HUMANITARIAN NEWSLETTER
July 21 - August 4, 2014 
Training Humanitarians Around The World
HUMANITARIAN SPOTLIGHT:
THE ISRAEL - PALESTINE CONFLICT

With the death toll mounting on both sides of the Israel-Palestine conflict, the international community is adamantly seeking a cease-fire between the warring parties.  Sunday, July 20th, marked the deadliest day in the latest conflict.  In Shejaiya, an eastern neighborhood of Gaza city, at least 60 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers were killed. Sunday's peak in violence stemmed from heightened tensions following more than a week of intense airstrikes and a ground offensive undertaken by the Israeli military. Throughout Gaza, Sunday's ground offensive killed at least 87 Palestinians, bringing Gaza's total death toll since the Israeli air offensive started on July 8th to 600 people, with more than 3,000 injured, including more than 100 children.  Sunday's death toll for Israel's military was higher than that sustained during the entire three-week duration of Israel's last ground offensive in Gaza in 2008-2009.  Thus far, 25 Israeli soldiers and 2 Israeli civilians have been killed.

 

Late in the evening on Sunday, July 20th, the United Nations Security Council emerged from an emergency session regarding the escalating conflict and expressed serious concern about the continuation of the two weeks of fighting, calling for an "immediate cessation of hostilities." The UN has reported nearly 100,000 people in 67 shelters, a situation to which the UN has responded by orchestrating an airlift of 45,000 mattresses and 10,000 blankets from Dubai. In response to the effects of increased fighting in Gaza, there was a rare break in attacks as both sides observed a five hour "humanitarian pause" to allow Gazans to stock up on supplies. In a recent release published by Robert Turner, the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Director of Operations in Gaza, Turner bears witness to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, noting the challenge of responding to situations of protracted displacement. Other than the services provided by UNRWA and several NGOs, access to health care remains limited and unreliable and infrastructure continues to collapse. UNRWA and numerous other UN agencies and humanitarian organizations remain committed to meeting the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza.
SPECIAL FEATURE: WOMEN IN SYRIA - STRUGGLING ALONE
In a recently published report by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) it was discovered that more than 145,000 Syrian refugee women run their households alone, more than a quarter of the total number of Syrian refugees. UNHCR published a map depicting the Syrian refugee women as heads of household in various countries that border Syria.  In Lebanon, there are 70,189 women who are heads of household.  Nearly 80 percent of the 2.9 million people who fled the civil war in Syria are women and children, and nearly 100,000 refugees are entering Syria's neighboring countries each month. UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards noted, "It is really a catastrophic situation...The women are a very vulnerable group in the broader refugee population - it's very much a crisis within a crisis."
HUMANITARIANISM & ACADEMIA
Call for Papers

 

Lord David Owen Speaks to IDHA 43 at Fordham University

 

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.
FOR DEBATE
"When those refugees asked me, 'Who are you?', I really, really wished I could have said, 'I'm a doctor,' or something else useful," Knightley says quietly, her eyes involuntarily glancing heavenwards, registering the moment's mortification. "So instead I told them, I am somebody who is going to ask people to give lots of money to Oxfam, so they can help you.'" - Keira Knightley on her recent visit to South Sudan with Oxfam GB. Read the full article.
  • What are your thoughts about celebrity humanitarianism? 
  • Is it an effective way to bring international attention to the crises around the world?  

Join the debate online on IIHA's Facebook Page!  
ALUMNI UPDATES
Cristian Ghilardi (IDHA 34) is a Programme Management Coordinator for CARE International UK and has focused recently on CARE's EMPHASIS (Enhancing Mobile Populations' Access to HIV and AIDS Services, Information and Support) project in South Asia which aims to reduce HIV&AIDS vulnerability among cross-border migrants from Bangladesh to India and Nepal to India; and to influence national and regional policies relating to safe mobility. A key component of the project is to focus on women's empowerment along the continuum of mobility. As this 5-year initiative comes to a close, CARE International and the Overseas Development Institute organized the International Conference, "Women, Migration and Development: Investing in the Future," to share learning from CARE's EMPHASIS project and other CARE International initiatives worldwide. This conference, which took place last week (July 17th & 18th) in Waterloo, London, brought together policy makers, donors, practitioners, private sector, government and UN agencies to focus on issues, challenges and opportunities around migration. The conference highlighted the need to acknowledge migration as a key factor for sustainable development and the need to better protect the human rights of migrants. It also focused on the particular vulnerabilities faced by women migrant workers and encouraged advocacy for specific policy responses and practical solutions that can be scaled up and replicated, based on CARE's experience in the EMPHASIS project in South Asia and other programmes.
Andy McElroy (IDHA 16) recently published an article, "Kyrgyz Republic Assesses Over 3,000 Schools," in which he discusses how the Kyrgyz government is set to embark on a comprehensive five-year safe schools programme to provide a safer learning environment for children.
In her article, "New Thinking Needed on Food Aid for Refugees in Africa", IIHA Forced Migration Course 4 Alumna, Kristy Siegfried, examines the funding shortfall faced by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and UNHCR that has already resulted in food ration cuts for a third of all African refugees. Kristy's most recent article,  "How Flawed Are Current Aid Responses?", discusses the recent MSF report, "Where is Everyone? Responding to Emergencies in the Most Difficult Places", which examines and addresses the deficiencies in the aid community's responses to humanitarian crises. 
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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
Bronx Stories: (Im)migrant Experiences from The Bronx and the Lower East Side
Friday, July 25, 2014 | 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM

The Bronx Museum will present the second of a two-part collaborative series that hosts storytellers, poets, and musicians performing works inspired by their (im)migrant experiences and the exhibition currently on view. The event will culminate with an open-mic portion, for which members of the audience will be invited to share their own short stories, poems, and songs. Admission is free.  

For more information: Please visit the Bronx Museum of Arts website.  

Location: The Bronx Museum of Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse, between E. 165th & E. 166th Street, Bronx, NY 10456
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: Washington, D.C. / Philadelphia / New York 

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.
 
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 UN WCIP.

 

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 Machik Weekend.

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
Are We Getting Things Done? Rethinking Operational Leadership 
Wednesday, July 30, 2014 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM (GMT+01 (BST)) 

 

What does good leadership look like in humanitarian operations? How can we promote it? Join the Overseas Development Institute for a panel discussion on Wednesday, July 30th, for a launch of ALNAP's new study in which panelists will discuss the findings of literature review, survey and interviews into effective leadership.

 
For more information: Please visit the Overseas Development Institute.

 

To register: Please click here and follow the prompts.
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 Build Resilience.

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  Humanitarian Leadership Academy.

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

Location: Nairobi, Kenya
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
Thursday, July 24, 2014 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM (BST)

This edition of ALNAP's Urban Webinar series focuses on the use of mapping in urban humanitarian response. It will address broader questions of how humanitarians can harness technology to help them understand complex urban systems, what different types of mapping are available to humanitarians and what needs to change in order to better integrate mapping efforts into humanitarian response. It will then highlight the Rapid City Profiles created by UN Habitat and how these are contributing to the Syria Response. Two presentations will be followed by a Q&A session, during which we invite the audience to submit questions in advance or in real time, as well as to contribute their own experiences of mapping urban response. 

 

For more information: Please visit the ALNAP website.  

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

Join Disaster Ready as Timo Luego, alumni of IIHA's IDHA 21, from Social Media for Good discusses 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.organd 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 Overseas Development Institute.

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.