HUMANITARIAN NEWSLETTER
October 15 - 29, 2014 
Training Humanitarians Around The World
IIHA TRAINING UPDATE
Education in Emergencies participants with
Course Director, Gonzalo S�nchez-Ter�n
This week, 28 students - a majority of whom are directly involved in the humanitarian response to the Syria crisis - convened at the Jesuit Center in Amman, Jordan for the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs' (IIHA) first-ever Education in Emergencies course. The program, directed by Gonzalo S�nchez-Ter�n (IDHA 16, IIHA Deputy Humanitarian Programs Director), featured a diverse range of speakers including Dr. Rania Alahmer (IDHA 38; Gender-Based Violence Specialist, UNFPA), Reema Alnajjar (Nutrition Program Officer, WFP), Tameem Al-Talabani (JRS Jordan), Susan Ayari (Chief of Education, UNICEF), Nadhezna Castellano Sosa (Education Officer, JRS West Africa), Gabriel El Khili (Education in Emergencies Programme Specialist, UNRWA), Gabriele Faender (Regional Nutrition Adviser, Medair), Laila Hussein (ECCD Specialist, Save the Children), Maya Perlmann (JC:HEM), Amy Schmidt (Director of Program Quality and Development, Save the Children), and Karen Whiting (Child Protection Officer, UNHCR). Lecturers provided an overview of their respective organizational approaches to education, while contextualizing their work within current responses to humanitarian crises in Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Chad, Haiti, Sudan, and Somalia. Sharing a clear passion for education as a priority in emergency response, the Course Director and guest speakers alike discussed the education initiatives being implemented in current crises around the world and analyzed the challenges and obstacles to ensuring that all children have access to a quality education. Amy Schmidt crystallized the paramount importance of the sector, commenting that "when the first trucks arrive with the food [in humanitarian crises], we would like education to be on that same front." Further noting the life-saving quality of education, Gonzalo S�nchez-Ter�n emphasized that educational projects must incorporate a holistic approach to child well-being, through programs spanning sectors such as nutrition, child protection and psychosocial support.

 

The Education in Emergencies course concludes the fall 2014 session of the IIHA's graduate programs held in Amman, Jordan in cooperation with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS). Previous courses included Ethics and Advocacy in Humanitarian Action and Accountability in Humanitarian Action, led by Anthony Land, Ph.D. (IIHA Senior Fellow), as well as Leadership and Management of Humanitarian Action and Community Participation and Mobilization in Emergency Response led by Larry Hollingworth (IIHA Humanitarian Programs Director) and Al Panico (IDHA 30; Former Head of Operations, IFRC Asia Pacific). The courses welcomed back as guest speakers IDHA alumni including Lejla Hrasnica (IDHA 2; Chair, IDHA Alumni Council; UNHCR), Finne Lucey (IDHA 35; Logistic Cluster Lead, WFP), and Kendra Hughbanks (IDHA 40; Grants Manager, IRC).  

To view a complete list of next year's courses, please visit our Course Calendar.
EBOLA UPDATE
Dr. van Tulleken on CNN
Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man who became the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the United States, passed away last week in the Dallas hospital that was treating him. Now a second health worker who had been caring for Duncan at Texas Presbyterian Hospital has contracted the Ebola virus, marking the second case of infection in the United States thus far. The U.S. is escalating its protection efforts, with New York's John F. Kennedy Airport now screening travelers returning from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, the countries hit hardest by the disease. Dr. Alexander van Tulleken (IDHA 16), IIHA Helen Hamlyn Senior Fellow and Academic Director, has recently commented on the effectiveness of airport screenings in an interview with CNN. Dr. van Tulleken remains a frequent commentator on the ongoing situation, and has recently been interviewed by Al Jazeera English as well as MSNBC

For more information, please visit: 
Follow the most recent news and developments 
using the hashtag #IIHAEBOLA
HUMANITARIANISM & ACADEMIA
Call for Papers
ALUMNI UPDATES
Etienne Mutabazi (IDHA 38) recently graduated as a doctor in International Criminal, Human Rights, and Humanitarian Law. In his thesis entitled "The United Nations Ad Hoc Tribunals' Effectiveness in Prosecuting International Crimes," Etienne reflects on the creation of the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, their objectives and achievements. He thoroughly investigates their performance and concludes that they were not and could not be effective tools to combat international crimes as contemplated by the Security Council and therefore failed to deliver on their mandate. His thesis makes a decisive contribution to the twin disciplines of humanitarian law and human rights law and to the production of knowledge in these fields. 
In a recent article for the New York Times, Aubrey Ryan (IDHA 40), global health fellow at both Mount Sinai-St.Luke's and Mount Sinai-Roosevelt hospitals in New York City, discusses the Dallas hospital's care for the first Ebola patient in the United States. In the article, Ryan emphasizes the importance of taking a travel history from emergency room patients as a way of preventing misdiagnosis as well as stopping the spread of disease. 
  VIEW THE 2015 COURSE CALENDAR!
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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, 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 the sessions and the accompanying summaries here. For more information about  upcoming consultations and events, please see the Events section below.
HUMANITARIAN SPOTLIGHT: 2015 SOHS SURVEY AND CONSULTATIONS

Calling all humanitarian practitioners! ALNAP is now working on its next State of the Humanitarian System (SOHS) review. Commissioned by ALNAP and authored by Humanitarian Outcomes, the report offers a comprehensive picture of the shape and size of the system and insights into the 'bigger picture' of trends and performance in the sector. It incorporates perspectives from those who receive aid, as well as practitioners from across the globe and at all levels of seniority. To ensure a diverse and comprehensive sample size, ALNAP asks all humanitarian professionals directly involved in operational humanitarian assistance to complete the 2015 SOHS survey and disseminate the survey within their respective networks.  

NEW YORK EVENTS
Book Reading and Discussion: "A Poisonous Thorn in Our Hearts"
 Wednesday, October 22, 2014 | 6:00 PM

JoinFordham University's IIHA, Department of Political Science, and the Department of African and African American Studies for a book reading, Q&A, and book signing with former BBC corespondent and author, James Copnall. Mr. Copnall's book,  A Poisonous Thorn in Our Hearts: Sudan and South Sudan's Bitter and Incomplete Divorcechronicles the separation of the once unified countries that sent South Sudan spiraling into a devastating civil war while leaving Sudan to deal with crippling economic challenges.

For more information: Please view the event flyer.

To RSVP: Please visit the event website

Location: Lowenstein PL 100 (Formerly Faculty Dining Room, Plaza Level) Fordham University Lincoln Center, 113 W. 60th Street, New York, NY 10023
Friday, October 24, 2014
 
The Institute of International Education (IIE) will convene with scholars to explore the collaborative nexus of higher education, human rights, and philanthropic resources that are available to protect threatened scholars. Panel discussions will give participants the opportunity to share best practices, expand their networks and explore spaces of cross-sector collaboration. 
 
For more information: Please visit the event website.
 
Location: 809 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017 
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 prompts.

  

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

NATIONAL EVENTS
UNICEF's Chicago Humanitarian Awards Luncheon
Friday, October 17, 2014 | 11:00 AM - 1:15 PM

The Midwest Regional Office of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF will host UNICEF's Chicago Humanitarian Awards Luncheon at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago. This year's honorees are Francie Comer, Philanthropist, Comer Family Foundation, and Sue Duncan, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Sue Duncan Children's Center for their admirable work on behalf of children.

For more information: Please visit the U.S. Fund for UNICEF website or contact
Elisabeth Kasdorf-Torney at ekasdorf@unicefusa.org

Location: Ritz-Carlton Chicago, 160 E. Pearson Street, Chicago, IL 60611
The Aid & International Development Forum's 6th Annual Disaster Relief Summit
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 visit the Disaster Relief Summit 2014 website.

 

Location: Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington D.C. 20004
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

Monday, October 20, 2014 | 5:00 - 7:00 (BST)

  

Presented by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), this session will discuss the struggle with the notion of 'evidence' in justice and security programming. Rather than accentuating the obvious gap between research and policy, it will explore the constructive overlaps by examining shortcomings on each side. Using the categories of proof, principle and plausibility, the session will reframe the question of 'what works' by broadening it to the question of 'why something might plausibly work' and why, on some issues, neither research nor practice seems to be able to learn. 
 
For more information: Please visit the ODI website.

To RSVP: Please email Claire Bracegirdle at c.bracegirdle@odi.org.uk

Location: London, England

History of Modern Humanitarian Action: Regional Conference on Latin America 

Wednesday, October 29 -Thursday, October 30, 2014

 

Hosted by the Humanitarian Policy Group, the aim of this 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 visit the event website.

 
Location: Bogot, Colombia 
Wednesday, October 29 - Friday, October 31, 2014

The International Greening Education Event (IGEE), hosted by the European Organisation for Sustainable Development (EOSD), will bring together the academic community and other stakeholders from around the world to discuss the issue of integrating sustainability across all academic disciplines. The event provides an exclusive forum to examine how global issues such as climate change, loss of biodiversity and other major challenges are affecting the education sector, deliberate on how to embed sustainability in curricula, courses and learning and teaching material, debate on the ways to make educational institutions one of the key leaders in finding long lasting solutions to environmental, social and economic challenges, share best practices, as well as get insights on how education is being reshaped to meet the requirements of the 21st century. The event will be followed by an optional excursion on Saturday, November 1st. 

For more information: Please visit the event website.

To register: Please email mail@eosd.org

Location: Karlsruhe, Germany
UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development
Monday, November 10 - Wednesday, November 12

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Government of Japan are organizing this event to carry out a review and assessment of the implementation of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) and celebrate the Decade's achievements. The Conference will showcase initiatives, actors, networks and ideas that were stimulated by the DESD. Examples of good practice from all over the world will play an important role in identifying viable approaches to ESD, as well as key areas for future action.

 

For more information: Please visit the UNESCO website.

Location
: Aichi-Nagoya, Japan
Tuesday, November 18 - Wednesday, November 19

 

This annual conference, put together by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, brings together global corporations, lawyers, and pioneers in the field of women's rights to take action and commit to empowering women worldwide. Attending the conference provides you with the opportunity to be a part of the solution to issues of women's rights, network with a diverse group of people from around the world, and hear inspiring stories from survivors as well as speeches from high-profile speakers. This year's event includes a broad range of topics from economic empowerment of women, to access to land, to human trafficking and modern-day slavery. 

 

For more information: Please visit the Trust Women website.

To register: Please visit the click here and follow the prompts.


Location
: London, England
ONLINE EVENTS
The World Humanitarian Summit Consultations and Events

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:

 

October 16: Transformation through innovation: Successful scale-up models (Eastern and Southern Africa regional consultation) 

 
 

 

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

Friday, October 17 | 3:00 PM (CET)

As part of the World Humanitarian Summit, Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection (PHAP) will host a live online event concerning the possible role of business in the response to West Africa's Ebola outbreak. As the international community scales up its efforts, the private sector is being called upon to expand its commitment to provide resources to combat the deadly disease. The event will provide information on the Ebola crisis, specific ways in which the private sector can contribute to the crisis and recent best case examples of private sector involvement in the response. Viewers will hear from those working in affected countries as well as private sector companies that have been offering support to the response. 

 

For more information: Please visit the PHAP website.

To register:
Please click here and follow the prompts.