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Issue 6 May 2009
Greetings!

The Harvard Humanitarian is a monthly e-newsletter compiled by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) to publicize news, publications, and events in the Harvard community related to advancing responses to humanitarian crises of war and disaster. Please help us make this a robust resource by contributing your Harvard community news items via email.
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
HHI now on Twitter and Facebook

Looking for more interactive ways to follow and respond to announcements, news, and events related to HHI's work?  Follow us on Twitter and become a fan of HHI on our Facebook Fan Page!


HHI's Work in the DRC Covered by Harvard World Media

Check out stories, photos, and videos of HHI's research and work in Congo covered by Harvard World Media.


HHI Participates in Darfur Refugee Camp Disaster Simulation

From April 24-26,  2009, over 50 aid workers-in-training camped out in the woods of North Andover, MA and created detailed service delivery plans for Darfurian refugees role-played by volunteers. Students planed transportation routes, sanitation facilities, and medical services to meet the needs of the simulated refugee population.  The simulation was part of a seven-year old program called the Humanitarian Studies Initiative, directed by faculty from Harvard and Tufts, including Jennifer Leaning, Michael VanRooyen, and Hilarie Cranmer of HHI, and Peter Walker of the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Public Policy - each of whom have over 15 years of experience in coordinating humanitarian responses to war and disaster. You can read an article in the Harvard University Gazette about the Simulation here: "Simulating chaos to teach order:Weekend workshop puts humanitarian students to the test."


Webcast of Panel on Breast Cancer in Developing Countries Available to View Online

On Tuesday, April 14, 2009, Dr. Jennifer Leaning joined a panel of distinguished health care experts for a discussion titled "Breast Cancer in Developing Countries: An Unforeseen Public Health Priority."  You may read an article about the panel by clicking here: "Newly Recognized Burden of Breast Cancer in Poorer Women Featured in First of Participatory Panels on Public Health Priorities" or watch a webcast of the panel by following this link


Disaster Preparedness Pays Off, Says HHI Fellow Sheri Fink

In a recent article by HHI Fellow Sheri Fink published in ProPublica and the Huffington Post, Fink applauds the success of hospital evacuations that took place following news of potential flooding in the Fargo, ND area in late March, 2009.  In recent disasters, Fink argues,
including the 2008 Midwest floods and Hurricane Gustav, there has been a payoff from the increased investment in hospital disaster preparedness and regional coordination that has characterized the years since 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. You can read Fink's article in the Huffington Post by clicking here


Mihir Bhatt to join UN's Humanitarian Coordination Assesment Panel

HHI Fellow Mihir R. Bhatt has been invited to join the UN's Humanitarian Coordination Assessment Panel. The appointment is made by Catherine Bragg, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator of the UN. Congratulations, Mihir!


Definitions in Grey: Conflict vs Post Conflict

At what point can a humanitarian disaster be considered over?  HHI's Gender-based Violence Research Coordinator, Jocelyn Kelly, poses this question in
her recent blog post on Change.org.  In a study published last month in Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, researchers found that increased levels of sexual violence persist at levels nearly double pre-Katrina rates in the areas affected by the hurricane.  In complex humanitarian disasters, the problem of defining an "end" to an emergency becomes even more difficult than in the case of a definable disaster like that of a hurricane.  Read more about defining disasters in Kelly's blog post: Definitions in Grey: Conflict vs Post Conflict.  To read a Change.org blog post by Kelly on remembering the Rwandan Genocide, visit: "The Stagecraft of Making it Look like an Accident."


Alex de Waal Published in Spring Issue of World Affairs

In an article published in World Affairs, Julie Flint and HHI Fellow Alex de Waal critique the failures of the ICC's policy regarding Darfur.  When the International Criminal Court was created eleven years ago, it was mandated not only to identify the perpetrators of the worst crimes codified in international law, but to arrest and prosecute them as well. With a variety of problems facing the ICC from the outset including no police force, three of the Permanent Five at the Security Council not supporting it, and an unwilling lead prosecutor, the ICC has largely failed to prosecute perpetrators of the Darfur genocide.  Read de Waal's article, "Case Closed, a Prosecutor without Borders."
 

Dr. Gregg Greenough Featured in the journal Science

HHI's Director of Research tells readers of Science Careers from the journal Science that "the most important thing for people who want to get into [humanitarian] work is going out and getting your hands dirty." You can read the entire article by clicking here: "In the Trenches: Science for Humanitarian Aid."


Live Seminar Now Available Online "Somalia: Responding to the Legal Challenges of Offshore Piracy"

The Live Seminar discussion features panelists from the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy, and World Food Programme and was moderated by Claude Bruderlein and Naz Modirzadeh from Harvard University.  The recording is now online here.  For more information about this and other Live Seminars, please visit the Harvard School of Public Health-sponsored Humanitarian Law and Policy Forum.

UPCOMING EVENTS at HARVARD

 Event times, dates, and locations listed here are subject to change without notice. Please contact the event host for more information.


Peacekeeping Operations under IHL and Human Rights
Friday, May 22nd, 9:30am-11:00am EDT
Live Online Lecture

From Congo to the Sudan, from Liberia to Kosovo, peacekeeping forces are increasingly called upon to protect civilians in times of hostilities. The deployment of peacekeeping forces represents opportunities and challenges in humanitarian protection. Yet, are IHL and human rights norms applicable to peacekeeping operations? To what extent may peacekeeping forces use lethal force to protect civilians? How are humanitarian and security concerns balanced within integrated peacekeeping missions?

Free registration required (click here to register). Participants comment via WebEx platform. Open to all professionals from United Nations, international organizations, governments, academia, media and civil society.

Speakers to be announced.


PUBLICATIONS & PRESS
About The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative
HHI fosters interdisciplinary collaboration at Harvard University in order to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian strategies for relief, protection, and prevention; instill human rights principles and practices in these strategies; and educate and train the next generation of humanitarian leaders. In 2005, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative was established as a University-wide interfaculty academic and research center, supported by the Office of the Provost and the Harvard School of Public Health with the participation of faculty from Harvard schools and affiliated hospitals. For more information, visit www.hhi.harvard.edu.