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Haiti relief effort ‘polluted by power politics’, says Lancet

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 22 Jan 2010

The Disasters Emergency Committee has hit back at claims in a Lancet editorial that the Haiti earthquake relief effort has been marred by competition among aid agencies, as it reports its fundraising total has reached £42m.

"Polluted by the internal power politics and the unsavoury characteristics seen in many big corporations, large aid agencies can be obsessed with raising money through their own appeal efforts. Media coverage as an end in itself is too often an aim of their activities," the top medical journal’s editorial, officially published tomorrow, reads.

The editorial goes on to claim, "It seems increasingly obvious that many aid agencies sometimes act according to their own best interests rather than in the interests of individuals whom they claim to help."

But the DEC has hit back, saying that the 13 aid agencies under the banner of the DEC have worked collaboratively and presented a united front for UK fundraising and publicicity.

Brendan Gormley, chief executive of the DEC, has defended the activities of UK aid agencies, arguing that they are not “jostling for position”. “We do not recognise the picture of the aid response in Haiti painted by the Lancet,” he said.

“The Lancet article also fails to take into account the huge logistical problems faced by aid agencies in dealing with this disaster. Aid has not yet reached all in need but it is arriving in increasingly large amounts, despite the immense destruction and damage that has been done to the infrastructure on which all aid efforts rely. Co-ordination is improving but remains difficult following large numbers of deaths in both the UN Haiti operation and the Haitian government,” he added.

“The DEC appeal process is part of long-established and planned practices to ensure the best support for survivors. The media are essential to our efforts and our analysis shows that televised appeals have driven fundraising for the Haiti Earthquake Appeal.”

Gormley also responded to claims in the Lancet that the effectiveness of such appeals is not properly monitored. “The Lancet suggests that the aid world’s operations must be scrutinised. They are. Just last month, the DEC published an independent report into the reconstruction work in Aech, Indonesia, after the 2004 tsunami.  The report by respected consultants at Arup confirmed the great work that had been done, while highlighting how we can continue to improve future responses.”

Picture courtesy of Action Aid. 

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