The announcement that His Majesty has approved the launch of a medal to recognise the efforts of people involved in humanitarian relief is long overdue. However, as with all awards the devil is in the detail of the qualification criteria. I do hope there is some transparency in the decision making, so that the decoration is valued not only by those who receive it.
There are other questions that need answering. A fundamental principle of the UK honours system is that that an individual cannot receive two medals for the same operational tour i.e. “No Double Medalling”. This rule was instigated after some troops qualified for both a UN and NATO medal for a single tour in Bosnia in 1995.
Will the new Humanitarian Medal count as a campaign medal for Service personnel? The response to the 2001 earthquake in the Himalayas was from troops deployed on Operation Veritas, who qualified for an operational service medal for being in Afghanistan. Should they have received a humanitarian medal in addition to the OSM? Likewise, for civilians should those working for independent Non-Government Organisations be treated the same as those who work for big international organisations like Médecins Sans Frontières, or the United Nations, which have their own “recognition”?
The question about whether the humanitarian response is in a war zone adds a degree of complication. The risks of being caught in the crossfire between warring factions makes some humanitarian work more dangerous than others. For example, civilians working for the International Commission for the Red Cross have been deliberately targeted and killed in Asia and Africa while providing support to displaced people. Does the criteria for the new medal take risks into account and if so, how does the deciding committee differentiate between the risks of viral disease and of collateral damage?
Another big issue, which has not been mentioned, is whether this medal can be awarded to people who respond to a humanitarian crisis at home. For example are not the troops who help when there are life threatening floods and storms, or in a pandemic, just as deserving as people who help in refugee centres, or those who offered Aid in the West African Ebola crisis?
In 2001, I wrote an article that was published in Forced Migration Review which explained the different types of humanitarian assistance provided by the Ministry of Defence. The issues that I highlighted then are still relevant today. I do hope the Government ensures the detail is covered in a fair and equitable way.
Rupert Wieloch 