Friday, November 18, 2016

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!

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