HUMANITARIAN NEWSLETTER
Sept. 17 - Oct. 1, 2014 
Training Humanitarians Around The World
HUMANITARIAN SPOTLIGHT:
UPDATE ON EBOLA CRISIS
As the U.S. prepares to send troops and aid in response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, questions remain as to the scope and ramifications of the growing crisis, deemed "unparalleled in modern times," by World Health Organization (WHO) Assistant Director-General, Bruce Aylward.

Under the recently announced "Operation United Assistance," the U.S. will deploy 3,000 troops including medical, engineering, and security forces and undertake infrastructural development to build treatment centers, stock protective equipment and supplies, and train healthcare workers. It is hoped that this new plan, an effort which could cost an estimated $750 million over the next six months, will begin to quell the spread of an epidemic that has already claimed the lives of 2,100 people.

IIHA Helen Hamlyn Senior Fellow and Academic Director, Dr. Alexander van Tulleken (IDHA 16), recently weighed in on the ongoing public health crisis, stating that the primary benefit of this plan will be the rapid and efficient provision of goods and services. Aside from logistic delivery, Dr. van Tulleken notes that any successful response to this emergency must also include a strong focus on education and behavior change.

For more information, please visit:
Follow the most recent news and developments using the hashtag #IIHAEbola.
HUMANITARIANISM & ACADEMIA
Call for Papers

 

Noteworthy Surveys & Research Opportunities


UNHCR recently launched an e-learning program, URLP, which covers the key objectives and principles of UNHCR's Urban Refugee Policy. Within the program are specific modules on how to program for registration, livelihoods, education, public health, and shelter in an urban setting. 

  

The Forced Migration Review issue 47: "The Syria Crisis, Displacement and Protection"

In this latest edition, 20 humanitarian professionals write about increasing the level of protection for the displaced and shaping assistance to both displaced and host communities. 

 

2014 Global Humanitarian Assistance Report

How much is spent on humanitarian assistance? Is it enough? Where does it go? How does it get there and what is it spent on? Knowing who is spending what, where, and how is an essential first step in ensuring that resources can best meet the needs of people living in crises - yet this information is often hard to access. To answer these questions, the Global Humanitarian Assistance (GHA) Report 2014 uses unique methodologies to gather and analyze data to provide the most up-to-date and comprehensive picture of global humanitarian financing.

 

Ebola Quick Guide

DisasterReady.org has recently created a free online "Ebola quick guide." Simply constructed, the quick guide increases awareness of this outbreak for the general public as well as aid workers with no healthcare training. It incorporates information readily available from the CDC, World Health Organization, ONE, International SOS, and others. 
ALUMNI UPDATES
In his recent blog post, "James Foley: Journalist and Humanitarian," Joe Lowry (IDHA 12), a Senior Media and Communications Officer for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), addresses the savage murder of journalist and humanitarian James Foley, reflects on his years of professional activity, and commemorates the value of his aid work. Another one of Joe's recent posts, "Pacific Poet Sounds Climate Alarm," describes the issues faced in the Marshall Islands due to climate change and rising sea levels, including climate-induced migration as well as the very survival of the islands. 
 
Timo Luege (IDHA 21), recently partnered with DisasterReady.org to hold a webinar on the topic of "Social Media in Emergencies." In this webinar, Timo discusses how international organizations, such as the UN as well as NGOs, can use social media to perform disaster response operations. 

Pau Vidal, S.J. (IDHA 43) and Alvar Sanchez, S.J. (Humanitarian Negotiators Training Course 8), are both currently working for the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) mission in Maban, South Sudan. Due to heightened tensions and security concerns that peaked in early August, Pau and Alvar were forced to evacuate Maban, reluctantly leaving behind the "refugees caught between two wars." Pau and Alvar recently returned to Maban, much to their happiness, and are eager to continue their work of service and accompaniment. Read Pau's article about the situation in Maban. 

Pau Vidal and Alvar Sanchez 
Amman, Jordan
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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 them along with summaries here.   
NEW YORK EVENTS
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 the Clinton Global Initiative website.

Location: New York, NY
NYC Idealist Grad Fair
Monday, September 22, 2014 | 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

The New York University Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, in conjunction with Idealist, is hosting a Grad Fair this month in NYC. Attending this fair provides the opportunity for future graduate students to meet representatives from 225 local, national, and international universities offering graduate degrees in education, international affairs, and public health, among many others.  

For more information: Please visit the Idealist website.

Location: The Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St, New York, NY 10011
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
Friday, September 26, 2014 | 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Hosted by the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music and Global Citizen, The Action Sumit is an interactive symposium focusing on the core policy issues challenging their goal of eradicating extreme poverty by 2030: women and girls, global health, education, and sanitation. The event will feature an adjacent outdoor activation in Washington Square Park engaging NYU students, Summit attendees, and the public in creative activations around the Summit's themes.

For more information on the event and to reserve your space: Please visit the
Location: New York University's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York, NY
Saturday, September 27, 2014 | 4:00 PM

The 2014 Global Citizen Festival, aimed at eradicating extreme poverty by 2030, will feature such artists as Jay Z, No Doubt, Carrie Underwood, Fun., The Roots, and Ti�sto, with special guests to be announced. Festival-goers can win free tickets through taking action against extreme poverty, hunger, and preventable disease by signing petitions and calling on world leaders to act against injustice around the world. Past festival speakers have included President of the World Bank Jim Yong Kim, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Malawi President Joyce Banda, as well as activist celebrities such as Olivia Wilde, Gerard Butler, and Freida Pinto. 

For more information: Please visit the Global Citizen website.

To win free tickets: You can take action on the Festival's site.

Location: Central Park Great Lawn, New York, NY
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, 106 East Pearson Street, Chicago, IL, US
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 DC, 20004
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS
 Humanitarian Congress Berlin - "Protection: A Broken Promise?"
Friday, October 10 - Saturday, October 11, 2014

The Humanitarian Congress Berlin is an international platform for exchanging information, experiences and ideas of humanitarian aid. Each year the Congress brings together experts from medical, humanitarian and international organisations, politics, media as well as a large number of students from different subject areas. This year's event will include a broad range of topics including armed protection of civilians, international protection and its role in humanitarian action, health protection and the role of the WHO, a workshop on viral hemorrhagic fever, and many more. Lieutenant-General Rom�o Dallaire, the former Force Commander of the United Nations peacekeeping force for Rwanda, will deliver the keynote speech on Friday, October 10th.

For more information: Please visit the Humanitarian Congress website.

Location:  Charit� - Universit�tsmedizin Berlin, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Lehrgeb�ude, Forum 3, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin-Wedding, Germany
 
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:

 

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.
Friday, November 14 - Saturday, November 15, 2014
 
Organized by LSE Cities at the London School of Economics and Political Science and Deutsche Bank's Alfred Herrhausen Society, the 2014 Urban Age Conference will investigate the link betweenurban governance and our capacities to engage with and shape the future development of cities. Speakers at the conference include key global figures in the field, including UN Habitat Executive Director Joan Clos, leading academics Edward Glaeser, Saskia Sassen, Richard Sennett, Neil Brenner, Benjamin Barber, Ananya Roy, and senior policy-makers Tessa Jowell, Enrique Pe�alosa and Anthony Williams. More speakers and details of the program will be announced later in September.  

For more information: Please visit the LSE Cities website.  

Location: Delhi, India
ONLINE EVENTS
Agricultural Policy Processes in Africa
Wednesday, September 24, 2014 | 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM (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 website.

Location:  203 Blackfriars Road, London, UK, SE1 8NJ and streamed live online.