Institute of International
Humanitarian Affairs
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IIHA LAUNCHES PARTNERSHIP WITH
HIGH TECH HUMANITARIANS (HTH)
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The IIHA begins 2016 with a new challenge: to support the dissemination and promotion of humanitarian innovation worldwide. This initiative, spearheaded by the development of a web platform called
High Tech Humanitarians (HTH) and promoted by IIHA's Humanitarian Innovation Fellow,
Giulio Coppi, has a special focus on Open Source Technology. The open approach allows NGOs and local organizations to use, modify, adapt, and improve the solutions they prefer according to their own needs. In the future, HTH aims to expand its network to like-minded organizations at all levels, to create real and virtual spaces for open humanitarian innovation.
HTH is the first free platform for open source humanitarian innovation, to allow universal access to life-changing technology. HTH's lean, simple structure and appearance is conceived to facilitate access from any kind of device, even if running on a very slow connection.
HTH believes that the lack of awareness about existing free tools is the primary obstacle in the struggle to give universal and equal access to life-saving and life-changing technological solutions.
Aimed at tech-friendly humanitarians, development actors, social workers, intrepid communities, and all other innovation-minded people, HTH promotes a culture of open source and equal, universal access to emerging technology, be it high-end or frugal, for everyone in the world. For this purpose, all the content of HTH is free under Creatives Common policy, notably the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License.
To get started, just explore the Toolbox to find the OpenTech solution that best fits your needs, suggest an open source solution which is still not in the database for others to discover, or register to the
HTH newsletter! Once you pick your tool, adapt it, use it, and if you want please share your experience
by email or connect with the HTH community by following HTH on
Twitter,
Facebook,
Pinterest, or
YouTube.
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HUMANITARIANISM & ACADEMIA
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Paper Deadline: February 6, 2016
Submission Deadline: May 16, 2016
Noteworthy Articles, Reports, & Resources
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This toolkit builds on the 2013 NRC/OCHA Study on the Impact of Donor Counterterrorism Measures on Principled Humanitarian Action, commissioned at the IASC's request. The study found that donor counterterrorism measures can have a negative impact on humanitarian action such as restricting funding, stalling project implementation, and leading to an increased climate of self-censorship by humanitarian actors.
The toolkit provides examples of practical steps that humanitarian organizations can take, and are already taking, to strengthen risk management in relation to counterterrorism measures through an approach underpinned by humanitarian principles. It focuses on five areas where NGOs and UN agencies may be able to strengthen organizational risk management procedures. These are: codes of conduct and counterterrorism policies; due diligence measures; human resource policies; anti-diversion policies; and monitoring and evaluation procedures. Negotiation and review of counterterrorism clauses in partnership agreements, a typical area of concern for humanitarian organizations, are also included. Primarily directed at decision-makers with operational and risk management responsibilities and policy makers, this toolkit will be a timely and useful resource for colleagues in both the field and headquarters.
(Brief adapted from introductory letter by Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC))
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Recent Fordham University article,
"Healing Ebola", features
Alexander van Tulleken, M.D.
(IIHA Helen Hamlyn Senior Fellow, IDHA 16),
Melissa Labonte, Ph.D. (Fordham University Political Science Associate Professor, IDHA Lecturer),
Ellie Frazier (IIHA Adjunct Faculty),
Laura Sida (IDHA 36, MIHA), and
Elin Gursky (IDHA 40)!
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In the article
"2016: Which Way are We Headed?"
, Brendan Cahill (IIHA Executive Director, IDHA 9) looks ahead to what 2016 might bring for the swell of refugees and global refugee services.
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Andy McElroy's (IDHA 16) latest post for the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)
"India Responds to Quake"
highlights the actions taken by the Indian government in response to the most recent earthquake, and India's role as one of the leaders of the DRR agenda in Asia Pacific.
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For the duration of the Spring 2016 semester, the IIHA Humanitarian Newsletter will be published on a monthly schedule. For the latest news, events, and opportunities, follow our
blog and our
Facebook and
Twitter platforms!
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UPCOMING IIHA TRAINING COURSES
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Country Directors:
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The IIHA is still accepting applications for Spring 2016 Internships.
Learn more!
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Given the growing scale of humanitarian needs around the world and an ever more complex humanitarian landscape, the UN Secretary-General called for the first-ever
World Humanitarian Summit, to be held in Istanbul, Turkey on May 23 & 24, 2016. In 2015, the WHS and its partners organized 5 regional consultations, 2 thematic consultations and a Global Consultation, with over 23,000 voices from 164 countries contributing to the consulations. In September 2015, the WHS published a
Synthesis Report, which summarizes the outcomes of the consultation process and proposes 5 Action Areas to transform humanitarian action: dignity, safety, resilience, partnerships and finance. The WHS also released the
Final Report of the Global Consultation and announced that the UN Secretary-General will launch the
Report of the High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing on January 17, 2016 in Dubai. With the World Humanitarian Summit now less than 5 months away, the WHS encourages the support of its partners and the continued participation of voices from around the world.
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Thursday, January 21, 2016 | 12:30 - 2:00 PM
This event will discuss a recent report that examines the synergies between transitional justice and education in responding to past human rights violations, based on evidence from 16 countries. Speakers will include Rima Salah, Former Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF & Chair of the Early Childhood Peace Consortium; David Tolbert, President, ICTJ; Saudamini Siegrist, Senior Advisor for Child Protection in Emergencies, UNICEF; Roger Duthie, Senior Associate, Research Unit, ICTJ; and Henk-Jan Brinkman, Chief of Policy, Planning and Application, UN PBSO.
Location: UNICEF Headquarters | Danny Kaye Center | 3 United Nations Plaza | New York, NY 10017
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Tuesday, January 26, 2016 | 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
The International Studies Association and the United Nations Academic Impact will host a special panel discussion on January 26th at the United Nations from 10am to 1pm (please arrive no later than 9:30am). Confirmed speakers include Jean Krasno (CCNY); Arturo Sotomayor (University of Texas - San Antonio); Cyril Obi (SSRC); Rima Salah (Former Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF) and Hardeep Singh Puri (Secretary-General of the Independent Commission on Multilateralism and Vice President of the International Peace Institute). This event is free and open to the public. Please register by January 20 through an email to academicimpact@un.org with ISA-UNAI in the subject line; we will reply only if it so happens that there is no more room.
Attendees should go to the UNITAR building, 801 United Nations Plaza, located at the northwest corner of First Avenue at 45th Street between 9:00 and 9:30 AM on the 26th. We will not be able to accept anyone after this time. Once through security you will be guided to the conference room. This event will kick-off a series of future discussions between ISA members, UN staff, and members of the diplomatic community, cosponsored with United Nations Academic Impact. Members of the ISA are invited to suggest topics and panel members to the ISA, which will support applications on a competitive basis and find UN counterparts for interactive, informal discussions. Panel suggestions will be reviewed by a committee comprising Severine Autesserre (Columbia University); Jacqueline Braveboy-Wagner (CUNY); Kurt Mills (University of Glasgow); Delidji Eric Degila (Sciences Po Lyon); and Joel Oestreich (Drexel University). Inquiries can be directed to Joel Oestreich.
Location: UNITAR Building | 801 United Nations Plaza | New York, NY 10017
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Friday, February 12, 2016 | 5:30 - 7:30 PM
The India China Institute's Flagship 2016 event will engage two renowned intellectuals -
Amitav Ghosh and Prasenjit Duara - in a conversation on climate change and capitalism in Asia. This event is free of charge.
To RSVP: Please visit the event website.
Location: Tishman Auditorium | University Center | 63 Fifth Ave | New York, NY 10003
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Friday, April 1 - Monday, April 4, 2016
This two part event will be held from Friday, April 1 to Monday, April 4, 2016 in San Francisco. The first two days will be a Symposium on Geography and Urban Health, jointly organized by the International Society for Urban Health and the Association of American Geographers, and co-sponsored by The International Geospatial Health Research Network and the AAG Health and Medical Geography Specialty Group. Sessions will highlight national and international cross-disciplinary approaches for enhancing collaboration in team science, technology transfer, designs for urban health, and advancing global urban health.
The following two days, the International Conference on Urban Health: Place and Health, is organized by the International Society for Urban Health. This conference will aim to share findings, methodologies, and technologies, and strengthen and create research and education collaborations focusing on the urban environment as an important "place" in population health research, interventions, and policies. Click
here
for more information on pricing and accommodations, and to submit an abstract to either program.
Location: Hotel Nikko,
222 Mason Street, San Francisco, California 94102
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Monday, April 18 - Wednesday, April 20, 2016
This April, the Center for Universal Education (CUE) at Brookings will host its annual Research & Policy Symposium, with the theme of scaling in education. Through a series of public and private discussions, the Symposium will feature the launch of the Millions Learning report, which focuses on how initiatives that have improved learning for marginalized communities around the world have been scaled and what factors have contributed to the process. The symposium will take place on the margins of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, and Education Financing Commission meetings and will seek to better understand what key factors contribute to scaling and how those factors can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Location: Washington, D.C.
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Tuesday, June 7 - Thursday, June 9, 2016
HumTech 2016 will be held in Boston, and will bring together policy makers, government, academics, and non-profits to explore global humanitarian technology and its effects. There are reduced early bird registration rates right now, but they will not last!
Important dates:
Papers can be submitted until February 6, 2016
Location: Revere Hotel Boston Common | Boston, MA
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Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Thinkers & doers, changemakers & expert practitioners will converge by the hundreds at The Mead Center for American Theater in Washington, D.C. on June 14, 2016. The first global development event of its kind, Devex World is a full day of inspiring, interactive, collaborative sessions with one focus: you. We enter a future where new models reign. No sector, no function, no professional can afford to miss the data revolution or arrive late to innovations transforming lives at scale. This more global, dynamic, competitive ecosystem is brimming with possibility.
Devex World is not just about understanding this future. It's about charting it for you, your organization, and the world. Tickets are limited.
Location: The Mead Center for American Theater | Washington, D.C.
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Saturday, March 5 - Tuesday, March 8, 2016
The World Conference on Humanitarian Studies, "Changing Crises and the Quest for Adequate Solutions," will now take place from March 5-8, 2016 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. While some conflict areas are slowly emerging from crises, Syria, Iraq, Libya, the Central African Republic, Nigeria, South Sudan, the Ukraine and other ongoing crises continue to spur human suffering, displace millions of people, destroy infrastructure and livelihoods, impair local institutions and create increasingly wicked political problems. As the number and diversity of crises continues to increase, local actors, governments, and humanitarian organizations are struggling to understand what is going on and respond to them. At the same time, many other actors, varying from Private Military Security Companies and private foundations to religious groups have entered the fray. The fourth World Conference of Humanitarian Studies aims to deepen our understanding of how and why crises are changing, which actors play a role in them, how this changes the interplay between humanitarian action and other actors and systems, and how this affects the prospects of prevention, preparedness, response and development.
Important dates:
Papers can be submitted until December 25, 2015
Location: Ghion Hotel
| Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Tuesday, January 19 - Friday, February 5, 2016
As part of broad, global efforts to strengthen the response to education in emergencies and protracted crises, INEE is leading a global consultation to facilitate dialogue and collect inputs from all over the world. This consultation focuses on proposed options for a new "Common Platform" for global EiE work. The consultation will take place from January 19 - February 5, 2016. The global consultation includes discussion forums, an online feedback survey, and a series of live webinars in INEE's five working languages. There will also be in-person consultations as part of INEE's Meet-Up event, and several country-specific consultations conducted by the Education Cluster and the Overseas Development Institute in a number of crisis-affected countries. INEE has prepared an Overview and Consultation Questions document and a Consultation Facilitator's Guide to clarify the issues and process.
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Friday, January 22, 2016 | 4:00 AM (EST)/ 10:00 AM (CET)
This year, hundreds of thousands of people crossed the Mediterranean and Europe's eastern borders seeking refuge. But while global attention was fixed on the boats struggling through the waves, or huddled behind barbed-wire borders, little thought has been given to what happens next. Europe will soon find itself facing the dilemma of how to manage its newest residents - a challenge that Morocco has already faced. We are in the same boat. #InTheSameBoat is a campaign created by a Harvard University field study exploring the lessons that Europe can learn from Morocco's considerable experience in, and novel approach to, managing migration. Over the course of January 2016, this team of researchers will be interviewing a host of Moroccan stakeholders and experts to develop a policy paper drawing lessons relevant to EU member states. The release of the paper will be accompanied by this podcast produced as part of Harvard University's ATHA program and co-hosted by the Migration Policy Centre in Florence.
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