Statement from ICVA Conference on NGOs in a Changing World Order: Dilemmas and Challenges to World Leaders on Possible War in Iraq

15 February 2003
Geneva, Switzerland

Yesterday, members of the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) from all over the world met in Geneva. As we began our discussion of the many challenges facing non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in a changing world, the UN Security Council was meeting in New York over potential armed action in Iraq.

ICVA is a global network of over 80 humanitarian, development, and human rights NGOs. It represents tens of thousands of aid workers from many countries, most of whom deal daily with the realities of human suffering caused by war and chronic disparities in the distribution of wealth. All of the members of ICVA share a common aim - preventing and alleviating human suffering wherever it may be found and ensuring full respect for the dignity and rights of the human person as laid down in international law.

We know, firsthand, the ravages of war. We work with refugees, displaced persons, and have worked for decades in helping reconstruct communities devastated by war. In Iraq and the region, we continue to address humanitarian needs of people affected by the Gulf War. At this conference, we heard strong testimonies from Afghan NGOs about the ongoing difficulties of rebuilding their country. The reconstruction process will take decades.

It is in the context of these goals and long experience that many of our members have protested the use of war in Iraq. We continue to urge that every diplomatic means available, short of armed force, is fully explored by the international community. At the same time, we note with great concern that military preparations for conflict are significantly advanced. In some countries, political leaders appeared to be readying their people for war.

In the event of military action, the human misery caused directly by weapons of war will be great. The threat that biological, nuclear, or chemical weapons may be used, creates a further horror. It is clear also that there will be massive indirect humanitarian consequences. The suffering of the Iraqi population, already disastrous as a result of factors including dictatorship, sanctions, and a barely functioning infrastructure, will be catastrophic. The majority of the Iraqi population, particularly vulnerable women and children, for example, relies on the United Nations for basic food assistance. Millions of desperate Iraqi are expected to flee their homes. It has been calculated that as many as two million people may become internally displaced and that up to one and a half million more refugees may seek safety across borders in neighbouring countries.

But the costs of war will not only be felt in Iraq. The massive financial cost of operations in Iraq and any subsequent humanitarian assistance programme threatens to diver attention of donors from other crises where there are equal human needs and equivalent obligations to protect human rights.

In light of the overwhelming evidence that a war on Iraq will be a humanitarian disaster, we call on you to exercise your responsibilities as world leaders to stop this move to war. There are alternatives.

Anders Ladekarl
Chair, International Council of Voluntary Agencies