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Special Feature: Flood in Pakistan
HHI in Haiti Update
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Issue 18 October 2010
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.
 
SPECIAL FEATURE: FLOOD IN PAKISTAN


HHI Partners with Students to Respond to Pakistan's Humanitarian Needs
 
"...the world has never seen such a disaster. It is beyond anybody's imagination.."
- U.N Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Flood

Residents stand by flood water that entered a residential area of Muzaffarabad, Pakistan on July 30, 2010. (SAJJAD QAYYUM/AFP/Getty Images)

Massive flooding in Pakistan has rendered 20 million people homeless and taken over 1.3 million square kilometers of land. Over 100,000 children are at the risk of dying of malnutrition and disease, forced to drink unclean water everyday. Ten million people are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance. The UN has asked for aid worth over USD 2 billion, however, this mark is far from being met.

The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, in conjunction with Harvard Pakistan Student Group, would like your support in lending a hand to the internally displaced people of the floods. At HHI, we are researching the long-term implications of forced migration and climate change, along with helping host Harvard faculty panels to raise awareness on the issue. Our partner student organization, Harvard Pakistan Student Group, is organizing a university-wide campaign to increase awareness and engagement on the challenges facing Pakistan. Please click here to join the campaign of Harvard students for flood relief in Pakistan, and for a complete calendar of upcoming events.

 
HHI IN HAITI UPDATE


Sexual Violence in Haiti: A Post-Earthquake Crisis
 
With over a million people left homeless, an outbreak of sexual violence is now affecting many of Haiti's displaced.  "Camps have been particularly vulnerable to this increase in gender-based violence."  Liesl Gerntholtz, Director of the Women's Rights Division of the Human Rights Watch explains the insecurity felt by many: "The camps are unsafe places, and many women live with strangers, having lost contact with family members and friends. Their access to food and water is compromised. They bathe and wash children in public places. Although some latrines have been provided, there is no separation of facilities for women and men-and no lighting-so these are unsafe after dark." (Click here to read more).

This month, Jocelyn Kelly, HHI's Gender-based Violence Research Coordinator, traveled to Haiti to conduct an assessment of sexual violence at Camp Hope, the American Refugee Committee's camp on Love A Child property, which has been receiving medical and capacity-building support from HHI since February of this year. In addition to developing a set of recommendations on protecting the women of Camp Hope, Ms. Kelly visited two other American Refugee Committee camps to observe their mechanisms for preventing and responding to gender-based violence.

ANNOUNCEMENTS




Crisis mapping leaders convene for the 2nd annual International Conference on Crisis Mapping

 

On October 1-3, 2010, practitioners, scholars, software developers and policymakers at the cutting edge of crisis mapping met at Tufts and Harvard to discuss the role of crisis mapping and humanitarian technology in the disaster response to Haiti and beyond. ICCM 2010 was hosted by HHI, Tufts, and John Carroll University. Participants shared lessons learned from recent crisis mapping initiatives and formulated best practices for the use of technology in future crises. Check out www.crisismappers.net over the upcoming weeks for videos and blog posts from participants of the conference. 

  

 

Panelists discuss the often nebulous line distinguishing civilians from combatants in war


 A panel hosted by HHI on
 
September 22 explored the impact of modern warfare on the ability of agencies to identify civilians from combatants. The event included speakers from the International
Committee on the Red Cross, the Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research Institute, and HHI's Gender-based Violence Research Coordinator Jocelyn Kelly.

 

According to  international law, the distinction is clear: uniformed soldiers, fighting or not, may be targeted, and civilians--everyone else--may not. Yet in today's conflicts, where battles are often fought in urban areas and a revolving door frequently exists between civilian and military life, the distinction is not always so clear cut. To read more about the "Distinguishing Civilians from Combatants" panel in the Harvard Gazette, click here.
   

  

HHI Physicians Evaluate Surgical Capacity in DRC

An HHI team of three physicians recently returned from the eastern DRC where they conducted an in-depth assessment of fistula services in South Kivu Province. The team visited six reference hospitals, including Panzi Hospital, and evaluated surgical and managerial capacity for expansion of fistula services for women. The team's findings and recommendations can be found in the report, "Capacity Building for Fistula Repair in Eastern DRC," which has been submitted to EngenderHealth, the funding organization for the trip.
 

HHI Associate Faculty Dr. Kelli O'Laughlin to study HIV/AIDS access to care in Southwest Uganda

Dr. Kelli O'Laughlin, an instructor of emergency medicine at the Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and an Associate Faculty member of HHI, is beginning a year-long qualitative study of refugee access to HIV/AIDS treatment. Dr. O'Laughlin's research will be focused on the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Southwest Uganda where she will study how refugees in the settlement living with HIV/AIDS access antiretroviral care, and on the facilitators and barriers to their medication adherence.
  
Students and press interested in contacting Dr. O'Laughlin about her research may reach her by clicking here.


Dr. Micheal VanRooyen Recieves Harvard Medical School Community Service Award 
 
Congratulations to HHI Director, Dr. Michael VanRooyen for reciveing a Harvard Medical School Dean's Community Service Award in recognition of "outstanding personal efforts in serving the local, national, or international community." To read more about the award, click here.


Cogan Family Fund Accepting Applications Through November 14

HHI will continue accepting winter break project proposals from Harvard students seeking funding from the Cogan Family Fund. The Cogan Family Fund supports student projects that advance research, practice, and policy in the field of humanitarian assistance. For more information about how to apply, click here.

 
World Conference on Humanitarian Studies: Changing Realities of Conflict and Crisis

WCHS
The Call for Panels and Registration for the Second World Conference on Humanitarian Studies is now open! Proposals will be accepted until December 1.  For more information, please visit the conference website.
The Second World Conference of Humanitarian Studies (WCHS), organized by the International Humanitarian Studies Associational (IHSA) and hosted by Tufts University (in collaboration with Harvard University, Columbia University and the Social Science Research Council) will take place June 2-5, 2011.

The conference marks a major step in ratcheting up the quality of our understanding of the dynamics of societies in crisis and the greater use of evidence based humanitarian programming and an increased professional approach to humanitarian work. As with other professional fields, having a forum where cutting edge research can be presented and critiqued is a vital tool in moving the profession forward.

 
Save the Date for the 2011 Humanitarian Action Summit!
 
The 2011 Humanitarian Action Summit will take place March 4-6, 2011. The HAS2011 photoSummit will bring together over 200 strategic level leaders from NGOs, UN agencies, donor agencies and federal agencies to discuss complex issues that face the NGO community. The Summit will build directly upon the momentum from prior Humanitarian Health Conferences, utilizing the network of humanitarian leaders, and developing an expanded agenda of critical topics facing the humanitarian health community.

The 2011 Summit will follow a similar work-plan from that developed in 2009. Visit the Humanitarian Action Summit webpage for more information about the summit. 
 
 
UPCOMING EVENTS

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


"Depicting Conflict: The Role of the Photojournalist"

An "Our World At War" Exhibit Event


Thursday, October 14, 2010
5:00pm - 7:00pm
CGIS South, Belfer Case Study Room
1730 Cambridge St.

Open to the public. Refreshments will be served.


Speakers include:
  • Thorne Anderson, Former Nieman Fellow & Photographer
  • Sharon Sliwinski, Assistant Professor, University of Western Ontario
  • Simon Schorno, Spokesman, Head of Media Relations, ICRC

Moderator: Gary Knight, Co-Founder, VII Photo Agency

 

 

"Our World At War: Photojournalism Beyond the Front Lines"
ICRC Photo Exhibit Poster 
September 9 - October 14, 2010
CGIS South Concourse
1730 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

HHI will continue to host the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) "Our World at War: Photojournalism Beyond the Front Lines" photography exhibit through October 14th, 2010.  The exhibit is available for viewing from 7am to 8pm Monday through Friday.

This traveling exhibit, created in partnership with the Newseum in Washington, DC, features the work of five award-winning photojournalists from the VII Photo Agency.  "Our World at War" offers powerful images of the impact of conflict on civilians in Afghanistan, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Georgia, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia, and the Philippines.
 
 
Human Rights and Social Movements Study Group
 
Friday, October 8 & Friday, October 22, 3:30-5:30 pm
Carr Center Conference Room
Harvard Kennedy School

Join Timothy McCarthy, the Director of the new Human Rights and Social Movements Program at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, for a bi-weekly study group on human rights and social movements.

This months topics:
Friday, October 8: Coalitions: Is "Common" Ground Necessary? Discussion of the "problem" of building coalitions across identities and issues.

Friday, October 22:Aspirations: How Do Movements Imagine "Success"? Discussion of how "pragmatic" and "radical" thinking influence movement activists. Moderated by Sarah Bouchat, Research Associate, Human Rights and Social Movements Program.
For more information about this event and other upcoming Carr Center events, please visit the Carr Center events page.
 
 
Harvard Human Rights Welcome Reception

Tuesday, October 12, 2010
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Harvard Faculty Club
20 Quincy St., Cambridge

The program will include remarks from:
Martha Minow, Dean, Harvard Law School
Allan Brandt, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Jacqueline Bhabha, University Advisor on Human Rights Education
Jennifer Leaning, Director of the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights
Caroline Elkins, Interim Chair of the Committee for African Studies
Charlie Clements, Executive Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
    
 
Please RSVP to Lauren Bateman at (617) 432-0656 or
[email protected] by October 1, 2010

Sponsored by: FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, Ethnic Studies at Harvard and Carr Center for Human Rights Policy

 
Harvard Symposium: The Role of Surgery in Global Health

Role of Surgery Banner

November 5, 2010
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
The Harvard Club of Boston
374 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215

The symposium will bring together experts from global health, surgery, anesthesia, economics and public policy to discuss the important role of safe anesthesia, and emergency and essential surgery on population health.  Limited space is available. Register today.  Click here for more information.

Featured Speakers:
Atul Gwande, MD, MPH
Dean Jamison, PhD
Charlie Mock, MD, PhD
Angela Enright, MD
Kavi Bhalla, PhD 

 

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.