SONGSOPTOK: Let us forget for a moment the UN definition of
‘humanitarianism’. What is your personal definition? In what context would you
apply the word?
CHRYSSA VELISSARIOU: "In this world, which is increasingly shrinking, each of
us needs all the others. We must look for the human being no matter where
he/she can be found. When Oedipus encountered the Sphinx on the road to Thebes
and she raised her riddle to him, his response was: the human being. This
simple notion destroyed the monster. We have many monsters to destroy. Let us
ponder over the response of Oedipus "(my translation from greek abstract
in the conclusion of C. Seferis’s speech in Stockholm on the day he received the
Nobel Prize for Literature - all the talking you can read by clicking here) And here you can
find details about Oedipus and the riddle of Sphinx to which I’m referring
SONGSOPTOK: What, according to you, are the specific types of events that
call for humanitarian actions?
CHRYSSA VELISSARIOU: Humanitarianism is a life attitude that considers the human
being as the first value of life: "to shape people with strong and nice
body, with clean thoughtful mind, with strong will and love and respect for
their fellow human beings " (Al. Delmouzos)
So any action which serves these purposes is a
humanitarian action: from the actions to defend the education and health of
each person to the struggles against
war, poverty, hunger, thirst, misery, sexism, racism, or in favor of the dream
for world peace and respect for the cultural heritage of all peoples.
SONGSOPTOK: Why, in
your opinion, do countries and societies even need humanitarian actions, often
initiated and coordinated by the so called first world economies?
CHRYSSA VELISSARIOU: External development assistance, to reconstruct a country's
infrastructure, institutions, and economy, is often a key part of the peace.
This assistance ensures that the country can develop, instead of sliding back
into conflicts. Funding for humanitarian
aid and development assistance comes mostly from foreign governments.
Approximately 50 percent of funding is channeled through U.N. agencies. Much of
this is then allocated to partner agencies that implement the programs.
SONGSOPTOK: Can individuals play a significant role in initiating or
participating in humanitarian actions? In what way?
CHRYSSA VELISSARIOU: Each person by himself can be a small torch of humanitarianism.
Many such torches cooperating in small groups and many such groups around the
world will make the earth shine like a sun of agape, of love for the fellow
men, of compassion, of true humanitarianism.
I will bring forth the Greek humanitarianism
paradigm. The Greek spirit is by tradition humanitarian. The two factors which
makes the difference in our national tradition is our Antiquity in which we are
immersed and the Christian Greek Orthodox tradition.
The Ancient Greeks first, into the
polytheistic world of the pre-Christian antiquity, with the impulsive reactive spasm
of their unparalleled creativity, captured the essence of man, understood the
greatness of human imagination and highlighted the importance of the human
mind, noting the among time rumblings and the archetypal shakings of its
reflection. The Greeks, among the ancient ethnic world, had as purpose of
education the ennoblement and culture of man: «Ως χάριέν εστ’ άνθρωπος, όταν
άνθρωπος η»(How nice is man to be a human
being, Menander)."
Protagoras also said «Πάντων χρημάτων μέτρον
άνθρωπος» (criterion and measure of all
the things is the human being).
The Greek Soul, inconceivable, unfading,
indomitable, maintains Humanitarianism not only alive but free, not only free
but also active and with a mysterious effect, extracts it from the places of
the past and expels it to the times ahead.
The Greek Orthodox Christian ethics which I
know and experience is also essentially a social Ethics, it is humanitarianism
in its depth , agape for fellow humans. The fellow man takes forever value in
the eyes of the faithful Christian Greek, almost identified with God, the
highest good.
Agape, the fragrant flower of the soul, the
outpouring of the inner beauty of man, weighs harmoniously in glorious array
the monism and dualism, the "final hesychasm and the uninterrupted
creativity", aligns directly in the peristyle of the high ideals the
offering and the sacrifice, the action and the freedom, because, as Rabindranath
Tagore said , "only what is done out of love is free”. Therefore, when
someone works with love, he finds freedom in the action.
So it is necessary values of humanitarianism of
Ancient Greek Philosophy to be transferred to the youth all over the world. But
this transfer needs not to be done through a restricted teaching method. The
infertility of the usual study of ancient texts hinders the development of the
mind and tired teenage spirit. The bravery, honor and virtue are left in his
thinking essentially as simple words and not as aims. Respect and hospitality
are downloaded in his mind as episodes in the Odyssey which do not need
analysis, since such questions are not cultivated in school.
Thus, it becomes evident the need to transform
the educational practices of humanitarian education in the modern school.
Cooperation is neither knowledge nor a single skill that must be developed. It
is a way of life and as such should be taught experientially. Through group
work, through joint events, creative walks and tours to attractions and natural
beauty, the collaborativeness will be turned into cooperation. The consistency
in the small community of the school will develop into a social cohesion. And
all this without the teenager to lose neither his individual personality by
being transformed in a human mass, neither to compete with classmates.
Let me emphasize that the educational process
for future humanitarians does not need only cooperation. Dialogue is one
instrument which will bring together the students. But we are talking about an
open dialogue, a dialogue between the students without the mediation of the
teacher.
The essence of the culture of humanitarian
values is within the open questions for which the teacher does not know which
exactly will be the answer, how they will evolve, but he knows that they will
lead to doubt and judgment.
However, the substantial humanitarian
education-without reducing the importance of science's or technological
teaching subjects, but in harmonious relation and dialectic relationship with
them- cannot remain anthropocentric. The anthropocentrism as perception is
inhumane. It leads to disregard for nature, for the ecosystem and develops
unilateral practices against nature.
Aristotle noted that "the nature of man
has the desire to learn." So humanitarianism emphasizes precisely the
value of free thought, of artistic creativity, encourages the bizarre and out
of social stereotypes imagination of a researcher, supports the ingenuity
without limitation, promotes the flight of poet's imagination. Humanitarianism is
logical and nonsectarian. It supports freedom of research in all its forms and
opposes all forms of censorship. It acknowledges the scientific method as the
most reliable and efficient to acquire knowledge about the world without making
any deduction in the value of art, music, literature and other ways of cultural
expression in order to bring people to the recognition of all forms of truth,
the different options on things.
Humanitarianism expresses the freedom of
research. Humanitarianism believes in a free mind that is able to look and
judge events, situations, people and ideas. This is of course the form of
democracy that works with humanistic principles which allows the citizen to
raise issues, to discuss, to argue, to disagree with respect to the principles
and values of the other one. It is undemocratic to deny anyone to question, to
ask. True democracy does not set error labels on individuals just because
someone disagrees.
The aim of general education of a society
which shapes its youth to play the role of individuals initiating or
participating in humanitarian actions is the all-round intellectual culture
which signify the overall outlook, the critical thinking, the ability to
analyze and generalize, the discernment but also the openness towards new ideas
but most of all a culture based on the agape meaning the love and compassion
for the fellow men.
SONGSOPTOK: What
should be the role of the world community, especially organizations like the
UN, to encourage humanitarian actions in different countries, especially those
suffering from internal war or external aggression? Do you think that their
efforts are sufficient? If not, what else should be done to help the countries
/ societies / populations in need?
CHRYSSA VELISSARIOU: The four main actors in humanitarian aid and development
assistance are:
International Organizations (IOs) and Regional
Organizations (ROs) (or Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs)): The most important actor in the provision of humanitarian aid
and development assistance is the United Nations (U.N.) and its various
agencies, funded by member states. The World Bank and regional development
banks also fund development projects.
Unilateral assistance: As well as multilateral assistance, many countries also direct
aid unilaterally through their own foreign-aid and development agencies. In
addition to a sense of moral obligation, aid can be part of foreign policy.
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs): NGOs increasingly play a key role in providing humanitarian aid
and development assistance, both directly and as partners to U.N. agencies.
They often have advantages over IOs or foreign governments. For example, they
are less limited by political constraints and their diversity and independence
allows them to work in very difficult places.
The Military: The military acts primarily to ensure a secure environment in
which relief agencies can operate. In some circumstances, the military may also
provide aid directly, usually when IOs and NGOs find themselves overstretched
or unable to deal with security problems. The military can be used to manage
and coordinate the overall humanitarian response and to deal with technically
and physically demanding needs, such as restoring communications and supply
routes. Coordination and effective leadership of the humanitarian relief effort
is extremely important in order to minimize duplication and conflicting
activities and to maximize the exchange and flow of intelligence in an
extremely difficult and stressful working environment. Coordination is usually
provided by the United Nations. There is also a development of the strategy ,
the mandate, the principles and the legislation of the process of humanitarian
aid through the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection
department (ECHO), formerly known as the European Community Humanitarian Aid
Office , which is the European Commission's department for overseas
humanitarian aid and for civil protection. The European Commission has a
mandate to save and preserve life in emergency and immediate post-emergency
situations, whether these are natural or man-made. Following these principles,
the Commission is committed to preparing every year a Strategy document in
order to co-ordinate and to programme activities efficiently and in an
appropriate manner adopting an impartial approach based on needs. In 2013, ECHO
focused its humanitarian aid in nearly 90 countries. It identified the five
largest humanitarian operations as the Sahel region of West Africa, including
further response to the conflict in Mali (€82 million), Sudan and South Sudan
(€80 million), the Democratic Republic of Congo (€54 million), Pakistan (€42
million) and Somalia (€40 million). 40% of the European Commission humanitarian
assistance went to Sub-Saharan Africa. The reserve budget was utilized in order
to respond to major humanitarian crises in Syria, Mali, the Sahel, South Sudan,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, and the Philippines. ECHO also funds
forgotten crises, such as in Bangladesh, Colombia, Yemen, Algeria, Pakistan,
and Myanmar. European humanitarian aid is based on the principles of humanity
and solidarity therefore its implementation depends on the application of
international law, and in particular international humanitarian law, and on the
fundamental principles of impartiality, non-discrimination and neutrality.
ECHO’s humanitarian actions are based on compliance with international law and
the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and
independence. Its implementation therefore depends on the application of
international humanitarian law (IHL). Humanity means that human suffering must
be addressed wherever it is found, with particular attention to the most
vulnerable; neutrality means that humanitarian aid must not favor any side in
an armed conflict or other dispute; impartiality means that humanitarian aid
must be provided solely on the basis of need, without discrimination; and independence
means the autonomy of humanitarian objectives from political, economic,
military or other objectives. Since 1 November 2014, humanitarian aid is
managed by a dedicated Commissioner, Christos Stylianides. The European
Commission set out an initiative to create more than 18,000 positions for EU
citizens to volunteer worldwide in humanitarian situations between 2014-2020.
The initiative trains volunteers together in a European training program before
deployment with certified humanitarian organizations. Financial support,
focusing on building up resilience and civil protection capacity, was agreed
for five pilot projects involving approximately 150 volunteers in 2012.
SONGSOPTOK: What should ideally be the role of the governments in
humanitarian actions – both in afflicted countries and in the other countries
of the world? Are government activities sufficient in this context?
CHRYSSA VELISSARIOU: States have four main roles and responsibilities regarding
humanitarian aid: (1) they are responsible for ‘calling’ a crisis
and inviting international aid (2) they provide assistance and protection (3) they
are responsible for monitoring and coordinating external assistance (4)
they set the regulatory and legal frameworks governing relief assistance. These
functions are critical to initiating and managing a relief response and will
shape its effectiveness. The state’s primary responsibility in responding to
disasters is clearly recognized both in law and in statements of principle. For
example UN Resolution 46/182 states: “The sovereignty, territorial integrity
and national unity of States must be fully respected in accordance with the
Charter of the United Nations. In this context, humanitarian
assistance should be provided with the consent of the affected country and in
principle on the basis of an appeal by the affected country. Each State has the
responsibility first and foremost to take care of the victims of natural
disasters and other emergencies occurring on its territory. Hence, the affected
State has the primary role in the initiation, organization, coordination, and
implementation of humanitarian assistance within its territory”. The
Sphere guidelines ‘acknowledge the primary role and responsibility of the state
to provide assistance when people’s capacity to cope has been exceeded’. The
Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015 also notes that each state has primary
responsibility for taking effective DRR measures and commits governments to
ensuring, ‘that disaster risk reduction is a national and local priority’
(ISDR, 2005). It is the responsibility of states to ensure the
safety and security of their citizens (O’Callaghan and Pantualiano 2007). The
protection of civilians, whether understood primarily in physical or legal
terms, remains first and foremost the duty of governments, a reflection of
their sovereign authority over, and responsibility for, all those living within
their territory (Pantuliano and Callaghan 2006). National
governments also set the laws and regulations governing how aid agencies may
operate within their territory. Wherever they work, NGOs are obliged to
register with the government and are generally required to report on their
activities (IFRC, 2007). Government regulations may facilitate or impede the
international relief effort. Constraints may include delays in issuing visas or
customs clearances and unclear or punitive tax regimes. Since 2001, the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has
been engaged in a large‐scale review of international
response, laws, rules and principles in natural disasters (IDRL). The
Federation has now produced guidelines for domestic facilitation and
regulation of international disaster relief and initial recovery assistance
(IFRC, 2007b; Hewitt, 2006; Picard, 2007; Costa, 2008). The Paris Declaration
on the harmonization of international development assistance aims to ensure its
effectiveness by placing responsibility for the delivery and management of aid
both on donors and on aid‐receiving governments.
This approach is now being seen as applicable in emergency contexts (OECD‐DAC 2005 and 2008a). Ownership – partner countries
exercise effective leadership over their development strategies and coordinate
development actions. Alignment – donors base their overall support on partner
countries’ national development strategies, institutions and procedures. Donor
governments have also committed themselves to OECD Principles of Good
International Engagement in Fragile States, which include a ‘focus on state
building as the central objective’. Finally, the Good Humanitarian
Donorship (GHD) initiative ‘reaffirms the primary responsibility of states’. At
the same time international humanitarian organizations and the governments
which fund them are committed to the humanitarian principle of independence.
How independence is defined varies and there is a surprising lack of guidance
or even discussion about how to put it into practice. The GHD initiative gives
by far the broadest definition, focusing as it does on autonomy from
‘political, economic, military or other objectives’ (GHD, 2003). Bouchet
Saulnier (2007: 156) gives a similar definition: ‘Humanitarian action must be
independent from any political, financial or military pressures. Its only
limit, its only constraint and its only goal must be the defense of the human
being’. There has not been much exploration of how a commitment to independence
(or of how donors should respect the independence of aid recipients) can be
reconciled with a commitment to respect the primary responsibility of the
state. Discussing the notion of independence in relation to the Red Cross
principles, Jean Pictet (1979) notes the fundamental tension between
humanitarian autonomy and the fact that, in practice, aid agencies must work
with and alongside national authorities. As Pictet puts it, the Red Cross
asserts its political, religious and economic independence and
must: be sovereign in its decisions, acts and words: it must be free
to show the way towards humanity and justice. It is not admissible for any
power whatsoever to make it deviate from the line established for it by its
ideals. This independence is also the guarantee of the neutrality of the Red
Cross. At the same time, however, the Red Cross and Red Crescent National
Societies work as ‘auxiliaries in the humanitarian services of their
Governments and subject to the laws of their respective countries … auxiliary
status … constitutes one of the fundamental principles of the Red Cross’. By
its very nature, Pictet says, the Red Cross – and other relief organizations
–must cooperate with national authorities and obey the laws of the host country.
In conflict contexts, where the state is unable or unwilling to meet the
population’s basic needs, international humanitarian relief remains the aid
instrument of last resort. In these contexts it may neither be possible nor
desirable to work with the government, either because it does not control the
areas where services are needed or because donors are unwilling to engage for
political reasons. Whatever the case, there is still likely to be a need for
longer‐term approaches that seek to align with the national government,
to the extent possible. Despite the tensions between them, it is
possible to respect both humanitarian and developmental principles. The
commitment to neutrality and independence is compatible with the principle of
encouraging and supporting governments to protect and assist the civilian
population. Humanitarian agencies should pay greater attention to respecting
state sovereignty and ownership over humanitarian as well as development
strategies, and to view substitution for the state as more of a last resort.
Equally, development agencies should be committed to the humanitarian
principles of independence, neutrality and impartiality.
There are many contexts where governments are
either parties to a conflict, flouting humanitarian and human rights law, too
corrupt or simply lack the capacity for international aid agencies to work more
closely with them than they do already. In these contexts this line of argument
maintains, international aid agencies should keep their engagement with
government to a basic minimum and preserve operational independence; keeping
governments informed about what they are doing and maintaining a low profile to
avoid interference or getting thrown out of the country. A problem
with this viewpoint is that keeping governments at arm’s length is often
unfeasible. To believe otherwise is politically naive and opens agencies to
being manipulated by astute and controlling authorities. Aid agencies working
in difficult environments need strong political antennae in order to work with
the authorities, and be prepared to both formulate collective ‘red lines’ and
to act on them if they are no longer able to function.
SONGSOPTOK: In your opinion, do religious institutions
play an important role in humanitarian actions? In your own experience, what
kind of actions have you witnessed that have been pioneered by religious
institutions?
CHRYSSA VELISSARIOU: Religion plays a very crucial role in humanitarian intervention
and its role has been increasing gradually since the last two decades. While
working with the community, Faith Based Organizations (FBOs) should adhere to
the core humanitarian principle like the Red Cross Code of Conduct, ‘Sphere and
HAP standards and Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It should be the
guiding factor for all humanitarian interventions in the event of an emergency.
FBOs should be secular in regime in the sense that it does not discriminate the
community on the basis of their religion and beliefs but rather uses religion
or faith as a tool to mobilize resources from like minded donors.
Love and solidarity with our fellow man does not
appear to be a simple obligation. This need led to the creation of
"Mission" of the Archdiocese of Athens. The Mission was founded in
2010 by the Archdiocese of Athens in the form of non-profit organization with a
national and international scope in the context of its activity in the humanitarian,
developmental and educational space. Objective and constant pursuit is APOSTOLI
(MISSION) become today the means, the tool, the humble people rate relief. This
decision is not only the expression of anguish of the Greek Orthodox Church for
whatever is happening and unfolding lately in our country, but also its
contribution to the extent possible, to the collective effort made by many
sides to halt the tide of crisis. But this without panic, with the experience
of a teaching, that this place overcame many similar difficulties over the
course of history. The Destination of the Greek Orthodox Church "which is
also its long-standing destination" is "to be the world's source of
high spiritual life, freedom and love for all human beings, brotherhood and
peace, rejection of hatred, malice and injustice, helper of the ailing humanity
in its troubled path. " The complex of works of "Apostoli" are:
A. Standard Environmental Center in Parnitha mount. B. Reintegration Unit for
drug addicts C. Care unit and treatment of autistic children. D. Care facility
prostrate E. Elderly pensions. F. Doubling of food portions for
homeless(currently exceeding 10,000 daily). Areas such as: cultural heritage,
environmental protection, cooperation with foreign institutions, the strengthening
of the Greek Orthodox Mission in Poor Countries are among the priorities of
MISSION. International Orthodox
Christian Charities (IOCC) supports one of the largest established networks to
deliver life-saving humanitarian aid inside Syria where more than 12.2 million
people are currently in need of assistance, 7.6 million of which are internally
displaced. In addition to its work inside Syria, IOCC staff is working
regionally to address the growing needs of more than 4 million refugees in
Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Armenia, Greece, and Serbia, as well as people in need
in those host countries. Responding to one of the worst humanitarian and
refugee crises in history, IOCC is one of the few international nongovernmental
organizations working on the ground across Syria to provide aid to people who
have been displaced inside the country by the civil war. In providing this aid,
IOCC works in close partnership with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch
and All the East. Since February 2012, IOCC has provided relief to more than
2.7 million people inside Syria affected by the crisis. Although all these I
believe that exactly because of the basis of our religion and beliefs the
Orthodox Church which is extremely wealthy financially and with no taxes on its
incomes and possessions, should reinforce further its humanitarian work in
Greece and outside Greece and become again a poor Church which gives all it has
for the well-being of the fellow man as exactly Jesus Christ taught us.
SONGSOPTOK: Non
Governmental Organizations (NGO) are often in the forefront of humanitarian
actions and yet there have been widespread criticism about the efficacy and
utility of NGOs in different countries, especially in Asia & Africa. What
is your own experience? Should NGOs be given more power and independence where
humanitarian actions are concerned?
CHRYSSA VELISSARIOU: There is little accountability in the humanitarian and
development industry. There are no barriers to becoming an NGO and no
comprehensive or enforceable performance standards for NGOs. Codes of conduct
have been developed, such as the Red Cross Code of Conduct (1994), but
compliance is voluntary. Because of the high staff turnover in humanitarian
organizations and the different nature of conflicts in different countries, it
is hard to build institutional memory to improve the efficiency of aid
operations and to implement lessons learned. The need to maintain a high
profile in order to secure funding can influence NGOs' decision making, they
cannot afford not to be seen at a disaster. This situation is aggravated by the
impact of uneven media coverage of disasters. The 1994 Code of Conduct of the
International Federation of the Red Cross explicitly states that NGOs' work
must be neutral. However, it is rare for the effects of aid to be neutral even
if the provision of it is neutral. Furthermore, it is frustrating to give
humanitarian aid to people without being able to protect their human rights. In
working with the military, humanitarian agencies, especially NGOs, risk losing
the neutrality that gives them their advantage. In addition, being associated
with one side can endanger the work and the staff of NGOs.
Development assistance may interfere with local
capacities to deal with problems. This can make recipient countries dependent
on aid, and encourage development techniques that are unsustainable when
foreign aid dries up. In addition, the most educated and capable members of the
local population are often employed by foreign agencies, where they are paid
high salaries to work as drivers, translators, or administrative staff. As well
as wasting valuable human capital and expertise, hiring these skilled people
for relatively low-level jobs detracts from local initiatives to govern and
develop. If local NGOs are encouraged to undertake development programs, they
are often provided with monetary grants, encouraging more costly initiatives
than are unsustainable in the long run. Often, NGOs will focus their resources
on winning such grants, rather than helping the local communities. In addition,
instead of working together to increase their effectiveness, they will be
locked in competition against one another. What civil society initiatives
really need is less expensive, long-term commitment. "One of the
most controversial examples of a humanitarian aid operation was in the case of
Hutu refugee camps in Goma, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo)
following the Rwandan genocide. Fearful of retaliation by the Tutsis, two
million Hutus fled to neighboring countries for protection. In the Goma camps,
Hutu militia members responsible for the genocide against the Tutsis continued
to wield considerable power, terrorizing refugees, forbidding them to leave the
camps, distributing anti-Tutsi propaganda, and recruiting and training troops
from among them. Because of their position of authority, many aid agencies used
the Hutu leadership to distribute food. This reinforced their power and enabled
them to buy weapons, which they used for attacks on Rwanda. In early 1995 two
major NGOs, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and International Rescue Committee
(IRC), withdrew. MSF reported that, 'The continued diversion of humanitarian
aid by the same leaders who orchestrated the genocide, the lack of effective
international action regarding impunity, and the fact that the refugee
population was being held hostage, presented a situation contradictory with the
principles of humanitarian assistance.' The president of IRC said, '[T]he whole
aid community has been overtaken by a new reality. Humanitarianism has become a
resource and people are manipulating it as never before. Sometimes we just
shouldn't show up for a disaster.'" -- William Shawcross, p. 142-143. The
success of humanitarian aid operations ultimately depends on the ability of
organizations to work together. Whether ‘working together’ means information
sharing or joint operations and projects, inter-organizational coordination is
not simply the product of two organizations choosing to share resources,
personnel or projects. It is also a
product of the inter-organizational structure in which those organizations
exist. How does the humanitarian aid network situate certain organizations to
be in better or worse positions to work with other organizations? How does an
organization’s position affect various relief and recovery outcomes? Which
types of organizations occupy or play key ‘broker’ or mediating roles during
humanitarian aid operations? By first identifying how the network structure
affects inter-organizational coordination and humanitarian aid outcomes,
practitioners and emergency managers will be better able to identify key
organizations for specific types of relief or recovery activities. Before
policies that influence the aid network can be made, policymakers, emergency
managers and public health practitioners need to know more about the
humanitarian aid structure and its effects on aid operations.
SONGSOPTOK: What
should be the aim of humanitarian actions in afflicted countries – short term
relief or long term actions that would help societies build up their own
strengths and resources? Please share your knowledge or experience about long
term actions undertaken anywhere in the world.
CHRYSSA VELISSARIOU: Short term relief actions are preventing human casualties and
ensuring access to the basics for survival: water, sanitation, food, shelter,
and health care. Additionally, in the case of conflicts, away from the main
fighting, the priority is to assist people who have been displaced, prevent the
spread of conflict, support relief work, and prepare for rehabilitation. The
key requirements of long term actions include: (1) Reconstruction of property
and infrastructure: to facilitate return of the displaced security, governance,
transport of food and supplies, and rebuilding of the economy. (2) Transition
to normal security conditions: demilitarization, demobilization, reintegration
of ex-combatants and an adequate police force. (3) A functioning judiciary to
enforce the rule of law. (4) Governance and government services. (5) Democratization:
representative government to moderate conflict. (6)Economic development and a
stable macroeconomic environment to promote political stability and facilitate
a solid financial base for government. (7)Local capacity building: once the
donors leave, the country needs to function independently of aid. Development
assistance must attempt to reduce inequalities between groups, and reduce
economic incentives to fight, by controlling illicit trade, for example in
arms, drugs, and diamonds. Perhaps the most important principle of development
assistance is the use of aid conditionality to promote economic and political
practices that strengthen peace building. Donor assistance is often conditional
on acceptance of a peace settlement by all sides, and continued commitment to
implementing and consolidating peace.
SONGSOPTOK: It is often seen that the strongest help and support comes from
within the communities affected by conflicts or natural disasters. How, in your
opinion, can communities be empowered to successfully face such situations?
What, in this context, could be the role of formal or informal grassroots
organizations?
CHRYSSA VELISSARIOU: The informal organization is the interlocking social structure
that governs how people work together in practice. It is the aggregate of,
norms, personal and professional connections through which work gets done and
relationships are built among people who share a common organizational
affiliation or cluster of affiliations. It consists of a dynamic set of
personal relationships, social networks, communities of common interest, and
emotional sources of motivation. The informal organization evolves, and the complex
social dynamics of its members also. Tended effectively, the informal
organization complements the more explicit structures, plans, and processes of
the formal organization: it can accelerate and enhance responses to
unanticipated events, foster innovation, enable people to solve problems that
require collaboration across boundaries, and create footpaths showing where the
formal organization (NGO’s) may someday need to pave a way. Informal
organizations also possess the following potential disadvantages and problems
that require astute and careful management attention. (1) Resistance to change
(2) Role conflict. The quest for informal group satisfaction may lead members
away from formal organizational objectives. Role conflict can be reduced by carefully
attempting to integrate interests, goals, methods, and evaluation systems of
both the informal and formal organizations, resulting in greater productivity
and satisfaction on everyone's behalf. (3) Rumor. This can undermine morale,
establish bad attitudes, and often result in deviant or, even violent behavior.
(4) Conformity. Social control promotes and encourages conformity among
informal group members, thereby making them reluctant to act too aggressively
or perform at too high a level. This can harm the formal organization by
stifling initiative, creativity, and diversity of performance. Although
informal organizations create unique challenges and potential problems for
management, they also provide a number of benefits for the formal organization.
(1) Blend with formal system. Formal plans. policies, procedures, and standards
cannot solve every problem in a dynamic organization; therefore, informal
systems must blend with formal ones to get work done. (2) Lighten management
workload (3) Fill gaps in management abilities (4) Act as a safety valve. The informal group provides a means for
relieving the emotional and psychological pressures by allowing a person to
discuss them among friends openly and candidly. (5) Perhaps a subtle benefit of
informal groups is that they encourage managers to prepare, plan, organize, and
control in a more professional fashion. Managers who comprehend the power of
the informal organization recognize that it is a "check and balance"
on their use of authority. Changes and projects are introduced with more
careful thought and consideration, knowing that the informal organization can
easily kill a poorly planned project. (6) Understanding and dealing with the
environmental crisis. Grassroots organizations are indispensable to local
development because of the role they have played for years in channeling
demands and mobilizing collective work. A grassroots organization brings
together community representatives or more specialized groups such as
producers, women, sports and religious associations, and groups working with
NGOs, that are connected to these grassroots organizations.
The above groups and others of that kind can assist
in establishing support policies for local development since they facilitate
interaction with civil society. At the same time, they can be an obstacle if
members of these organizations at the local level do not accept some new
guidelines. Given the institutional
weaknesses of municipalities and the need to strengthen community grassroots
leaderships, a specific kind of social intervention by non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) has proven to be especially effective and helpful in
reinforcing both grassroots leadership and municipal government. This social
intervention is distinguished by the institutional stability of the NGO in
question and by a comprehensive and local vision of development. Some NGOs
experience and accumulation of social — not state — capital constitute a
comparative advantage, even against the experience of local administration by
the state. Before the state take up the need for local development, some NGOs
are already involved in this task and are carrying out analyses and
multisectoral plans with provincial and/or microregional scope. The
institutional capital accumulated by various NGOs represents a resource that
cannot be ignored in local development processes. Especially when it is
considered that several municipalities do not have even the minimum
institutional experience required to undertake development. Furthermore, NGOs
whose social intervention is ongoing, localized, and multisectoral within the
framework of a consistent strategy of local development, promote the
consolidation of regional grassroots leadership capable of channeling demands.
They also help municipal government train human resources, formulate
institutional procedures, and incidentally, to obtain external resources. It
must be emphasized that not every NGO can be an adequate channel; only those
that have institutional stability, experience working in the municipality, and
a vision of and commitment to local development in multisectoral terms.
There is great debate over the best
theoretical and practical framework for aid to help poor countries develop.
Some economists argue that aid is only effective in a good macroeconomic policy
environment: foreign aid must complement, not substitute, domestic measures to
improve the economy. Others argue that, as long as agriculture and industry in
developed countries are still heavily protected through subsidies and trade
barriers, less-developed countries will never be able to fully participate in
the world economy and achieve economic development. The debate over how to
improve the effectiveness of humanitarian aid and development assistance and
minimize their potentially negative consequences is ongoing and intense.
Initiatives such as Mary B. Anderson's Collaborative for Development Action
attempt to promote discourse on this subject, and to question the role that
humanitarian agencies play in conflicts. As humanitarian aid and development assistance
work becomes more professional and more academic institutions offer these
topics as fields of study, now is an important time to develop these subjects
further. Humanitarian aid and development assistance are not straightforward,
and they mask many political failures. Ultimately, however, they play a crucial
role in saving lives, and a role that can be continually improved as lessons
are learned and applied. It is extremely important for field teams to have
appropriate and clearly defined intervention strategies, good knowledge of the
field context and training on how to identify and reduce the risks of
corruption, particularly operational risk factors associated with the
procurement, transport, storage and distribution of relief goods. As a complex
global phenomenon with significant local consequences, corruption is a critical
aspect of humanitarian thinking and action. Good governance and transparency
are at the heart of NGO legitimacy. NGOs must work with Transparency
International, the OECD and other institutional partners and private donors in
order to fight corruption effectively. Strengthening community involvement in
the implementation and evaluation of humanitarian (and development) programs
improves the ‘acceptance’ of NGOs by the beneficiary population and helps to
mitigate against corruption and promote better local governance. We need an
open debate on the risks of corruption and how to address them, without
undermining donor funding to and beneficiary confidence in NGOs. As well as
strictly operational considerations, corruption constitutes an important
ethical and political challenge for humanitarian NGOs.
NGSOPTOK: Women and children are most vulnerable in situations of
conflicts or disasters. What, according to you, are the specific actions that
need to be taken to ensure the safety and security of women and children?
CHRYSSA VELISSARIOU: After the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012, the
Barroso Commission accepted the prize money on behalf of the EU and allocated
it to a new initiative called Children of Peace. Approximately €2 million was
set aside for the Children of Peace projects in 2013. It was increased to €4
million in 2014. This shows already the importance of the protection of
children through humanitarian actions. Children rights demand children
protection since they cannot protect themselves. Almost half of the world’s
forcibly displaced people are children and many spend their entire childhood
far from home. Whether they are refugees, internally displaced, asylum-seekers
or stateless, children are at a greater risk of abuse, neglect, violence,
exploitation, trafficking or forced military recruitment. They may also have
witnessed or experienced violent acts and/or been separated from their
families. However, children are highly resilient and find ways to cope and draw
strength from their families and communities. By learning, playing and having
space to explore their talents and skills, children can be active members of
the community. The UN refugee agency UNHCR promotes the participation of
children in the design and delivery of protection and assistance measures, works
to protect children of concern in partnership with children themselves, their
communities, national authorities and relevant local and international groups,
including the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and non-governmental organizations,
promotes non-discriminatory access for all children of concern to national
child protection systems and is committed, in the spirit of partnership, to
strengthening these systems where gaps exist. This includes, for example,
conducting best interest assessments for vulnerable children, ensuring that
unaccompanied or separated children have access to family tracing and
reunification services, and engaging children through activities and education
that build their skills and capacities. Every country has one or more national
organizations for the protection of children. Their protection is every
country’s duty. To this theme I just quote THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE
CHILD as UNICEF has stated it and about the Protection rights of any child: “keeping
safe from harm Article 4 (Protection of rights): Governments have a
responsibility to take all available measures to make sure children’s rights
are respected, protected and fulfilled. When countries ratify the Convention,
they agree to review their laws relating to children. This involves assessing
their social services, legal, health and educational systems, as well as levels
of funding for these services. Governments are then obliged to take all
necessary steps to ensure that the minimum standards set by the Convention in
these areas are being met. They must help families protect children’s rights
and create an environment where they can grow and reach their potential. In
some instances, this may involve changing existing laws or creating new ones.
Such legislative changes are not imposed, but come about through the same
process by which any law is created or reformed within a country. Article 41 of
the Convention points out the when a country already has higher legal standards
than those seen in the Convention, the higher standards always prevail. (See
Optional Protocol pages.) Article 11 (Kidnapping): Governments should take
steps to stop children being taken out of their own country illegally. This
article is particularly concerned with parental abductions. The Convention’s
Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child
pornography has a provision that concerns abduction for financial gain. Article
19 (Protection from all forms of violence): Children have the right to be protected
from being hurt and mistreated, physically or mentally. Governments should
ensure that children are properly cared for and protect them from violence,
abuse and neglect by their parents, or anyone else who looks after them. In
terms of discipline, the Convention does not specify what forms of punishment
parents should use. However any form of discipline involving violence is
unacceptable. There are ways to discipline children that are effective in
helping children learn about family and social expectations for their behavior
– ones that are non-violent, are appropriate to the child's level of
development and take the best interests of the child into consideration. In
most countries, laws already define what sorts of punishments are considered
excessive or abusive. It is up to each government to review these laws in light
of the Convention. Article 20 (Children deprived of family environment):
Children who cannot be looked after by their own family have a right to special
care and must be looked after properly, by people who respect their ethnic
group, religion, culture and language. Article 21 (Adoption): Children have the
right to care and protection if they are adopted or in foster care. The first
concern must be what is best for them. The same rules should apply whether they
are adopted in the country where they were born, or if they are taken to live
in another country. Article 22 (Refugee children): Children have the right to
special protection and help if they are refugees (if they have been forced to leave
their home and live in another country), as well as all the rights in this
Convention. Article 32 (Child labour): The government should protect children
from work that is dangerous or might harm their health or their education.
While the Convention protects children from harmful and exploitative work,
there is nothing in it that prohibits parents from expecting their children to
help out at home in ways that are safe and appropriate to their age. If
children help out in a family farm or business, the tasks they do be safe and
suited to their level of development and comply with national labor laws.
Children's work should not jeopardize any of their other rights, including the
right to education, or the right to relaxation and play. Article 33 (Drug abuse):
Governments should use all means possible to protect children from the use of
harmful drugs and from being used in the drug trade. Article 34 (Sexual
exploitation): Governments should protect children from all forms of sexual
exploitation and abuse. This provision in the Convention is augmented by the
Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child
pornography. (See Optional Protocol pages.) Article 35 (Abduction, sale and
trafficking): The government should take all measures possible to make sure
that children are not abducted, sold or trafficked. This provision in the
Convention is augmented by the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child
prostitution and child pornography. (See Optional Protocol pages.) Article 36
(Other forms of exploitation): Children should be protected from any activity
that takes advantage of them or could harm their welfare and development.
Article 37 (Detention and punishment): No one is allowed to punish children in
a cruel or harmful way. Children who break the law should not be treated
cruelly. They should not be put in prison with adults, should be able to keep
in contact with their families, and should not be sentenced to death or life
imprisonment without possibility of release. Article 38 (War and armed
conflicts): Governments must do everything they can to protect and care for
children affected by war. Children under 15 should not be forced or recruited
to take part in a war or join the armed forces. The Convention’s Optional
Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict further develops this
right, raising the age for direct participation in armed conflict to 18 and
establishing a ban on compulsory recruitment for children under 18. Article 39
(Rehabilitation of child victims): Children who have been neglected, abused or
exploited should receive special help to physically and psychologically recover
and reintegrate into society. Particular attention should be paid to restoring
the health, self-respect and dignity of the child. Article 40 (Juvenile
justice): Children who are accused of breaking the law have the right to legal
help and fair treatment in a justice system that respects their rights.
Governments are required to set a minimum age below which children cannot be
held criminally responsible and to provide minimum guarantees for the fairness
and quick resolution of judicial or alternative proceedings. Article 41
(Respect for superior national standards): If the laws of a country provide
better protection of children’s rights than the articles in this Convention,
those laws should apply. “ From birth to death, in times of peace and war,
women face discrimination and violence from the state, local society and
family. The women constitute a particularly vulnerable social group, which
according to place of residence, age, religion, manners and customs of its
people, has to face numerous social problems against it. Despite the hard
struggles that have taken place with a view to equality between the sexes and
the alleged achievement of this
objective, the fact is that millions of women suffer daily from prejudices and
stereotypes and become victims of violence and uncontrolled behavior of men who
act as a pundit. The girl infanticide deprives countless women of life itself.
Every year, millions of women are raped by their husbands or their partner,
from family members, from friends and strangers, by employers and colleagues,
by police and soldiers. Women, children and men suffer from domestic violence,
but the vast majority of victims are women and girls. In armed conflicts,
violence against women is often used as a weapon of war in order to humiliate
the women themselves or the community to which they belong. Violence against
women is not confined to any particular political or economic system, but is
prevalent in every society in the world. Not knowing dividing lines in terms of
wealth, race and culture. The power structures within society which perpetuate
violence against women are deep-rooted and intransigent. Violence, as experience
or as a threat, prevents women from around the world to exercise and fully
enjoy their rights. The root cause of violence against women lies in
discrimination which deny women equality with men in all areas of life.
Violence is rooted in discrimination and simultaneously serves to reinforce
discrimination. Violence against women is neither 'normal' nor 'inevitable'. It
is an expression of specific historically and culturally defined, values and
standards. Social and political institutions foster women's subservience and
violence against women. Poverty and marginalization fuel violence against women
and also result from it. Worldwide, women have higher poverty rates than men,
poverty is more intense than that of men, and the numbers of poor women are increasing.
While the negative effects of globalization leaving more and more women trapped
on the margins of society, is extremely difficult for these women to escape
abuse situations and to achieve protection and redress. Illiteracy and poverty
severely limit the potential of women to organize to fight for change in the
situation. Young women are often subject to sexual assault not only because
they are women but because they are young and vulnerable. In some societies,
girls are subjected to forced sex because of the error that sexual contact with
a virgin will cure a man of HIV / AIDS. But age does not offer any protection.
While some societies respect the wisdom of older women and offer them higher
social status and greater autonomy, others abuse those who are fragile and
alone, particularly widows. Control of women's sexuality is a powerful means by
which men exercise their dominance over women. Women who do not conform to
established standards of femininity often face severe punishments. The
violence during armed conflict is destroying the lives of men and women, but
systematic rape, as seen in many recent conflicts, is primarily directed
against girls and women. The rapes, mutilations and murders of women and girls
are common practices of warfare and committed both by government forces and
armed groups. The forms of violence that are closely related to sex is also
endemic in militarized societies or struck by war. In societies that are
strongly influenced by the "culture of weapons", the ownership and
use of weapons magnify existing gender inequalities, strengthening the dominant
position of men and maintaining the subordination of women. Violent disputes in
the home often become more deadly for women and girls when men have guns. Two-thirds
of illiterate people worldwide (876 million) are women, number which according
to UNICEF will not change significantly over the next 20 years. Millions of
women, adults and non-victims of sexual abuse one or more times in their life.
Nevertheless complaints are minimal, and in some countries in Africa, the
Middle East and Asia the heinous practice of genital applicable organs of girls
(female circumcision). Today in these countries more than 114 million women
have undergone this ordeal. In India, Pakistan, and elsewhere in Southeast
Asia, women who are pregnant female fetuses forced abortion, and if they manage
to give birth, often take them and kill them. More features the statistics in
many African countries are the following: CHAD: Only 15% of births take place
under the supervision of a doctor or midwife, while 49% of girls aged 15-19 are
married, most involuntarily. ETHIOPIA: Only 8% of women give birth in the
presence of a doctor or midwife, 49% of girls 15-19 are married. MALI: Doctor
or midwife is present only in 24% of births. 91% of women are uneducated, while
50% of girls are married before adulthood. Apply clitoridectomy. NIGERIA: Only
15% of births are presence of a doctor or midwife, and is married girls aged
15-19, 62%. 97% of the female population is illiterate. Hundreds of Nigerian
victims of trafficking and selling in Europe. Apply clitoridectomy. UGANDA: 50%
of women aged 15-19 are married, while 67% of women are uneducated. 38% of
births are supervised by a doctor or midwife. Apply clitoridectomy. BANGLADESH:
Only 14% of births done by a doctor or midwife. 50% of the female population
among girls are married. In this country, and the percentage of women who are
forced into prostitution is too big. Many of them have not come of age.
Imperatives to prevent the phenomenon of violence against women in various
continents: 1) Humanitarian emphasis on education and vocational education of
every girl in the world 2) Information and awareness of citizens in matters of
gender-based violence (domestic violence, rape, prostitution, sexual
harassment, illegal trafficking in women for exploitation / trafficking), and
to prevent such phenomena. 3) Informative campaign-campaign at national level
to the current institutional framework related to violence against women and to
highlight the role taken by the GSGE - as the competent governmental mechanism
- for support and assistance to battered women. 4) Utilization of different
communication tools and events (conferences, leaflets, brochures, etc.), as
well as sponsorship and communication media. 5) Production and dissemination of
printed, electronic and audiovisual material (advertisements in newspapers and
magazines, posters, brochures, stickers, calendars, broadcast commercials,
television campaign, videos, photos, announcements, press releases, etc.).
Certain categories of material will be produced in ordinary immigrant
languages. 6) Advanced campaign to young women in order to prevent and empower
them to confront the first expressions of male violence (psychological, etc.).
7) Thematic conference Organizing and sensitization workshops at regional
level. The education is a basic human right, vital to the development and
well-being of individuals and societies as a whole and the greatest
humanitarian tool. The UNICEF advocates quality basic education to all children
- boys and girls with emphasis on gender equality and eliminating disparities
of all kinds. UNICEF is working with a number of local, national and
international partners for the realization of its objectives, concerning the
right to education and gender equality. Primary information for Education: (1)
The number of children not attending primary school although they have the same
age, estimated to have declined from 115 million in 2002 to 101 million in
2007. Of these, 53 million are girls. (2) Worldwide, approximately 80% of
school age children attend school. In less developed countries, this figure
reaches 66%. (3) Attending of school in Primary Education reaches about 61% in
West and Central Africa, 81% in South Asia and 83% in the Middle East and North
Africa. (4) The largest population of children not attending school (2007
figures), located in sub-Saharan Africa, where around 45.5 million children did
not enroll in primary Education. Followed by South Asia (35 million), the
Middle East and North Africa (6.7 million), the countries of East Asia and the
Pacific (4.7 million) and the region of Latin America and the Caribbean (4.2
million). (5) Worldwide, only 49% of similar-aged children enrolled in
secondary education. The rest or even go to a class of primary school or have
dropped out. (6) The gap between the sexes as regards attending school in
Primary Education, has almost been eradicated in areas such as those of East
Asia (total enrollment in primary education as a whole is 98% for boys and 97%
for girls, while the overall school attendance rate is 88% for boys and 88% for
girls ), in the region of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of
Independent States total enrollment in primary education is 92% for boys and
90% for girls, with an overall school attendance rate of 94% for boys and 92%
for girls. In Eastern and Southern Africa there are more girls than boys
attending primary classes with total enrollments in Primary Education to reach
83% for boys and 82% for girls, overall school attendance rate of 69% for boys
and 70% for girls. The education of girls is the key to ensure that the next
generation will receive training. About 75% of children outside primary
education in developing countries have mothers who did not go to school. To
achieve universal primary education by 2015, enrollment rates need to increase
worldwide by 1.3% per year for the next ten years. Some countries must perform
most impressive advances. For example, Benin should improve these rates by
2.88% each year, Eritrea by more than 4%, Nepal at 2.25% and Afghanistan 3.9%
per year. If most countries in the Middle East and North Africa, East Asia
& Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean continue with the increasing
enrollment rates in school , they will be in the Millennium Development Goals
of 2015. Countries that have abolished school fees saw tremendous increase in enrollment rates
in school: Kenya 2003 registrations increased from 5.9 million to 7.2 million
within a few weeks. Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi had similar success. There are
781 million illiterate adults worldwide, 64% of them are women. As we can see
the improvement of the situation in Africa on the issue of women's rights in
any field, whether it is called social or political, or educational, or even
religious is for the 21st century absolutely nothing!
SONGSOPTOK: How
do you, as an individual, practice humanitarianism? Is it an important part of
your value system & mental make-up? Please share your thoughts and experiences
with us.
CHRYSSA VELISSARIOU: Well my greater humanitarian action is my poetry. As a Greek I
am instinctively humanitarian, my people’s tradition is so. Our culture teaches
us since we are born to help one another and to practice hospitality and agape
as our greater duty. We are so few. We could not survive if we were indifferent
the one to the other. Till recently the word homeless had no meaning in the
society of Greece. But after the financial crisis in which we succumb for the
past seven years - unfairly , I suppose, because of politicians corruption inside Greece and in EU and of course because
of banks profiteering – many people in
Greece face the specter of poverty, so we must act humanitarianly even for
people in our neighborhood or our family, many of whom now live unemployed,
without income or pension, sick and without a care in big cities even hungry
and homeless. I contributed in many anthologies around the world promoting
humanism with my poems, more than twenty of them. I want to mention my
contribution in the wonderful international anthologies of Brian Wrixon from
Canada, the activist works in the anthologies of Mutiu Olawuyi from Nigeria for
the 11th September NY attack, against violence and especially violence
against women, in two books about the work of the Great Nelson Mandela, in many
other books and magazines about Peace which I even stopped counting. I have
even been the editor for Europe in a wonderful anthology which was featured by
World Poetry Canada and International with chief editor the great poet Madan
Gandhi and Mutiu Olawuyi last year. I am also very activated in the war against
cancer . I write many poems about, most of them are in international and Greek
anthologies. Two of my digital art works with poems against Cancer on them took
part in a big exposition named SKIN at the City Hall of ParisVIII in November
2013 for the research on the treatment of patients of Breast Cancer. I
contributed also in many anthologies and events inside and outside Greece
against Poverty, War , Racism, Trafficking of human beings. I even organized a
big poetic event for the Poetathon about Peace of World Poetry Canada and
International in November 2013 running three teleconferences on Internet where
almost 40 Greek and International poets recited and commented poems about Peace
live. For this event World poetry Canada and International honored me with
their medal and called me Peace Ambassador of World Poetry to Greece 2014-2016.
In September 2014 I realized, with my friend poetess Chrissa Mastorodimou a
great event in the municipal cultural Center of Larissa, my town, with the
funding of local touristic enterprises and under the aegis of the Mayoralty of
Education and Sport of the municipality of Larissa, a great musical and poetic
event for Peace and the Respect for the cultures of all Peoples for the
international humanitarian organization 100 THOUSAND POETS FOR CHANGE, which
event was broadcasted to their platform in America live. This year I will run
two more Google on air events with poetry, music and videos for peace and under
the aegis of World Poetry Canada and International Peaceathon and the 100TPC too.
And so on … I will present you now one poem which was inspired by your question.
THE LAST QUESTION
I have
to write something very hurriedly
I chew
it over for days
They
asked me to answer to
some
questions
about
love, kindness, humanism ...
I
answered countless pages
How and
what and laws and wishes
and
organizations and organizing
and a
few and a lot
and our
glorious Greek ancestors ...
"Tell
us what exactly your actions of aid are
for your
fellow humans in need?"
The last
question
I am in
front of it for a week at least
Everything
I ever did seems to me
so
minimal or even inflated
to
mention it ...
CHRYSSA
VELISSARIOU: Professor of Physics, specialized in Space
Physics, candidate Doctor in Education.
Prized by the Ministry of Education in Greece. Elected in the
Municipality of her hometown. Published
in Greek and English in over 20 Anthologies, internet magazines and two
personal books. Activist for Peace. World Poetry Canada and International
Ambassador to Greece 2014-2016 for Peace. 100TPC events organizer. More than
3000 poems on her blogs. She also writes in French and German.
We sincerely thank you
for your time and hope we shall have your continued support.
Aparajita Sen
(Editor:
Songsoptok)
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