News
Cross-cultural dialogue in the humanitarian sector
8 July 2010
On 20 June 2010, The Humanitarian Forum brought together a small group of experts to discuss how to bridge the gap between ‘Western' and ‘Islamic' humanitarianism. To do this, they agreed to draw up a draft set of humanitarian principles, drawing on the Red Cross/NGO Code, but which is relevant to both traditions.
The Humanitarian Forum is uniquely placed to ensure these principles are created to add value to international debates. Our international steering committee, which brings together both ‘Western' and ‘Islamic' representatives, will enable us to ‘root' the Red Cross/NGO Code within the tradition, ethics and law of Islam. Over a longer time, the group will develop a code or commentary for additional Islamic principles that are not in the Red Cross/NGO Code.
The group agreed that the Red Cross/NGO Code represents an important framework; one which should be advocated to Islamic charities. Its ambition is to widen the audience for the Red Cross/NGO Code, with Islamic NGOs understanding international principles, and the Red Cross/NGO Code as a framework. But equally it aims to demonstrate that Islamic INGOs already abide by these principles in practice. Of course, there are currently debates about the Red Cross/NGO Code across the international community, and the time is ripe for involving Islamic actors if and when the Code is revised.
Increasing awareness
To increase awareness of the Red Cross/NGO Code among Islamic charities, Khaled Diab urged for a commentary, outlining the great areas of common ground between Islamic and Western traditions of humanitarianism. The group agreed that this would be the main focus of the working group.
By ‘rooting' the principles in Islamic tradition, The Humanitarian Forum and its partners hope to add to the overall effectiveness of humanitarian work. So it's crucial to ensure the exercise remains primarily a practical one, not a theoretical or scholarly study. For this reason representatives agreed that the working group should work with Islamic consultants who are familiar with the Red Cross/NGO Code and have significant experience in the humanitarian field.
This is an exciting beginning for a vital project, which The Humanitarian Forum is confident will lead to greater cooperation and understanding between humanitarian actors. Once the new commentary and rooting exercise is complete, the group will also look into future implementation.
Comments