see China''s solutions, and China cannot be absent,” he told reporters.   But the figures belie such statements. China contributed only $54 million in humanitarian aid in 2014, according to Development Initiatives, which analysed data from sources including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the UN, and the International Monetary Fund. In contrast, the United States contributed $5.9 billion, while Britain gave $2.3 billion, and Saudi Arabia $755 million.   The UN’s Financial Tracking Service, which documents global humanitarian aid flows, shows that China’s contribution fell in 2015 to a mere $37 million.   Even China’s own statistics underscore the relatively low importance it places on foreign aid.   According to a 2014 white paper on foreign aid – including development as well as humanitarian funding – China’s average ratio of aid budget to gross national income was about 0.07 percent in the period from 2010 to 2012.   That''s much lower than the average 0.3 percent given annually by the 29 countries making up the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee, which include the Group of 7 advanced economies as well as smaller countries including Slovenia, Greece, and the Czech Republic.   In a recent commentary, the UK-based Overseas Development Institute said: “With greater power comes greater responsibility and China should step up its contributions to international humanitarian assistance to an amount at least remotely worthy of its GDP.”   The Ministry of Commerce, which administers Beijing’s humanitarian aid, has not responded to IRIN’s requests for comment and further information.   Observers have also noted that China’s aid often seems motivated at least in part by political goals.   “In terms of commitments overseas, it seems highly tactical,” said Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese studies and director of the Lau China Institute at King''s College, London.   He cited South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011 from Sudan, a long-time Chinese ally. China suddenly found itself in the awkward position of having invested heavily in oilfields that were now part of an independent South Sudan, while having provided support to the Khartoum government throughout the war, including supplying weapons.   China sent peacekeepers to join the UN mission in South Sudan, and contributed other humanitarian aid.   “We also saw this in Costa Rica in 2007 when China agreed to buy $300 million in bonds and give $130 million in aid to secure Costa Rica’s diplomatic recognition of Beijing instead of Taipei,” Brown said.   Some experts say it will take time for China to build up its humanitarian activities overseas. But as one of the most natural disaster-stricken countries in the world, China has the potential to contribute its considerable experience to disaster relief.   For example, when the worst earthquake in 30 years struck southwestern Sichuan Province in 2008, international agencies played only a small role and China’s response was widely praised. The government immediately launched a massive effort, which included deploying troops to rescue people buried in rubble, deliver aid and organise evacuations.   But critics also point out that China’s “draconian laws” stymie independent humanitarian efforts from Chinese NGOs.   “China might be a great power now, but it has to learn how to behave like one, especially in the area of humanitarian aid,” said Xu Guoqi, professor of Chinese history and international relations at the University of Hong Kong.   Xu said China has very few NGOs relative to its population, and they are still figuring out how to function within China as well as abroad.   A former Chinese NGO worker, who requested anonymity and whose organisation recently shut down after losing access to international donors, told IRIN: “Many Chinese NGOs have relied on foreign funding, as local philanthropy is still underdeveloped. Now that the government is clamping down harder on civil society, NGOs are thinking about how to survive, not how to expand overseas.”   Despite rapid economic growth, private donations have not yet taken off.   “Even with so many newly rich people, charity-giving is still not widely spread as in many Western countries,” said Xu.   On Weibo, a popular Chinese website similar to Twitter, most discussions of China’s humanitarian aid are critical of the leadership for giving money to other countries when commenters felt the funds should be used assisting its own citizens.   China''s income inequality is among the world''s worst. The country''s Gini coefficient for income was 0.49 in 2012, according to a recent Peking University report, where a number above 0.40 represents severe income inequality.   * A more substantial humanitarian funding commitment by China is needed to help the over 125 million people around the world in desperate need of support, for such international agencies as the World Food Program, UNICEF, FAO, UNHCR, the OCHA Central Emergency Response Fund and the like would be of the utmost value.   http://www.wfp.org/news/news-release/record-german-funding-wfp-delivers-lifeline-syrians-boosts-global-zero-hunger-effo http://www.unocha.org/stateofaid/ http://reliefweb.int/report/world/humanitarian-funding-update-august-2016-united-nations-coordinated-appeals http://reliefweb.int/disaster/dr-2015-000137-mwi http://reliefweb.int/report/world/el-ni-o-overview-impact-projected-humanitarian-needs-and-response-16-august-2016 http://bit.ly/28LvClX http://www.publishwhatyoufund.org/ http://ati.publishwhatyoufund.org/ http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/jun/28/seven-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-chinese-philanthropy http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/green-china/8663342 Visit the related web page
	Fighting back for human rights by SABC, International Federation for Human Rights South Africa   23 August 2016   The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), together with its member organisations, Lawyers for Human Rights in South Africa, DITSHWANELO – The Botswana Centre for Human Rights in Botswana and Zimrights in Zimbabwe, is holding, under the high patronage of Desmond Tutu, its 39th Congress in Johannesburg from 23 to 27 August 2016.   This unique event will be attended by the 178 FIDH member organisations, gathering more than 400 human rights defenders from around the world.   “It is the third time, after Dakar in 1997 and Casablanca in 2001 that FIDH has decided to hold its Congress in Africa. We didn''t choose South Africa by chance. This country plays a growing and key role at the continental level and at the same time has to cope with major internal challenges,” stated Karim Lahidji, FIDH President and added, ”Organising our Congress in Johannesburg means paying tribute to the South African civil society which, in a country marked by decades of apartheid, showed the courage and perseverance to restore the rule of law and which is still fighting to consolidate its achievements”.   The year 2016 is also the African Year of Human Rights and a year of important anniversaries for South Africa - the first democratic constitution 20 years ago, the Soweto revolt 40 years ago, and the women’s march against apartheid 60 years ago – but also for Bostwana - 50th Independence Anniversary. FIDH also will be paying tribute to these struggles and victories for human rights.   The Congress will begin on 23 August with a 2-day Forum entitled: Fighting back for human rights: Enabling a vision, implementing a strategy and ensuring the space for civil society as the cornerstone of human development.   The theme of the Forum was decided upon, after the following assessment: through their work and efforts, civil societies have contributed to increasing the respect for human rights throughout the world, but for the past few years, they have been attacked on all fronts: stigmatisation, judicial harassment, threats, assaults, assassinations.   These attacks go beyond people, for they target the universality of human rights, a universality that is being called into question by states that allude to specific cultural mores, the fight against terrorism, or economic interests.   The purpose of the Forum will be to provide an opportunity for civil society representatives from around the world to meet and discuss how they cope with these attacks. It will bring out the extraordinary capacity of the world movement of human rights defenders to resist and fight.   Over 100 representatives of NGOs from Southern Africa have been invited to participate in the Forum. This region is often described as one of the most stable on the African continent. Yet it is faced with major challenges that are related to security, equality, and protection of human rights. In several countries repressive measures have been implemented to still the civil society while corruption and political racketeering contribute to increasing socio-economic disparities, and violence and discrimination are often directed at women, migrants and LGBTI persons. To respond to these difficult situations, the NGOs of Southern Africa have devised strategies and created tools to protect against arbitrariness and impunity. http://bit.ly/2bhI011   http://2016congress.fidh.org/ http://www.fidh.org/en/impacts/ Visit the related web page
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