HUMANITARIAN NEWSLETTER
August 4 - 18, 2014 
Training Humanitarians Around The World
HUMANITARIAN SPOTLIGHT:
THE EBOLA VIRUS

The deadly Ebola virus that has been ravaging Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia since the epidemic began in March has already claimed 887 lives and infected over 1,600 people in West Africa, making it the deadliest outbreak in the disease's history.  Now that one case of the virus has spread from the three original countries to Lagos, Nigeria, there is growing concern by Western governments that the epidemic could spread out of Africa.  In late July, two Americans working in Liberia contracted the infection, further prompting concern about the potential of the disease to spread to countries in Europe, and the United States.  The Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs' (IIHA) Helen Hamlyn Senior Fellow, Dr. Alexander van Tulleken, has been at the forefront of media coverage on the disease. Speaking to CNN, BBC and MSNBC over the past two weeks, Dr. van Tulleken continues to argue that although the risks of an Ebola epidemic spreading to the West are extremely low, we must care about the disease for both humanitarian reasons and for reasons of global security: the inadequacies of the international epidemic control system will have far more severe consequences for other communicable diseases. Follow the most recent news and conversation using the hashtag #IIHAEbola.
FOR DEBATE
The transfer of Ebola stricken American aid workers, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, from Liberia to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta has sparked a lot of controversy in the United States. Some argue that the fact that they are American citizens means that they have the right to the best possible medical care and that their treatment would contribute significantly to future research and clinical interventions, while others assert that the risk to the American public is far too great to justify their transfer.

IIHA Helen Hamlyn Senior Fellow, Dr. Alexander van Tulleken, recently sat down with MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry to discuss the outbreak and the implications of the two Americans being treated on U.S. soil. In his comments, Dr. van Tulleken emphasized that the risk of an Ebola epidemic occurring in the West is very low, despite recent concerns surrounding the transfer of the infected patients.

We would love to hear your opinion: Does the treatment and study of the two infected Americans outweigh the perceived risks to public health?

Join the debate online on IIHA's Facebook Page!

SPECIAL FEATURE:
UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF CALLS FOR AID REVAMP

At the North and South-East Asia Regional Consultation for the World Humanitarian Summit in Tokyo, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos, called for major changes in the delivery of aid. In the face of crises in Syria, Iraq, Israel, Gaza, and elsewhere, U.N. funding appeals have risen to a record $16.9 billion in 2014, up from $6 billion 10 years ago, with aims to help more than 50 million people. Ms. Amos advocated a "step change" in the way aid is delivered saying, "We need to review how we do humanitarian response, who does it, who's involved, how we equip communities...to come in, step in, support each other, so that the global international response becomes almost the last resort." Drawing on lessons from Typhoon Haiyan, Ms. Amos mentioned the importance of supporting the people in the communities, the local authorities, the national Red Cross Society who are "able to get to some of the most far-flung places more quickly." The consultation in Tokyo, co-hosted by Baroness Amos, focused on improving relief in Asia by promoting greater accountability to crisis-affected people. 
WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY
Each year, August 19th marks World Humanitarian Day, a day which honors those who have lost their lives in humanitarian service and those who continue to bring assistance and relief to millions. The day was designated by the General Assembly to coincide with the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, which claimed the lives of 22 people.

World Humanitarian Day seeks to draw attention to humanitarian needs worldwide and to explain what humanitarian aid work entails. The 2014 campaign,  "The world needs more #HumanitarianHeroes," will  turn the spotlight on humanitarians around the world - people from all walks of life who are committed to making a difference.

The IIHA takes this opportunity to recognize our own humanitarian heroes: alumni numbering over 2,300, and faculty and guest lecturers from around the world, who take time out of their demanding schedules to continue to learn, grow, and educate with the ultimate goal of improving their response to populations affected by disaster, war, and conflict. We encourage our students, faculty, and friends to nominate your own #HumanitarianHeroes by using the hashtag #IIHAHH on Twitter and Facebook or sending us an email explaining why your nomination is a Humanitarian Hero.

HUMANITARIANISM & ACADEMIA
Call for Papers
 

Research Opportunities


Evidence Aid - How to Get Involved? 

Read more to find out how you can use Evidence Aid's resources, promote their findings, and input your research and ideas into their growing body of evidence.

ALUMNI UPDATE: A LETTER FROM IIHA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dear friends,

It is my sad duty to inform you of the death of Elizabeth Forest, a graduate of IDHA 31, who died, too soon, from cancer. 

I first met Elizabeth Forest when she was an undergraduate student at Fordham University. She was mature, funny, human, artistic. She had a rare talent to see the positive everywhere. Every day seemed a good day, the sun came through the clouds, the rain looked beautiful against the tar of the road. Her art - etchings, paintings, woodblocks, photos, herself - all reflected her connection with people and with nature. She was a trusted colleague at our Institute, working on our programs, becoming involved in a real and substantive way with our students and our lecturers. Returning to the East coast with her husband, Alex, or just an email here or there, a photo sent, a post on facebook, all bring back the beauty of her spirit to those who were happy to know her and to love her. In a world so full of sadness and injustice, hers was a death not from service or violence, but it has robbed us of a singular person, and one who will be missed.

Brendan Cahill
IIHA Executive Director
Amman, Jordan

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JOB/INTERNSHIP
OPPORTUNITIES
World Humanitarian Summit 2016

The UN Secretary-General will convene the first-ever global humanitarian summit in Istanbul in 2016. The goal of the World Humanitarian Summit is to find new ways to tackle humanitarian needs in our fast-changing world. This three-year initiative is being managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and Dr. Jemilah Mahmood, International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance (IDHA) Honoris Causa recipient, will head the WHS Secretariat at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The summit will set a new agenda for global humanitarian action. It will focus on humanitarian effectiveness, reducing vulnerability and managing risk, transformation through innovation, and serving the needs of people in conflict.  

 

The WHS discussions continue on with a series of live webinars organized in collaboration with Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection (PHAP), which will include key humanitarian specialists from around the world.
If you would like to listen to the archived sessions of previous WHS webinars, you can find them along with summaries here.   
NEW YORK EVENTS
4th International Young Leaders Assembly
Monday, August 11 - Wednesday, August 20, 2014

The Global Peace Foundation invites bright young leaders 18-35 years of age to join the "International Young Leaders Assembly: Moral and Innovative Leadership 2014" at the United Nations on August 19th. Throughout the day, participants will engage in presentations on policy development and implementation as well as leadership training activities. The delegates will be drivers rather than only observers of local and global progress. Their new networks and experiences will enable them to continue to collaborate and generate ongoing innovative projects in their respective countries.

For more information
: View the Flyer and Program.
 
To register: Please click here and follow the prompts.

Location: United Nations Headquuarters 
UNA-NY Screening the Issues: Horses of God
Thursday, August 21, 2014 | 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Join UNA-NY for a screening of Horses of God. Horses of God follows two pre-teen boys living in an impoverished slum on the outskirts of Casablanca, Morocco. To gain control of their penurious circumstances for good, they embrace Islam but then have to choose to sacrifice their lives to perform the will of their Imam.

For more information: Please visit the UNA-NY Screen the Issues website.
 
Location: Dolby 88 Screening Room 1350 | Avenue of the Americas (at West 55th Street) Lobby Level, New York, NY 10019

65th ANNUAL UN DPI/NGO CONFERENCE
2015 and Beyond: Our Action Agenda
Wednesday, August 27 - Friday, August 29, 2014  
 
The 65th Annual UN DPI/ NGO Conference will take place at a critical time in the post-2015 process. As the international community strives to achieve the Millennium Development Goals while formulating the post-2015 development agenda including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 2015 is recognized to be a once-in-a-generation opportunity for transformational change. The purpose of this Conference is to harness the strategies, expertise and resources across the broadest spectrum of civil society to move poverty eradication, sustainability, human rights and climate justice into the mainstream discourse, and spark sustained public demand for lasting political action in support of an ambitious outcome from the post-2015 sustainable development process.

Members of Fordham University, an NGO associated with the UN DPI, are eligible to attend this conference. For more information, please contact Fordham's main representative at the UN, Kelly Roberts, at Fordham's Office for International Services.
 
For more information: Please click here.

Location:
United Nations Headquarters, New York, USA
Monday, September 22 - 
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
 
The high-level plenary meeting of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, to be known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (WCIP), to be held in 2014 in order to share perspectives and best practices on the realization of the rights of Indigenous peoples, including to pursue the objectives of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and invites the President of the General Assembly to conduct open-ended consultations with member states and with indigenous peoples' representatives in the framework of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, as well as, the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Special Rapporteur in order to determine the modalities of this meeting, including indigenous peoples' participation at the Conference (A/RES/65/198).

For more information: Please visit the UN WCIP website.

 

Location: United Nations Headquarters, New York, USA

Benefit Dinner: Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture
Wednesday, October 29, 2014 | 6:00 PM

This is a benefit dinner for the Bellevue/NYU Program for survivors of torture. The program works to assist individuals and families subjected to torture and war trauma to build healthy, self-sufficient lives.   

For more information: Please contact Shannon Miller at (212) 562-8492 or
Machik Weekend

Friday, November 21- Sunday, November 23, 2014 

 

Machik Weekend is an annual gathering for dialogue, exploration and understanding among people who share a passion for the ideals of service and civic engagement in Tibet. It is a unique space to share and learn about path-breaking service projects, dynamic leaders and resilient communities in Tibet. 

For more information: Please visit the Machik Weekend website.

To register: Please click here and follow the prompt. 

Location: Fordham University School of Law, 140 W. 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023
NATIONAL EVENTS

Monday, August 4 - Friday, August 8, 2014

 

This path-breaking seminar to be held from August 4-8, 2014 at the Goldman School of Public Policy, at the University of California, Berkeley, will focus on using a rights-based approach to setting and measuring policy to achieve gender equity. The program is recommended for emerging and established leaders in government and non-governmental sectors (non-profits), committed to developing results-based policies to achieve gender equity at local, state, or national levels. 

 

For more information: Please visit aiwid women's rights.

Location: University of California, Berkeley 
Wednesday, November 19 -
Thursday, November 20, 2014

The Aid & International Development Forum's 6th annual Disaster Relief Summit is the world-leading gathering for international humanitarian experts at relief agencies, NGOs and charity associations, UN and government agencies, development banks and donors and innovative technology and service providers. AIDF summits are designed to create a mutual platform to facilitate and encourage exchange of thoughts, share expertise and present the lessons learned through first-hand experiences. The summit strives to enable quicker and better response during crisis and catastrophes in a more effective, sustainable and cost-efficient way.

 

To register: Please register online here.

Location: Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington DC, 20004, USA

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS
The World Humanitarian Summit Consultations

The World Humanitarian Summit has been conducting a series of Regional Consultations that will bring together individuals and groups, giving them a chance to identify humanitarian challenges and promote solutions. In each region, individuals and organizations will have the chance to contribute their ideas in the discussion forums on this website, and in numerous events in each region.

 

Key Dates:

 

August 4 - 31: Join the online discussion around the four World Humanitarian Summit themes.

 

August 15: Join the online consultation for Eastern and Southern Africa

 

August 19: What do you think the world needs more of? Sign on as a messenger for humanity and help spread the word on World Humanitarian Day.

 

October 27 - 28: Regional consultation for Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Hungary and others.

 

For more upcoming consultation dates: Please visit the World Humanitarian Summit website.

Incredible Budgets - Budgets Credibility in Theory and Practice
Wednesday, August 6, 2014 | 2:00 PM - 4:00 (BST)

On Wednesday, August 6th, the Overseas Development Institute is holding this event to bring together staff from the Center for Aid and Public Expenditures (CAPE), academics and public financial management to talk about budget strengthening in low income and/or fragile states. The aim of this session is to share the latest CAPE research on this issue.

For more information: Please visit the Overseas Development Institute website.

To register: Please email j.hanne@odi.org.uk

Location: London, UK
Monday, September 1, 2014 | 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (BST)  
Hosted by the Overseas Development Institute, this event on Monday, September 1st, will outline multiple models of accountability (horizontal, vertical and diagonal approaches) and how accountability affects major security and justice actors. It will provide a framework for thinking about accountability in security and justice work in future.
 
For more information: Please visit the Overseas Development Institute website.

Location: London, UK 
Monday, September 8 - Thursday, September 11, 2014
 
This International Conference hosted by the Centre for Disaster Resilience will explore the concept of resilience as a useful framework of analysis for how society can cope with the threat of hazards, helping to understand attributes that enable physical, socio-cultural, politico-economic and natural systems to adapt, by resistance or changing in order to reach and maintain an acceptable level of functioning.

For more information: Please visit the Build Resilience website.

To register: Please click here and follow the prompts.

Location: Media City UK, Salford Quays, United Kingdom
Tuesday, September 16 - Thursday, September 18, 2014

In 2013, the Humanitarian Partnership Conference brought together universities and NGOs working in the humanitarian sector. The result was multiple collaborations and ongoing conversation. This year, the 3 day conference wants to take this conversation to the next level by expanding stakeholder representation and engagement and addressing topical issues in the world of Humanitarian Assistance.

 

For more information: Please visit the Humanitarian Leadership Academy website.

To register: Please contact Sheila Waruhiu at s.waruhiu@savethechildren.org.uk.

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

HPG History of Modern Humanitarian Action: Regional Conference on Latin America
                                                   Wednesday, October 29 -Thursday,October 30,2014

Hosted by Humanitarian Policy Group, the aim of the conference is to improve understandings of the history of 'humanitarianism' across the region, and may include discussions of the origins of and influences on modern humanitarianism in Latin America, historical precedents for such action, the influence of religion on a humanitarian or charitable sensibility, and the conceptual history of the word 'humanitarian' in the region. Discussions will investigate the subject from a variety of perspectives, including developmental, religious, human rights and social and political movements.
 
For more information: Please click here.
 
Location: Bogota, Colombia
Monday, November 3 - Wednesday, November 5, 2014

The 2nd international Conference on Urban Sustainability and Resilience will be held at University College London from November 3rd - 5th, 2014. The inaugural conference took place in 2012 and was a great success, generating a high level of interest and a stimulating agenda-setting debate.

For any additional questions or topic suggestions: Please email usarconference2014@ucl.ac.uk.

For more information: Please visit the website

 

To register: Please click here. 

 

Location: University College London, Chadwick Building, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK

ONLINE EVENTS
Ask the Experts: Pedro Ferradas on Urban Disaster Risk Management
Monday, August 18 - Sunday, August 24, 2014 

PreventionWeb has launched a new initiative called "Ask an Expert" through which partners in the disaster risk reduction community and public at large can get expert opinion. Each week, thematic experts and thought leaders invite people from all over the world to ask key questions, share concerns and comments for their take on the issue. From the 18th-24th of August, you will be able to ask questions to Pedro Ferradas (Practical Action's Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation programme -previously ITDG) on urban disaster risk management.

For more information: Please visit the ALNAP website.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014 | 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (BST)

Join the Overseas Development Institute on August 19th, World Humanitarian Day, for the launch of Larissa Fast's "Aid in Danger: The Perils and Promise of Humanitarianism." The book looks at violent attacks against aid workers on the front-lines of humanitarian crises. Follow #AidinDanger on Twitter for live coverage.
 
For more information: Please visit the Overseas Development Institute website.

To register: Please click here and follow the prompts.
The Rise of Social Media in Emergencies
Tuesday, August 26, 2014 |  10:00 AM (EST) 

Timo Luege, Alumnus of IDHA 21, will join DisasterReady.org on the 26th of August for a discussion on how social media can be used by NGOs and humanitarian organizations before and during emergencies. Participants will learn what social media staff guidelines are and why they're important.  In addition, the discussion will address the role of social media during a humanitarian crisis with examples from the Philippines.    

For more information: Please visit DisasterReady.org and sign up for free to see all available resources.

To register: Please click here and follow the prompts. 
Global Value Chains in Asia: Is Everyone Benefitting?
Friday, September 5, 2014 | 1:00 PM - 3:00 (BST)

The rise in East Asia's global economy can serve as a model for developing countries. The spread of global value chains (GVCs) over geographical space underpin East Asia's rapid industrialization, creation of jobs and unprecedented prosperity over decades. However, there has been little of the transmission of GVCs to other developing regions. Hosted by the Overseas Development Institute, this seminar will discuss critical issues for inclusive growth in Asia and the rest of the developing world. 
 
For more information: Please visit the Overseas Development Institute website.

To register: Please click here and follow the prompts.
Invitation to the 2014 Climate, Buildings and Behavior Symposium: Situations of Armed Conflict
Wednesday, October 8 - Friday, October 10, 2014
  

This event will bring together real estate professionals from for-profit and non-for-profit firms, building industry experts and behavior change researchers from across the country to explore the science and practice behind successful approaches from enhancing sustainable practices, reducing energy consumption, and significantly lowering the cost of operations in multi-family residential and commercial buildings. 

 

For more information: Please visit the Garrison Institute website. 

To register: Please click here and follow the prompt.