When Chronic Poverty Leads to Accute Emergencies

Mariah Mahmood, intern at OCHA, New York

Humanitarian assistance is naturally the first response when conflicts or natural disasters strike, however when assistance is required where there is no obvious precursor, it is the sign of a complex and usually slow onset emergency. Rapid onset emergencies, like the Asian Tsunami, have very dramatic and instantly obvious consequences, while slower onset emergencies affect a greater number of people over long periods of time and are very difficult to resolve1. Although the underlying cause of these kinds of emergencies is chronic poverty, they are perpetuated by various issues including failing crops, poorly functioning markets and protracted conflicts. Chronic poverty is not simply related to very low incomes; it signifies vulnerability to a point where there is a real and present risk of hunger, starvation, destitution or death. In addition, chronic poverty such as this lasts for several years and is frequently inherited2. As seen from previous experience, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, humanitarian assistance commonly wanes after a short period even though the need still exists. Therefore in order to cope more proficiently with chronic poverty and associated acute deteriorations, it becomes essential to address these underlying causes and their potential to lead to acute emergencies.

In the short term, the humanitarian community is limited to dealing with chronic poverty when it reaches a point of catastrophic vulnerability to starvation leading to death. Knowledge and experience gained over the years has led the humanitarian community to form early warning systems to signal an impending deterioration of the situation. At the Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs at the United Nations, the Early Warning and Contingency Planning Section (EWCP) was introduced in 2007 in order to improve response by monitoring trends, thereby allowing time for preparation planning and even potential prevention3. For instance an improved understanding of acute food insecurity and the professionalization of humanitarian response has contributed to a decline in famine worldwide. However emergency food aid and safety nets to ameliorate or prevent acute food insecurity do not address the broader problem of chronic food insecurity, hunger and poverty, which pose a far greater challenge that can only be effectively addressed as part of a broader development strategy3.

In order to enact a long term solution, the roots of the problem need to be understood. The Chronic Poverty Report has identified five main traps of chronic poverty; insecurity, limited citizenship, spatial disadvantage (remoteness), social discrimination and poor work opportunities. State provided social protection and public services are key to countering chronic poverty. Hulme4 suggests that the first steps are to develop an understanding of the problem and identify appropriate policies and necessary practices. This needs to be followed by sustained financial support from wealthier donor countries for development of infrastructure, education and healthcare in order to achieve eventual sustainable economic growth. Engendering and maintaining such support is problematic in a climate that questions the efficacy of foreign aid. Recently the Wall Street Journal5, reported that over the past 60 years at least USD$1 trillion worth of aid has been transferred to Africa, yet real per-capita income today is lower than it was in the 1970s, and more than 50% of the population (over 350 million people) still live on less than a dollar a day. The most obvious reason for this is the rampant corruption present in these countries. Therefore policies must be geared towards transformative social change focusing on effective political representation2.

Although, these solutions are broad, it is imperative to remember that the underlying causes of chronic poverty are challenging and complex and consequently need to be considered on a case by case basis.


References

1. Hulme, D. “Conceptualizing Chronic Poverty” Institute for Development Policy and Management, 2003
2. Chronic Poverty Research Centre. “The Chronic Poverty Report 2008–09 – Escaping Poverty Traps”, 2008
3. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. http://ochaonline.un.org/, 2008
4. Barrett, C.B. “Food Aid in Response to Acute Food Insecurity”, ESA Working Paper No.06-10, 2006
5. Moyo, D. “Why Foreign Aid Is Hurting Africa” Wall Street Journal, 21 March 2009