HUMANITARIAN NEWSLETTER
Nov. 26 - Dec. 10, 2014 
Training Humanitarians Around The World
UN KICKS OFF CAMPAIGN TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Beginning with this past Tuesday's International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the UN has officially commenced 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. The call to action is part of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's campaign, UNiTE To End Violence Against Women marked most recently by the Orange Your Neighbourhood initiative. The project, which uses the color orange as a symbol of a brighter future without violence, aims to increase awareness and prompt action to address the staggering prevalence of gender-based violence around the world.

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GERMANY & IOM COMMIT TO CLOSER COLLABORATION ON 6OTH MEMBERSHIP ANNIVERSARY
Argentina Szabados with
IOM Director General William Swing
Earlier this month the International Organization for Migration (IOM) celebrated the 60th anniversary of their presence in Germany. With the celebration of this momentous anniversary came a recommitment - by IOM and by the German government - to cooperate on matters of emergency humanitarian aid, resettlement, and the voluntary return and reintegration of migrants back to their home countries. 
 
Argentina Szabados (IDHA 2, IDHA Alumni Council Chairperson Emeritus, and Alumni Representative on the CIHC Board of Directors) is the Chief of Mission for IOM Berlin and Special Representative to the Director General of IOM. Since Argentina arrived in Germany just three years ago, Germany's funding to IOM has increased to almost USD 80 million.  
 
On November 3rd, Argentina co-hosted a 60th anniversary event with the German government to commemorate their partnership. Through meticulous planning and preparation, they were able to bring together nearly 200 guests, including most of the Diplomatic Corps. Congratulations, Tina, on all of your hard work! 
IN MEMORIAM: JOAN DURCAN

Dear Friends,

 

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Joan Durcan, dear secretary of 40 years to CIHC President and IIHA Founder, Dr. Kevin Cahill.  Joan - a close collaborator with the IIHA on numerous projects - was beloved by IIHA and CIHC faculty and students, as well as the many thousands of patients all over the world whom she graciously cared for. In commemoration of a beautiful life, the CIHC has created the Joan Durcan Scholarship Fund to support humanitarian aid workers in pursuit of the International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance (IDHA). To learn more and to donate, please contact us at mail@cihc.org. 

 

Brendan Cahill

IIHA Executive Director
EBOLA UPDATE
The fight against Ebola in West Africa has continued, with some promising and some not so promising results. Liberia, one of the countries worst affected by the disease, has set a national goal of no new cases by December 25th, signaling that authorities believe that they are getting ahead of the virus. Mali and Sierra Leone, however, tell a different story. Mali has confirmed their eighth case of Ebola, despite ardent efforts to trace the contacts of infected persons. 271 people in Mali are still being monitored. 

The United Nations' goal of containing the virus by December 1st is not likely to be met due in part to the escalating numbers of cases in Sierra Leone. While that target will be achieved in some areas, the reality for Sierra Leone is much different. A number of burial workers in Sierra Leone have gone on strike in protest of non-payment, leaving 15 bodies abandoned at the city's main hospital.
 
In America Dr. Martin Salia, who had been working as a surgeon in Sierra Leone, has passed away in an Omaha hospital. Health officials say that Dr. Salia had been in treatment for two days, but had been sick for almost two weeks. Italy is treating their first Ebola patient, a Sicilian doctor, who arrived in Rome after contracting the disease in Sierra Leone. 
 
For more information, please visit: 
HUMANITARIANISM & ACADEMIA
Call for Papers
 

Noteworthy Books, Articles & Research Opportunities

 
ALUMNI UPDATES
Timo Luege (IDHA 21) is now a self-employed communications expert, focusing on helping humanitarian organizations and NGOs solve their information management and communications challenges. He is founder of the site "Social Media For Good," where he provides insight for humanitarian organizations on issues of social media and communications that they may face. Timo has recently written a piece titled "Towards Standardizing Hashtags in Disasters" where he analyzes OCHA's new Hashtag Standards for Emergencies, enforcing OCHA's idea that the use of hashtags in emergency situations can be a vital means of spreading information.
Diego with Ariel, both wearing the coveted IDHA cap!




Congratulations to Diego Guerrero Oris (IDHA 9 and IDHA Tutor) and his partner Raquel, who recently welcomed baby Ariel Guerrero Oris to the world!

 
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Band Aid 30
Band Aid is back with a reworked version of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" aimed at raising money for the Ebola relief effort. The campaign, originally used in 1984 to raise money for the Ethiopian famine, raised over $1.5 million for Ebola within the first five minutes of its launch. Some have shown overwhelming support for Band Aid 30, as it is known, saying that it is a noble effort to use our modern media for good. Some, however, say the lyrics (of the old as well as the new versions) are patronizing, reinforcing a view of Africa that is ultimately negative. What do you think? 
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' Policy Development and Studies Branch has embarked on a global study of the effectiveness of the humanitarian system. OCHA's survey targets aid workers and those representing affected communities, local organizations, militaries, donors, governments, diaspora groups, businesses, international NGOs, UN agencies and other international organizations. They ask that anyone involved in the humanitarian system complete the survey and then disseminate it among their colleagues and peers so that they may have the most comprehensive picture of the state of humanitarian effectiveness.
WHS 2016 UPDATE

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. The summit will set a new agenda for global humanitarian action. It will focus primarily on the topics of humanitarian effectiveness, reducing vulnerability and managing risk, transformation through innovation, and serving the needs of people in conflict.   


The WHS preparations continue with the Europe and Others consultation, which will take place in Hungary from February 3-4 of next year. The Middle East and North Africa consultation will follow, taking place in Jordan from March 3-5, 2015. The Latin America and Caribbean consultation has also been scheduled and is set to take place from May 5-7, 2015 in Guatemala.

The newest WHS online discussion, concerning disaster management partnerships is set to take place on November 26.

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.
NEW YORK EVENTS
Judge Vagn Joensen
Thursday, December 11, 2014 | 6:30 PM (EST)

The New York City Bar Committee on African Affairs will host a presentation by Judge Vagn Joensen, President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (UNICTR) and Duty Judge of the Mechanism for International Tribunals, Arusha Branch. President Joensen will discuss the completion strategy for the closing of the ICTR, which is scheduled to take place in September of 2015. He will pick apart the successes and challenges that form the legacy of the Tribunal, the relocation of convicted people, as well as the contempt and false testimony cases that the Tribunal was faced with. There will be ample time for discussion and questions. 

For more information: Please view the event flyer.

To RSVP: Please email elizabethbarad@gmail.com
Location: 44 West 44th St., Stimson Room, 1st Floor, New York, NY 10036

Thursday, June 4 - Friday, June 5, 2015 

 

In preparation for the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, ALNAP, in conjunction with WHS Secretariat and USAID, will convene a Global Forum on Improving Humanitarin Action. The event will review the parameters of and challenges to the effectiveness of humanitarian action as well as present key propositions for change and improvement. The analysis will draw on the findings from ALNAP'S forthcoming State of the System Report 2015 and other sources, providing a current and comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of humanitarian action. More information will be available in the coming months. 

 

For more information: Please visit the forum webpage. 

 

Location: New York, NY 
NATIONAL EVENTS
Friday, December 5, 2014 | 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM (EST)

The second annual Social Entrepreneurship Institute, presented by Unite For Sight, will be held on Friday, December 5th, in Connecticut. The Institute provides mentoring, guidance, and successful strategies that will translate into participant's work in global health, social entrepreneurship, and international development. In addition to offering attendees the opportunity to listen to a variety of distinguished speakers, the event also includes lunch and dinner networking receptions. Space is limited so early registration is encouraged. The keynote will be given by Dean Karlan of Innovations for Poverty and other speakers will include Michael Fairbanks (Weatherhead Center for International Affairs), Jeffrey A. Robinson (New Jersey Social Innovation Institute, Shinichi Daimyo (Partners in Health), and many more.

For more information and to register: Please visit the event website.

Location: Schubert Theater, 247 College Street, New Haven, CT 06510
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

Saturday, December 6 - Sunday, December 7, 2014 

 

This event is part of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP20) in Lima. The conference will be aimed at integrating global efforts to tackle climate change and poverty, with the end goal of achieving zero extreme poverty and zero net emissions within a generation. Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss the interdependence of climate goals with sustainable development goals, influence the climate change negotiations and the broader set of international processes, as well as identify and generate climate and development agreements that could help lead the world towards zero-zero within a generation. 

 

For more information: Please visit the event webpage.  

 

To register: Please click here and follow the prompts.  

 

Location: Country Club Lima Hotel, Calle Los Eucaliptos 590, San Isidro 15076, Lima, Peru

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

 

Entering its fifth year, The Sustainable Innovation Forum brings together a variety of established professionals to share ideas and form innovative solutions to address climate change as well as accelerate green growth and sustainable development. The forum, organized by Climate Action in partnersip with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP), generates robust debate and shares ideas that can be turned into postiive actions to climate-proof the post-2015 development agenda.

 

To register: Please visit the forum website. 

 

Location: Westin Hotel and Convention Center, Lima, Peru

Tuesday March 3 - Wednesday, March 4, 2015

 

In the last decade, the humanitarian system has seen a variety of approaches to improved collaboration and coordination. Among the many successes of collaborative approaches, there are also significant challenges. With the projected growth in humanitarian needs, coordination and collaboration can be expected to become even more important in the coming years. The ALNAP network has decided to meet to take stock and share experiences and best practices on collaborative and inter-organizational approaches for effective humanitarian response at both the field and country levels. The meeting will be open to all staff of ALNAP member agencies, with a limited number of places available for external participants. 

 

For more information: Please visit the event webpage. 

 

Location: Berlin, Germany

Saturday, March 14 - Wednesday, March 18, 2015

 

Preparations for the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) are gathering pace. NGOs, local authorities, scientific organizations, private sector and others must obtain special accreditation via Major Groups for participation in the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom2) and official proceedings of the WCDRR.

 

For more information: Please visit the event webpage. 

 

Location: Sendai, Japan
ONLINE EVENTS
Wednesday, December 3, 2014 | 11:00 - 12:30 (GMT+00)

On December 3, the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) will host an event marking the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. While significant steps have been made, progress has been patchy with some children's rights being left by the wayside. This event is the culmination of a three-year project highlighting links between poverty reduction and child protection, aimed at strengthening global efforts to tackle lapses in child protection. Evidence will be presented from research in Uganda, Ethiopia and Vietnam as well as an examination of multiple program evaluations. The overarching question shaping the course of the event is this: how does the development community as a whole address the causes and consequences of violence against children? The event will be streamed live.

For more information and to register: Please visit the event webpage.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015 | 4:00 - 5:00 PM (EST)

On January 21, Unite For Sight will host a free webinar concerning careers in global health and social entrepreneurship. It will include guidance and advice from six expert panelists and will leave ample times for questions and discussion. Panelists include a variety of experts including Jordan Levy (Ubuntu Education Fund), Leila Makarechi (Microclinic International), Barrett Prinz (One Acre Fund), Robin Smalley (mothers2mothers International), and more. This particular event is ideal for students and professionals interested in pursuing global health and social entrepreneurship. 

For more information and to register: Please visit the event webpage.