CID Weekly: Chaos in Afghanistan, disaster in Haiti, Global Giving Week appeals launched

+ Vaccine roll out dashboard - last 7 days

+ Chaos in Afghanistan

"When we left Afghanistan and how we left Afghanistan are two different questions. Biden answered the first but not the second. And it is the second that will shape the situation over the coming weeks and months," tweets Anne Applebaum of The Atlanta magazine today.

There is no doubt the withdrawal from Afghanistan is a disaster. Analysts were divided over Biden's decisions to withdraw so suddenly. Some claimed the 'stay longer, leave better' approach had failed, and 20 years has turned into a 'forever war'. Others said withdrawal would leave vulnerable Afghans, particular women and girls at the mercy of the Taliban.

Turns out they were right. 

It is clear now that even the moderate gains over 20 years, of girls being able to go to school and women to work have been tragically reversed. 

A group of expert at the Atlantic Council sum up their views here, where most agree, even if the decision to withdraw was defensible, the execution has been appalling.

"Now there is no government, no counterterrorism, no pluralism, no women’s rights. Only a mob scene at Kabul airport, and disgrace," writes Andrew L. Peek at the Atlantic Council.

+ A Humanitarian disaster unfolding

Immediate action is needed now to avert a massive humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan, says Irfan Nooruddin, director of the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center.

"The international community must state unequivocally to the Taliban that atrocities against women and girls will be met with harsh sanctions. Regional actors that have aided and abetted the Taliban over the past two decades should face similar consequences."

An estimated 22 million people in Afghanistan are in need of humanitarian assistance today.

Aid organisations in the country now find themselves in a precarious position. It is unclear what Taliban rule will mean for their work — they still need to deliver services while constantly monitoring the evolving situation, writes Amruta Byatnal in Devex.

“It's our modus operandi to be here before the crisis and after the crisis, and probably right now we’re within the crisis,” said Mustapha Ben Messaoud, chief of field operations at UNICEF Afghanistan.

The majority of many aid agency employees in the country are women, and there is a question over whether they will feel safe going to work under Taliban rule.

Access, freedom of movement, and funding will be the biggest challenges. Several organizations told Devex that they will continue to work in the country, but will have to wait to see the extent of services they can deliver.

Here are 13 local charities working on the ground right now, accepting donations to maintain food and water and medical support.

• Afghan Aid is responding with emergency assistance where needed and supporting families who have lost their homes and livelihoods as a result of the conflict. 
• Islamic relief: Afghanistan is assisting families forced to flee their homes as Afghanistan sits on the brink of famine. This June, Afghanistan officially fell into drought, making rough conditions even worse.
• The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has launched a campaign to provide lifesaving aid, provide emergency cash assistance and protection services for internally displaced people in Kabul.
• Afghan Women and Children and Jalala foundation have teamed up to protect women and children fighting to survive following decades of war
• Enabled Children Initiative runs Window of Hope private care home in Kabul, which provides care to Afghan children and youths with disabilities from around the country

+ Death toll from Haiti earthquake now over 1,200

The death toll from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti climbed to 1,297 on Sunday, a day after the powerful temblor turned thousands of structures into rubble and set off franctic rescue efforts ahead of a potential deluge from an approaching storm.

Saturday’s earthquake also left at least 5,700 people injured in the Caribbean nation, with thousands more displaced from their destroyed or damaged homes.

Meanwhile Tropical Depression Grace drenched earthquake-damaged Haiti yesterday, threatening to dump up to 15 inches of rain on a landscape where people are huddling in fields and searching for survivors. 

The UN has stated that a "humanitarian corridor" through Haiti's gang-infested areas should be established so aid can flow to the southern regions. The United Nations and the Haitian government have struggled to send medical supplies and doctors by road to the town of Les Cayes, which bore the brunt of the damage, due to security concerns. Instead, they have been using boats and air transport.

+ NZ aid charities with appeals now

CID member agencies with appeals for Afghanistan or Haiti:

Childfund: Raising funds for Haiti earthquake response

Caritas: Responding to Haiti and Afghanistan

Christian World Service (CWS): Appeals for Haiti

CID will release information about more appeals as they are launched.

 

+ Panel and Networking Event - Survey of the NZ International Development Sector

+ 2021 CID Photography Contest & Exhibition

We are excited to be doing things a little bit differently for this years CID Photography competition. We have a new category, and will be providing an opportunity to have your photos (along with your organisation) exhibited to the public. 

Along with the three categories from the previous year, we have a new section to celebrate the work of our own colleagues, volunteers and friends here in New Zealand. Organisations will be able to enter under four categories:

1. Development (amateur photographers)
2. Humanitarian Aid & Emergency Response/ DRR (amateur photographers)
3. Staff & Volunteers (can include Aotearoa-based staff) (amateur)
4. Professional photographers/ Humanitarian & Development - for photographers based in NZ (non-prize category)

+ Aotearoa SDG Summit 2021

+ Do you want to facilitate a session at the 2021 CID Conference?
 

The 2021 CID Conference will bring together New Zealand and Pacific international development sectors after a tumultuous year to reflect, and to regroup on a new blueprint for aid and development.

If your organisation is interested in facilitating a session at the CID Annual Conference on 26th October 2021, we would love to hear from you! This opportunity is a chance to present and share collective challenges with representatives from across the sector. Please fill in this form with an outline of your proposed session idea.

Fill in the Expressions of Interest form here. Due 31st August.

+ Registrations now open for Conference 2021!
Early bird registration now open! get your tickets on the CID website.