From Pakistan to Syria, women rise to the humanitarian challenge in disaster zones

Turkish Social Gastronomy Chef Ebru Baybara Demir and her colleague and fellow chef Turev Uludag. (Supplied)
Turkish Social Gastronomy Chef Ebru Baybara Demir and her colleague and fellow chef Turev Uludag. (Supplied)
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Updated 08 March 2023

From Pakistan to Syria, women rise to the humanitarian challenge in disaster zones

Turkish Social Gastronomy Chef Ebru Baybara Demir and her colleague and fellow chef Turev Uludag. (Supplied)
  • Female aid workers and volunteers have come together to help earthquake victims in Turkiye and Syria
  • Natural disasters often provide an opportunity for supporters of women’s empowerment to take action

DUBAI: In the midst of conflicts and natural disasters, women are often viewed as a particularly vulnerable and even helpless demographic. In fact, UN statistics show that women and children are 14 times more likely to die in natural disasters than men.

Nevertheless, recent natural disasters, such as floods in Pakistan and earthquakes in both Turkiye and Syria, have shown how women’s empowerment has enabled them to take on leading roles in their communities after destructive catastrophes.

Even in societies in which there are social restrictions on women’s movement, women have risen to the challenges presented by these tragedies.

In the wake of the Feb. 6 earthquakes in southern Turkiye and northern Syria, which left tens of thousands dead and hundreds of thousands homeless, dozens of women joined relief workers who rushed to disaster zones. Other women volunteered to help with the distribution of food and aid, working with organizations and even creating their own ad-hoc groups.  

Other women work tirelessly to prepare hot meals in the cold weather for the victims of the quake, such as Turkish Social Gastronomy Chef Ebru Baybara Demir.

When news arrived of the earthquake that laid waste to large areas of Turkiye, Demir was attending business meetings in Istanbul. Her city, Mardin, was hard-hit by the quake.




Turkish Social Gastronomy Chef Ebru Baybara Demir and her colleague and fellow chef Turev Uludag. (Supplied)

Almost immediately, Demir and her colleague and fellow chef Turev Uludag began cooking to feed people in the earthquake-stricken city of Osmaniye. A soup kitchen was established at the dormitory kitchens of the Ministry of Youth and Sports in the city, and the team of volunteers cooked 25,000 meals on the first day alone.

“The first day, we worked in a serious hurry,” Demir told Arab News. “Volunteers for cooking, washing, preparing food as well as food ingredients were needed, so we started to make announcements. Our friends, chefs, and volunteers from different cities began to come. Brands have started to support food and logistics and other materials that we need. Sustainability of support was very important.”

Once the cooking system was well established in the city, the two chefs moved to three other cities damaged by the earthquake: Kahramanmaras, Iskenderun and Adiyaman. In total, nearly 350,000 meals are being distributed every day in the four cities.




Turkish Social Gastronomy Chef Ebru Baybara Demir and her colleagues work tirelessly to prepare hot meals in the cold weather for victims of the quake. (Supplied)

“Women, men, children, and old and young people are working hand in hand to help everyone together. But I know that women will save this world,” Demir said.

The earthquake killed about 42,300 people in Turkiye, with economic losses in the country estimated at $25 billion.

In neighboring Syria, women are also playing an important role in saving their communities.

“For me, there is a big change (happening),” Syrian nurse midwife Najah Khaled told Arab News. After the earthquake struck her country, Khaled volunteered to offer medical services to those in need as part of a team that consists of two medical doctors, two nurses, and a pharmacist.




Syrian nurse Najah Khaled volunteered to offer medical services to those in need. (Supplied)

After the earthquake, Khaled put her medical studies in her native Azaz, north of Aleppo, on hold to travel daily to the earthquake-hit Jinderis, a town in the Afrin region in the country’s northwest.

“In life, there are things that become much more important than chasing your own personal interests, or asking about things that become unimportant in difficult times,” she said.

“Women know exactly what kind of problems families face. Women do sense problems that other women, particularly those who are in a weaker position, suffer from. Such problems frustrate women and make them lose their ability to make decisions.”

Nearly 9 million people in Syria have been affected by the earthquake, which completely or partially destroyed 7,400 buildings, according to UN figures. The natural disaster, which coincided with a harsh winter in the region as well as a cholera outbreak, added to the challenges of humanitarian aid provision in a country destroyed by more than a decade of war.

“If we really support women’s empowerment, then this is the time to act,” E.A., a Syrian female aid worker who asked to remain anonymous due to her belief that good deeds are not for publicity, told Arab News.

“For the first time in Syria, there are women among the members of the civil defense teams that carry out the rescue operations and pull people from under the rubble,” she said.  

E.A. was forced to halt her pursuit of higher education because of the Syrian war, and started working on programs to build confidence among women and teach them skills to help them generate income for their families.  

“I have been working with women (for the past several years), and if at this stage if I don’t assist women in having what they need, then honestly there is no need for me in normal times,” said E.A, who lives in the Afrin region and travels daily to Jinderis to volunteer and assist others.




Syrian nurse Najah Khaled put her medical studies in her native Azaz, north of Aleppo, on hold to travel daily to the earthquake-hit Jinderis. (Supplied)

“I feel I have a responsibility toward those who were affected. Afrin was also hit by the earthquake, but I wasn’t affected by it, so I feel I have to help those in need,” she said.

E.A leads a team of seven young women and men who are funded by individual donations from inside and outside Syria. The group provides basic needs to earthquake victims, including clothes, medication, and sanitary pads.  

The group searches for individual cases that slip under the radar of aid initiatives as well as those who do not explicitly ask for help. They also assist in setting up tents, building bathrooms near tents erected by those left homeless by the earthquake, and offer cash assistance to those who need to repair their damaged homes. Other groups work on providing basic services, such as electricity and water.

“However, the most difficult thing, I believe, is that people who lost their beloved ones don’t have time to grieve, and they don’t have any place to go,” E.A. said. “Women try to be strong and show strength.”


Yemeni traders accuse Houthis of harassing them

Yemeni traders accuse Houthis of harassing them
Updated 28 May 2023

Yemeni traders accuse Houthis of harassing them

Yemeni traders accuse Houthis of harassing them
  • Militia criticized for ‘seizing goods-laden vehicles without legal justification and selling them by force’

AL-MUKALLA: Two major umbrella organizations for Yemeni businesspeople have accused the Iran-backed Houthis of harassing traders in areas under their control through the imposition of illegal levies, the confiscation of their products, and other means.

In a strongly worded statement, the Federation of Yemen Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Sanaa Chamber of Commerce and Industry have complained that the Houthi Ministry of Industry and Trade closed businesses without legal justification, seized vehicles carrying goods for traders in Houthi-controlled areas, tampered with and even sold those goods by force, and imposed a pricing list of items without consulting traders. 

The two organizations criticized the Houthis for “seizing goods-laden vehicles without legal justification, forcibly opening them, disposing of the goods, and selling them by force.”

Dozens of lorries carrying vital products, such as flour, have become stranded outside Houthi checkpoints in Al-Bayda, Taiz, and Sanaa, as the Houthis have prohibited Yemeni businesses from importing goods. Yemeni traders say the Houthi action ruined their goods and cost them millions of dollars in losses.

In addition to obstructing the movement of their goods, the Houthis imposed fixed prices on traders and did not adjust prices even after the war in Ukraine, when imported goods were priced higher.

They also delayed for months the issuance of new business licenses or the renewal of existing ones.

Traders referred to the Houthi ministry’s actions as a “hanging sword” and warned that they would force businesses to fail and force others to abandon their communities.

“These practices cause losses and destruction to national companies and are considered an economic catastrophe that will affect the economic sector and market balance,” the Yemeni traders said in their statement.

The practices “will lead to the suspension of imports and the disruption of the country’s strategic stock, and their continuation will lead to the displacement and migration of national capital in search of commercial and economic security,” the statement added.

Yemeni economists argue that the Yemeni private sector, which has historically avoided conflicts with the Houthis, has decided to react this time as Houthi measures threatened to shut down their operations.

“This statement’s language indicates that (Houthi) practices, violations, and procedures have reached a level that threatens the private sector and national capital, as well as the significant business groups that have operated in Yemen for decades,” Mustafa Nasr, director of the Studies and Economic Media Center, told Arab News.

“It appears that the situation has spiraled out of control and that the private sector is no longer able to remain mute.”

Yemenis believe that Houthis are harassing the private sector in their areas of control in order for their budding private sector to grow and thrive.  

In March, the Houthis kidnapped Abdullah Ahmed Al-Hutheily, the owner of a large oil transportation, logistics, and oil-related services company based in Sanaa, for allegedly breaching their ban on working in government-controlled oil fields.

However, according to other Yemeni journalists and economists, despite their growing resentment against Houthi measures in Sanaa and other cities under Houthi control, businesspeople would not relocate their operations to government-controlled areas because the majority of their customers are in Houthi-controlled provinces and the Yemeni government in Aden offers no incentives.

“At the moment, it is difficult for any trader to leave Sanaa and travel to Aden because more than 80 percent of Yemen’s population lives in Houthi-controlled territories,” Fatehi bin Lazerq, editor of Aden Al-Ghad newspaper, told Arab News.

He added that the Yemeni government’s 50-percent hike in the US dollar exchange rate, along with security concerns, would deter firms from relocating to Aden.


Arab League calls on international community to end Israel’s crimes against Palestinian children

Arab League calls on international community to end Israel’s crimes against Palestinian children
Updated 28 May 2023

Arab League calls on international community to end Israel’s crimes against Palestinian children

Arab League calls on international community to end Israel’s crimes against Palestinian children
  • Ghazaleh emphasized the importance of upholding national laws and international conventions to ensure the protection of children from violence

DOHA: The Arab League has called on the international community to intervene to end Israel’s violations against Palestinian children and ensure the protection of their rights and safety.

Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Haifa Abu Ghazaleh’s remarks came during her statement at the virtual regional conference on preventing severe crimes against children in armed conflicts, which was co-hosted by Qatar.

She emphasized the significance of the conference topic, citing conflicts and humanitarian crises throughout the Arab world that have had a devastating impact on children. She noted the steps countries in the region have taken to address this issue, citing the 18th meeting of the Arab League Committee on Violence against Children and the implementation of its recommendations.

The secretary-general said that in order to prevent further violations against Palestinian children and promote justice, the international community must hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable for their actions and ensure that they are prosecuted.

Abu Ghazaleh emphasized the importance of upholding national laws and international conventions to ensure the protection of children from violence.
 


Sultan of Oman sets off on official visit to Iran

Sultan of Oman sets off on official visit to Iran
Updated 28 May 2023

Sultan of Oman sets off on official visit to Iran

Sultan of Oman sets off on official visit to Iran

MUSCAT: The Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq al-Muazzam traveled on Sunday to Iran for a two-day official visit, during which he will meet with President Ibrahim Raisi.

This visit comes following the invitation from the Iranian president to affirm the strength of the close relations between the Sultanate of Oman and the Islamic Republic of Iran, state news agency ONA reported. 

 


UK ex-FM: Support for Iraq invasion ‘one of my deepest regrets’

Former UK Foreign Minister David Miliband has described his support for Iraq War as “one of the deepest regrets” of his career.
Former UK Foreign Minister David Miliband has described his support for Iraq War as “one of the deepest regrets” of his career.
Updated 28 May 2023

UK ex-FM: Support for Iraq invasion ‘one of my deepest regrets’

Former UK Foreign Minister David Miliband has described his support for Iraq War as “one of the deepest regrets” of his career.
  • David Miliband: ‘I voted for the war. There’s no question in my mind about quite how serious a mistake that was’
  • ‘Ukraine has enormous poverty and crimes against its own population, but what about Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Palestine?’

LONDON: Former UK Foreign Minister David Miliband has described his support for the Iraq War as “one of the deepest regrets” of his political career, The Observer reported on Sunday.

Speaking at the Hay literature festival in Wales, Miliband said the war had resulted in “real damage” to the West’s moral integrity and claims of promoting international order and justice.

He added that the invasion of Iraq may also undermine anti-Russian stances in the West over allegations of hypocrisy.

“I voted for the war; I supported the government’s position. There’s no question in my mind about quite how serious a mistake that was,” said Miliband, who is now CEO of the International Rescue Committee.

He urged audience members to consider the words of Kenyan President William Ruto, who has encouraged greater attention to be given to other parts of the world, including Palestine and Afghanistan.

Miliband said: “Yes, Ukraine has enormous poverty and crimes against its own population, but what about Ethiopia, what about Afghanistan, what about Palestine?

“And I think that’s what we have to take very, very seriously if we want to understand what’s the role of the West, never mind the UK, in global politics.”

He described the Iraq War as a “strategic mistake,” partly due to the “global lesson that it allowed to be taught.”

Though the Iraq invasion “does not excuse what happened subsequently in Ukraine,” Miliband conceded that potential Western hypocrisy is a “very, very serious point.”

He added: “Ukraine has united the West, but it’s divided the West and wider parts of the world. Forty or 50 countries have refused to join any condemnation (of Russia), not because they support the invasion of Ukraine, but they feel that the West has been guilty of hypocrisy and weakness in dealing with global problems over the last 30 years.”


Erdogan declares victory in historic Turkiye runoff

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters following early exit poll results.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters following early exit poll results.
Updated 48 min 59 sec ago

Erdogan declares victory in historic Turkiye runoff

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters following early exit poll results.
  • “We will be ruling the country for the coming five years,” Erdogan told his cheering supporters from atop a bus in his home district in Istanbul
  • Turkiye’s main cities erupted in jubilation as Erdogan spoke

ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared victory Sunday in a historic runoff vote that posed the biggest challenge to his 20 years of transformative but divisive rule.
The 69-year-old leader overcame Turkiye’s biggest economic crisis in generations and the most powerful opposition alliance to ever face his Islamic-rooted party to take an unassailable lead.
Near complete results showed him leading secular opposition rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu by four percentage points.
“We will be ruling the country for the coming five years,” Erdogan told his cheering supporters from atop a bus in his home district in Istanbul. “God willing, we will be deserving of your trust.”
Turkiye’s main cities erupted in jubilation as Erdogan spoke.
Traffic on Istanbul’s iconic Taksim Square ground to a halt and huge crowds gathered outside his presidential palace in Ankara.
The opposition leader promised to make a statement later Sunday.
Turkiye’s longest-serving leader was tested like never before in what was widely seen as the country’s most consequential election in its 100-year history as a post-Ottoman republic.
Kilicdaroglu cobbled together a powerful coalition that grouped Erdogan’s disenchanted former allies with secular nationalists and religious conservatives.
He pushed Erdogan into Turkiye’s first runoff on May 14 and narrowed the margin further in the second round.
Opposition supporters viewed it as a do-or-die chance to save Turkiye from being turned into an autocracy by a man whose consolidation of power rivals that of Ottoman sultans.
“I invite all my citizens to cast their ballot in order to get rid of this authoritarian regime and bring true freedom and democracy to this country,” Kilicdaroglu said after casting his ballot on Sunday.
Kilicdaroglu re-emerged a transformed man after the first round.
The former civil servant’s message of social unity and freedoms gave way to desk-thumping speeches about the need to immediately expel migrants and fight terrorism.
His right-wing turn was targeted at nationalists who emerged as the big winners of the parallel parliamentary elections.
The 74-year-old had always adhered to the firm nationalist principles of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk — a revered military commander who formed Turkiye and Kilicdaroglu’s secular CHP party.
But these had played a secondary role to his promotion of socially liberal values practiced by younger voters and big-city residents.
Analysts doubted Kilicdaroglu’s gamble would work.
His informal alliance with a pro-Kurdish party that Erdogan portrays as the political wing of banned militants left him exposed to charges of working with “terrorists.”
And Kilicdaroglu’s courtship of Turkiye’s hard right was hampered by the endorsement Erdogan received from an ultra-nationalist who finished third two weeks ago.
Some opposition supporters sounded defeated already, after emerging from the polls.
“Today is not like the last time. I was more excited then,” Bayram Ali Yuce said in one of Istanbul’s anti-Erdogan neighborhoods.
“The outcome seems more obvious now. But I still voted.”
Erdogan is lionized by poorer and more rural swathes of Turkiye’s fractured society because of his promotion of religious freedoms and modernization of once-dilapidated cities in the Anatolian heartland.
“It was important for me to keep what was gained over the past 20 years in Turkiye,” company director Mehmet Emin Ayaz told AFP in Ankara.
“Turkiye isn’t what it was in the old days. There is a new Turkiye today,” the 64-year-old said.
But Erdogan has caused growing consternation across the Western world because of his crackdowns on dissent and pursuit of a muscular foreign policy.
He launched military incursions into Syria that infuriated European powers and put Turkish soldiers on the opposite side of Kurdish forces supported by the United States.
His personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin has also survived the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine.
Turkiye’s troubled economy is benefiting from a crucial deferment of payment on Russian energy imports that helped Erdogan spend lavishly on campaign pledges this year.
Erdogan also delayed Finland’s membership of NATO and is still refusing to let Sweden join the US-led defense bloc.
Turkiye’s unraveling economy will pose the most immediate test for Erdogan.
Erdogan went through a series of central bankers to find one who would enact his wish to slash interest rates at all costs in 2021 — flouting conventional economics in the belief that lower rates can cure chronically high inflation.
Turkiye’s currency soon entered freefall and the annual inflation rate touched 85 percent last year.
Erdogan has promised to continue these policies and rejected predictions of economic peril from analysts.
Turkiye burned through tens of billions of dollars trying to support the lira from politically sensitive falls ahead of the vote.
Many analysts say Turkiye must now hike interest rates or abandon its attempts to support the lira.
“The day of reckoning for Turkiye’s economy and financial markets may now just be around the corner,” analysts at Capital Economics warned.