'Holistic policy needed to end humanitarian crises'

A holistic policy needs to be adopted by international institutions to end humanitarian suffering across the world, head of Turkish Red Crescent said.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Kerem Kinik said the holistic policy must be comprised of three components – security, development and humanitarian aid, adding:

If there is war or tension in a region and you distribute humanitarian aid, it will not be enough to prevent the war

Kinik emphasised that these policies are implemented by institutions worldwide, which function separately, therefore they should be integrated.

“As Red Crescent, the most important call we have made to the humanitarian aid sector is to adopt this holistic approach and to relieve the human suffering with a common policy in all sectors,” he added.

Kinik stated that humanitarian aid actors try to address the results of “malfunctioning system”, while the main cure lies in the focus on the protection of the people.

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He said the Turkish Red Crescent operates as a national aid agency that accompanied the Turkish nation ‘in good and bad times’ over the last 150 years.

The agency’s head emphasized that the system of the United Nations, which was established as an international system of the world to stop wars, needs changes.

Speaking about the current refugee situation in Turkey, Kinik said the agency regularly supports 1.3 million people under Red Crescent’s card program.

“We provide regular education support to 250,000 Syrian children. The humanitarian aid we send to Syria continues every day. We have sent 40,000 trucks of humanitarian aid so far and we are striving to ensure that there are no places in Syria, where the aid has not reached,” he said.

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