Five Factors Driving Neglected Crises

Five Factors Driving Neglected Crises written by Members of the Integral Alliance

"It is noteworthy that Integral is focusing on the need to address the prolonged crises of many fragile states. The causative factors behind these crises are complex and entangled with geopolitical alliances that make them difficult to resolve.

Those of us who operate within the tight economic and political constraints of our societies have long bemoaned the fact that western aid agencies tend to rush in to respond to the latest media-grabbing disaster hotspot.

This inevitably diverts funds and attention from disasters in other countries. Local Partners are left to find viable solutions with reduced resources. The report surfaces the bias of aid distribution, whether correlated to historical ties of colonialism, the geopolitical interest of the US in its ‘war on terror’ or its European allies pouring aid to Ukraine in defence of the ‘free world.’

The report cites a study of the G7’s record of aid over 30 years which found that oil-rich nations are more likely to receive aid than oil-poor countries. Such is the nature of our fallen societies that rich nations will behave according to their interests, even in humanitarian concerns.

The media has to compete in the commercial free for-all to get attention. Compassion fatigue sets in when drawn-out wars cause famine and mass displacement. Most people want tangible results from their donations and are not keen to engage in seemingly lost causes."

‍

Read the report

‍

‍