The Foreign Service Journal, April 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2016 31 aware of a situation requiring a united response is the first and most crucial step. k Second, governments must be attuned to the specific capa- bilities of potential partner corporations. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but whenever there is a natural synergy—like UPS using its logistics expertise to route disaster relief and humanitarian aid supplies—there is an increased likelihood of immediate engage- ment and collaboration. It also leads to more successful, hands- on collaboration, encouraging actual engagement as opposed to “just financial support.” k Third, corporations must recognize that they have a role to play in addressing humanitarian issues. Using the power of their brands and financial resources, corporations can help to shape popular perspectives on an issue and counter messages of fear, hate and indifference. Sometimes, corporations need to take a public stand to make a difference and shape public dis- course, particularly in the communities in which our employees live and work. Our hope at UPS is that we can join others in doing more to help address the current crisis, using our logistical strength to provide compassionate relief while governments work through diplomatic and military means to re-establish peace and secu- rity. At the front line of these efforts, the Foreign Service has the potential to help play a role in bridging people and organiza- tions by reaching out to those in need and those with resources to help in any given country. Together, we can engender greater and faster responses to humanitarian crises, making progress where in the past we may have fallen short. Without a doubt, partnering to address the logistical, politi- cal and bureaucratic hurdles we face today will be a daunt- ing task. But if we don’t succeed, we run the risk of losing a far greater battle of values—either by capitulating to fear or by failing to protect those who share our common humanity. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said it best: “Freedommeans the supremacy of human rights everywhere. Our support goes to those who struggle to gain those rights and keep them. Our strength is our unity of purpose. To that high concept there can be no end save victory.” n