Discussion on the Current State of Global Humanitarian Action
Join us for a discussion with Dr
Unni Karunakara on Wednesday, November 23 at 4:15
pm in the Warren Ross Auditorium, St. Kitts UMHS Campus, as we explore the current state of humanitarian
action and the role and responsibilities of governments.
Dr Unni Karunakara has been a
humanitarian worker and a public health professional for two decades, with
extensive experience in the delivery of health care to neglected populations
affected by conflict, disasters and epidemics in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
He was Medical Director of the medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans
Frontières (MSF)/Doctors Without Borders’ Campaign for Access to Essential
Medicines (2005-2007) and later its International President (2010-2013). Unni
serves on the Board of Directors of Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative
(DNDi) India and MSF/Artsen Zonder Grenzen Holland. In 2001, he helped
found vivo, an organization that works toward overcoming and
preventing traumatic stress and its consequences. Dr Karunakara is currently a Senior
Fellow of the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University, and a
Visiting Professor at Manipal University.
We are living in times of humanitarian
crises with escalating unmet needs. As needs rise, there has been a
corresponding erosion of humanitarian protections. Humanitarian workers
are being killed in unprecedented numbers and hospitals are no longer safe
spaces for care in times of war.
The delivery of humanitarian
assistance is a delicate balancing act between humanitarian principles and the
practical ground realities. What are some of the challenges faced by
humanitarian agencies in providing life-saving assistance to those affected by
conflict? What needs to be done, and fast? Whose
responsibility is it to stop the atrocities in Aleppo? As the world
watches horrific wars in the Middle East and Africa forcing 60 million people
to leave their homes due to a well-founded fear of persecution, what roles can
global citizens play in the face of the biggest crisis of forced displacement
since WW2?
Mark the date on your calendar. See you there!
Labels: Dr Unni Karunakara, global health, humanitarian action, humanitarian assistance, UMHS events, UMHS Guest Lecture
posted by Ann Celestine @ 11:36 AM
0 comments
