Mediterranean Region

A State of Emergency

The frequency of natural disasters has increased worldwide over the past two decades, and the Mediterranean region has not been exempt. Nor has the region escaped human-made disasters. But eastern Mediterranean countries experience war, internal conflict, and eruptions of violence on an ongoing basis. Such conditions create complex humanitarian emergencies, with political disasters that jeopardize the lives and livelihood of the population with political instability and high levels of violence. Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Somalia, and Sudan, with a combined population that make up a mere 19 percent of the region's total, accounted for 2.5 million deaths and 4 million refugees. Armed conflict, lack of stable government, and damaged infrastructure make the delivery of humanitarian aid difficult, and sometimes impossible.

The poorest bear the brunt of the emergency. Wars, past and present, flood the area with people desperately on the move. The Palestinian territories—Afghanistan, Iraq, and Sudan—are four of the five main sources of refugees globally, while the Palestinian territories—Pakistan, Iran, and Syria—are the world's major hosts of refugees. In addition, over a third of the 21 million “internally displaced persons”—people who have been forced from their homes, but have not crossed national borders—can be found in these countries. These numbers have a grimmer implication when juxtaposed against the fact that the region has only 8 percent of the world's population. Millions are caught in a cycle where poverty increases vulnerability and risk of disaster; and as each disaster decreases resources, it leads to even greater poverty.

Because the healthcare system is overburdened at best, the rate of morbidity and trauma is high. If a major disaster struck among the poorest of the eastern Mediterranean countries, the health system would be completely overwhelmed. The situation in Haiti in January 2010 reveals the cost of a system unprepared for disaster. When local systems cannot meet the critical medical needs of the community in the first hours after disaster strikes, the loss of life is multiplied. Some perish, who could have otherwise been saved through triage. In such situations, emergency is a chronic state.

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