HUMANITARIAN NEWSLETTER
Aug. 18 - Sept. 1, 2014 
Training Humanitarians Around The World
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
SOUTH SUDAN: INNOCENCE 
SUFFERS IN CONFLICT

Maban, 13 August 2014 - Alvar and I, the two new Jesuit members of the Jesuit Refugee Service team here, arrived in Maban (Upper Nile state) almost a month ago. More than 127,000 refugees from Sudan came here in late 2011 - early 2012, and are living in four very large camps in a precarious situation.

 

These refugees find themselves caught between two wars, the one at home (Sudan) and the other one in the country that currently hosts them (South Sudan). Literally they have nowhere to lay their heads.

 

Amidst all the challenges, JRS managed to start a teacher training for about 150 teachers; the teachers came from the four refugee camps as well as the host community. According to recent data, more than 80% of the teachers in the camps have not finished primary school themselves, so there is still a long way to go to achieve quality education.

 

JRS has also launched a psychosocial programme to train peer counsellors, to support the extremely vulnerable population (so far, JRS has been doing regular home visits to 245 individuals) and to support youth in the camps with some sports activities.

 

One really thought that the lives of the refugees were tough enough and that things could hardly get any worse. But, in South Sudan, things seem to go from bad to worse, so last week it was the time for Maban...  

 

 

Pau Vidal, S.J. is Project Director for Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Maban and a graduate of IDHA 43.
WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY 2014
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," turns 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: over 2,300 alumni from 133 countries, 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. 

Beginning today and continuing on for the next month, the IIHA will be featuring its own Humanitarian Heroes, drawn from the ranks of our dedicated alumni and faculty. 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.

We send our thoughts and prayers to all of our current students, alumni, and faculty worldwide. We are grateful to know you, work with you, and follow your efforts to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable.
HUMANITARIANISM & ACADEMIA
Call for Papers
 

Noteworthy Surveys & 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.

  

ALNAP SOHS Survey - Calling all humanitarians!

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.
ALUMNI UPDATES
Andy McElroy (IDHA 16) has recently published an article, "Early Warning Saves Lives in China Earthquake," discussing how the Chinese government's allocation of resources for disaster relief, specifically an early alert system that warns residents about upcoming earthquakes, has helped save thousands of lives when an earthquake struck the Yunnan Province this Sunday, August 3rd. He has also recently published, "Quake tragedy drives advocate for safe schools," talking about how earthquake survivor Zara Tonoyan became an advocate for teaching school children how to survive disasters through the use of art and theater after she lost her sister to an earthquake at the age of 13 while they were both in school.
In his recent blog post, "Have the first 'Climate Change Refugees' just landed?", Joe Lowry (IDHA 12), a Senior Media and Communications Officer for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), reflects on how countries are disappearing, are renamed and borders are redrawn because of the climate changes that are affecting every part of the globe. 
Angie Jackson and Mark Little, alumni of IDHA 27, are now 7,000 miles into the Mongol Rally with the aim of raising $100,000 for two organizations (the Royal Flying Doctor Service & Cairns Hospital Emergency Department) which provide vital healthcare to Far North Queenlanders. Just last week, as they passed through Bishkek in the Kyrgyz Republic, Angie and Mark reunited with fellow IDHA 27 Alumna, Tursunay Usubalieva. Follow Angie and Mark's journey on their team's blog: FNQ Medics!
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, 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
Night at the Consulate: China with Sun Guoxiang
Thursday, September 4, 2014

Join UNA-NY to experience the culture of the People's Republic of China - a sovereign state located in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population of over 1.35 billion, throughout a vast and diverse landscape. Ambassador and Consul General Sun Guoxiang, who will guide us this evening through many impressions of Chinese culture and history, as well as tasty samplings of a light, Chinese-style buffet. Ambassador and Consul General Sun Guoxiang will guide us this evening through many impressions of Chinese culture and history, as well as tasty samplings of a light, Chinese-style buffet.

For more information: Please visit UNA-NY

Location: The Consulate General of the People's Republic of China, UN
Clinton Global Initiative: 2014 Annual Meeting
Sunday, September 21 - Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Hosted by President Bill Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton, the 10th Annual Meeting will bring CGI members together under the 2014 theme of Reimagining Impact to facilitate the development of forward-thinking approaches that re-envision the way we impact the world. The 2014 theme of Reimagining Impact guides members in better measuring and assessing the outcomes of their work, and rethinking how we create value through new approaches to address complex global challenges going forward.

For more information: Please visit Clinton Global Initiative

Location: New York, NY, US
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
NATIONAL EVENTS
Girl on Fire Women's Conference 2014
Friday, September 12, 2014 - Saturday, September 13, 2014

For women and by women, this conference will bring together business-owning women for a variety of topics including workshop on faith-building, starting a business, and handling conflicts.

For more information: Please visit Girl on Fire Conference

Location: 14800 Ludlam Road | Miami Lakes, Florida, 33014
UNICEF's Chicago Humanitarian Awards Luncheon
Friday, October 17, 2014

The Midwest Regional Office of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF hosts UNICEF's Chicago Humanitarian Awards Luncheon at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago on Friday, October 17, 2014 from 11:00 am - 1:15 pm. 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 UNICEF United States Fund or contact
Elisabeth Kasdorf-Torney at ekasdorf@unicefusa.org

Location: Ritz-Carlton | 106 East Pearson Street, Chicago, IL, US
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.
BAREtruth Theatre Company presents: Little Stitches
Friday, August 29, 2014 - Saturday, August 30, 2014

More than 140 million women and girls worldwide have suffered FGM and, although the huge majority of victims live in Africa and certain Middle Eastern and Asian countries, the number of cases in the UK is on the rise. BAREtruth brings together four writers, Bahar Brunton, Karis E Halsall, Isley Lynn and Raul Quiros Molina to explore the human stories behind the statistics. Little Stitches features four plays that tackle the subject of female genital mutilation.  The performances followed by post-show featuring Leyla Hussein, Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, E8.

For more information: Please visit Arcola Theatre

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
HCRI Peace-building Conference 2014: Shaping Peace - Local Infrastructures and State Formation
Thursday, September 11 - Friday, September 12, 2014

The Third Annual Conference of the International Association for Peace and Conflict Studies and the ECPR Standing Group on Critical Peace and Conflict Studies. The intention is to provide a forum for scholars and practitioners with an interest in Peace and Conflict Studies to network and discuss issues of mutual interest. 

Location: Samuel Alexander Building | The University of Manchester | Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL
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
Agricultural Policy Processes in Africa
Wednesday, September 24, 2014 | 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM (GMT +1(BST))

Hosted by the Overseas Development Institute, this event will present key findings and policy insights on the political economy of agricultural policy processes, the changing patterns of agricultural growth and investment, and  strengthening and integration of Africa's seed systems.

For more information: Please visit the Overseas Development Institute

Location:  203 Blackfriars Road | London, UK, SE1 8NJ
 
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.
Tackling Trade-Offs in the Food-Water-Energy Nexus: Lessons for the SDGs
Thursday, September 11, 2014 | 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM (GMT +1 (BST))

This event will examine how certain developing countries have tackled the trade-offs inherent within the food-water-energy nexus, balancing environmental concerns with the need for development, and it will reflect on the importance of integrating across sectors for the implementation of the SDGs.

For more information: Please visit the Overseas Development Institute 

To register: Please click here and follow the prompts.