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Issue 24March 2011
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: HUMANITARIAN ACTION SUMMIT

 

HHI Convenes Experts to Chart the Future of Humanitarian Response

 

 

2011 HAS logo 

From March 4-6, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative hosted over 200 prominent leaders from across the humanitarian community to discuss the state of crisis response and map how to build more effective humanitarian action. Bringing together decision-makers from academia, international NGOs, the United Nations, and federal agencies, the 2011 Humanitarian Action Summit allowed for participants to consider and evaluate the most advanced evidence-based practices in humanitarian aid. Throughout the weekend, these pioneers in humanitarian response shared their expertise and built partnerships to address the greatest concerns facing the global humanitarian community.  

 

During the course of three days, participants collaborated in specialized working groups that focused on critical themes for humanitarian practice. Within these groups, participants drafted clear policy recommendations, with a focus on identifying the potentials and obstacles to effective humanitarian response. The broad range of topics mirrored the diversity of the Summit's participants, and working groups focused on themes ranging from Demographics, Mapping and Applied Technology for Humanitarian Action to Surgical Issues in the Humanitarian Space. For a complete list of the Summit's working groups, click here.

 

In addition, the Summit featured keynote speeches by Dr. Paul Farmer and Lieutenant-General The Honourable Rom�o Dallaire, both prominent leaders in the effort to research the impact of humanitarian action on vulnerable communities (for short biographies of the speakers, click here). In inspiring and thought-provoking addresses, the speakers challenged the participants to critically consider the work of humanitarian responders and to tie their work to long-term, measurable benefits for the communities they serve. General Dallaire argued that the humanitarian community must constantly advance the principles of "cooperation, coordination, collaboration, and integration" if they aim to better reach people in need.

 

 "The Summit is a truly unique gathering of strategic thinkers from across the humanitarian community," said Dr. Michael VanRooyen, Director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. Concluding the most productive Humanitarian Action Summit in HHI history, HHI looks forward to continuing these discussions and implementing the policy recommendations suggested by the Summit's working groups.


For more information on the Humanitarian Action Summit, click here. Published recommendations and results will be posted on HHI's website as they become available. 


ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

Satellite Sentinel Project Documents Destruction of Villages in Abyei Region of Sudan

 

In recent weeks, the Satellite Sentinel Project has released images that serve as evidence of the intentional destruction of villages in the contested Abyei region of Sudan. As the first images that corroborate news of the worsening situation along the border of Southern Sudan, these images confirm the fear that violence in the Abyei region is putting civilian lives at risk. As reported on the New York Times DotEarth Blog, the Satellite Sentinel Project hopes that these images will spark international political pressure to keep the North-South peace process on track. The high-resolution images, captured by DigitalGlobe and analyzed by UNITAR/UNOSAT and the Harvard Humanitarian Initative, can be accessed here

 

HHI is committed to supporting the work of the Satellite Sentinel Project and sounding the alarm as violence occurs in southern Sudan. The Satellite Sentinel Project, funded by George Clooney's human rights organization Not on Our Watch, is an unprecedented collaboration between the Enough Project, UNOSAT (the United Nations UNITAR Operational Satellite Applications Programme), the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Google, DigitalGlobe, and Internet strategy and development firm Trellon, LLC. It marks the first sustained, public effort to systematically monitor and report on potential hotspots and threats to security along a border, in near real-time, with the aim of preventing a humanitarian crisis before it occurs.  To read more about HHI's Crisis Mapping and Early Warning Program, of which the Satellite Sentinel project is a part, click here.  

Satellite Sentinel March Update
The Satellite Sentinel Project captures evidence of the intentional destruction of the village of Maker Abior. (Image courtesy of Satellite Sentinel/DigitalGlobe)
  

HHI Researches Effort to Restrain Sexual Violence in the DRC 

 

Forced Migration March 2011As part of an ongoing effort to document the unique vulnerabilities of women in violent conflict, Jocelyn Kelly, Women in War Research Project Coordinator, and Michael VanRooyen, Director of HHI, have published initial findings from their research in the March edition of the Forced Migration Review. Focusing on the internal dynamics of the Mai Mai militia in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, HHI's research identifies the possibilities for preventing sexual violence. HHI's article identifies a variety of points through which agencies might intervene to disseminate information among non-state armed groups: namely, the possibility of using media to highlight the risks of sexual violence to the communities affected by this major problem.

To access the March edition of the Forced Migration Review, click hereFor more information on HHI's Women in War projects, of which this research is a part, click here.

 

HHI Fellow Frederick M. Burkle Analyzes Weaknesses in Civil-Military Interface on Conflict Response


USAID File Photo: Afghanistan  

How can civilian and military institutions better cooperate in crises, conflict, and instability? In a recent post on the popular blog, The New Security Beat, HHI Fellow Dr. Frederick "Skip" Burkle outlines ongoing efforts to bridge the divide between the armed forces and non-military humanitarian responders. Chronicling the harmful cuts to USAID operating budgets and the lack of clarity in organizational mandates, Dr. Burkle reviews the recent Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR). To read more of Dr. Burkle's New Security Beat writing on managing the civilian-military divide in humanitarian response, click here.

 

 

Libya Crisis MappingPatrick Meier, HHI Fellow, Heads Crisis Mapping Efforts of Libya 

 

In the midst of emerging humanitarian concerns in Libya, The International Network of Crisis Mappers, a group co-founded by HHI and John Carroll University, has been busy tracking the effort to reach those who have been displaced or injured by ongoing violence. Read Patrick Meier's blog summarizing the crisis mapping response, and see the CrisisMappers' Twitter feed for the latest updates.  

 

 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

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

 

 

Gender & Security Seminar Series: "Gender-based Violence and National Security"   

Monday, March 21, 2011

5:00 - 7:00 pm
Carr Center Conference Room (Rubenstein Building, Floor 2, Room 219)
Harvard Kennedy School of Government

 

Gender and Security Poster

Security sector reform transforms security policies, institutions and programs. Integrating gender issues into security sector reform includes the different security and justice sector needs of women, men, boys and girls. In this session participants will learn about the multidimensional nature of gender-based violence and explore its impact on a range of security issues-from physical security to economic security. Participants will work on a case study that focuses on gender-based violence (GBV) and security policy development. We will use the New York Times articles, Necessity Pushes Pakistani Women into Jobs and Peril, and For Afghan Wives, a Desperate, Fiery Way Out, as our case studies. Participants will be introduced to the concept of GBV and its multiple aspects.

 

To read more, and to access the readings for this seminar, click here.  


"Sold": A Film Screening and Community Response Event 

 

Monday, March 21, 2011

6:30 - 8:30 pm

Faculty Dining Room, 4th Floor

Suffolk University Law School

120 Tremont Street

 

The Massachusetts Legal Assistance & Self-Sufficiency Program (MLASSP) and the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service at Suffolk University Law School present a film screening about human trafficking - an international concern receiving increased attention in Massachusetts. Evoking the spirit of 19th-century abolitionism, this film enters the lives of three anti-slavery activists in today's developing world. Symphorienne Kessouagni works to protect vulnerable children in rural Togo, keeping them away from traffickers and helping young slaves escape. Sunitha Krishnan is a former Hindu nun in Hyderabad, India, who runs 17 schools for former brothel workers and lobbies officials to enforce anti-slavery laws. Ansar Burney is a Karachi attorney who retrieves Pakistani boys forced to perform as jockeys in the brutal sport of camel racing. Each activist speaks in eloquent detail about his or her experiences and the psychological scars-as well as the resilience-of those freed from slavery.

Discussion to follow, led by Julie Dahlstrom of Lutheran Social Services and Lisa Goldblatt Grace of My Life My Choice. For more information on this event, please click here.


Reinforcing the International Legal Framework for Protecting and Assisting IDPs


March 22, 2011,9:30am - 11:00am

Online Seminar

 

Join the Harvard Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research for a live webinar on advancing the legal framework for protecting IDPs.  Click here to read more. 

 

Registration is required. Click here to register.   

 

 

"Defining Whom We Protect: Who is a Refugee?"

 

Monday, March 28, 2011, 5:00 p.m.

Weatherhead Center for International Affairs

CGIS Knafel Building

1737 Cambridge Street

 

Study Group Leader:Nicole Delaney, Former Legal Officer with UNHCR 

At the end of 2009, there were an estimated 10.5 million refugees seeking protection world-wide and 15.6 million internally displaced persons needing assistance.  With on-going conflicts and new violence erupting, these figures will not dissipate in the near future. Join Weatherhead Center Fellow Nicole Delaney for a study group examining the impact of these major issues. Click here for more information. 

Dinner and Finale cake will be provided.

 

 

 2011 Humanitarian Studies Course    

 

Humanitarian Studies Course 
Save the date to volunteer! The field simulation for the 2011 Humanitarian Studies Course will take place from April 15-17 at the Harold Parker State Forest in North Andover, MA.  Please email Brian Daly at [email protected] if you are interested in volunteering. 

For more information visit our website here.

 

 

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

  

WCHS

 

The Second World Conference of Humanitarian Studies (WCHS), organized by the International Humanitarian Studies Association (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 social dynamics in crisis and the greater use of evidence-based humanitarian programming. 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. 

  

For more information, please visit the conference website.

 

 

 

  

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.