Is Humanitarian Aid more Effective than Financial Aid?

By Washington Post

(Reporter- Navyaa Singhal, Photographer- Vishwam Khandelwal)

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Day 2 of the UN Development Programme saw more action compared to the previous day and witnessed many interesting turns. There were a lot of ups and downs throughout the session as the delegates animatedly laid out their arguments. The committee started with a discussion about the outcome & the motive of the committee session. This was followed by the GSL (General Speakers List) during which around 6-7 delegates got the opportunity to present their views.

The main subject of the speeches was international trade and aid. Delegates of different countries proposed that they should work with other countries in tandem so that their aim of providing and receiving aid at the time of need is achieved. It was stated by the delegate of Canada that whether the country or its people are rich or poor, aid should be provided to them whenever they require it. The volume or availability of aid should not be determined by their level of development. The wealthier country should take the  initiative and help the ones that are still developing. The delegate also mentioned that the resources needed to reach the right hand so they are not wasted. Often aid does not reach on time or to the actual persons in need, due to mismanagement, inefficiency or even corruption.

The delegate of Ivory Coast brought up the issue of Humanitarian aid, and highlighted how it may be better than financial aid. This topic was then debated strongly, turning it into a deep discussion between the delegates. It was opined that the distribution of financial aid may sometimes not be sufficient or convenient, whereas humanitarian aid is provided according to the needs of the people of the country. Furthermore, there were discussions about the solutions and problems of different types of trade.

After around 2 sessions of the committee the executive board suddenly announced a motion of entertainment. It’s a time where delegates pass anonymous chits to the executive board including dares and fun yet simple tasks to be performed by other delegates or the board. This was a time where there was excitement and fun in the committee. Everybody enjoyed this time, as it brought a light-hearted moment in the very serious proceedings.  This section came during the last 10 minutes of the committee and  it made everyone more interested and attentive to the proceedings.

Later, the committee proceeded with around 2-3 moderated and unmoderated caucuses. Most of the delegates raised motions, a few of which were passed and a few which failed but that did not deter the delegates from participating whole-heartfelt in the conference. One motion which focussed on the Geopolitical changes via aid and trade interested the delegates the most.

Now was the time where the Executive board surprised the delegates with a Crisis! the crisis was “The Northern Ireland - Republic of Ireland border bomb”. Each delegate spoke about the stand that their country might take with regard to the situation presented. Furthermore, the executive board updated the delegates about the situation of the crises in small intervals of time. The crises was taken forward with the PSL (Provisional Speakers List) presented by almost all delegates. The committee ended with an unmoderated caucus about the situation of the crisis and the delegates began preparing the working papers to present tomorrow, as ordered by the Executive Board.