Humanitarian Conference for Iraq

Humanitarian Conference for Iraq
DD Distributed Aid
by: Erie Sudewo

On 14 November 2007, a humanitarian conference for Iraq was held on in Istambul, Turk. This conference was initiated by IHH, a humanitarian aid agency based in Turk that was established following the fall of Bosnia. There are about 100 participants of the conference from 25 countries. Erie Sudewo as representative of Dompet Dhuafa Republika acted as participant from Indonesia, he is also the member of Wali Amanah DD. There are also some other participants who participated in Food For Iraq in 2003 in Jakarta.

The next day, Thursday, (15/11), in Istambul, another conference, International Al-Quds is held. There are about 5000 participants from worldwide including Indonesia.
The humanitarian conference for Iraq was held in Green Park Hotel Istanbul presented astonishing data. The damages due to armed-forces attacks in 2003 are much more destructive compared to the sanction in 1991. Educational facilities, sanitation and other infrastructure were badly damaged. Life is tough and fearsome. No reporters are allowed to cover. Information on Iraq is buried. Hungers are everywhere in refugee camp. No clues of when the aid would come or what to do.
The future of Iraq is no longer placed on the shoulder of Iraq but on the shoulder of all policy makers in US. Baghdad and other cities are cut. US army blockaded and slowdown anyone movement. There is little hope that aid can be distributed evenly. If not hit by US army bullets, the aid might be stabbed with their knives. Strangely enough, the US NGOs are free to move around.
Iraq does not know where to go. There are 1 million school drop-outs. There is more and more starvation. One out of 8 children died of starvation. Thousands of children died due the expansion of foreign armed forces. Thousand academic practitioners died. Important leaders become killing targets. Iraq is losing their leaders. There are more than 2000 religious leaders are sent to prison.
Civil war broke out. Syiah and Sunni faced each other, no more clarity of the real enemy. Those who have evacuated don’t want to return. There are more than 2 million refugees stuck at the border of Syria, while there are 1 million refugees at Sulaimaniyah, Turk border. UNHCR who deals with cross-country refugees did nothing. They are as confused as UNDP who is not so tough in Aceh. And it’s not because they do not know or don’t want to help.
Iraq was once a prosperous country, now 60% of the populations are poor. It was cruel for Iraq to attack Kuwait. However, it seem that destroying Iraq, making people to starve in refugee camp, or damaging infrastructure and destroying people future, is fine in the order to fight terrorism. It’s beyond imagination the effect of the one policy maker’s decision to attack Iraq. The world is silent seeing the destruction in Iraq as they are wiped out with the issue of terrorism. They are all as silent as when the mass murders in Bosnia happened. What kind of law that we’re talking?
Humanitarian conference for Iraq is mainly meeting among NGOs. It’s not possible for humanitarian aid to stop the destruction in Iraq. Iraq is crushed because of a policy. Therefore, we need another policy to rebuild Iraq. Though rebuilding is much more difficult than destroying.
No participants dared to expose the root cause of the destruction of Iraq. They discussed about the effect and humanitarian acts. It’s not because of unimportance but there is no way to fix damages with charity work. Taufik Ridho did remind all participants that the root cause of these damages is one policy maker’s decision to send in its armed forces to Iraq.
At the end of the conference, DD gave the remaining fund from Indonesian people that were collected in 2003. The handing of the remaining fund of US$17,685 became the climax of the conference. Through Human Relief, DD explained that the fund is to help orphanage and widows in refugee camp. Human Relief is the one who help to have DD and Indonesian Red Cross and Indonesian Humanitarian aid to enter Iraq when it was first attacked in 2003.
After the event, DD was approached by several NGOS to submit their proposals. So, what is the strength of International Meeting and Workshop on Iraq Aid? It is tough. Moslem fight is, indeed, tough.