Do the world's current systems enable humanitarian and relief agencies to respond promptly, efficiently, and humanely to disasters? Or can the world do better?
Those were two questions at the heart of the 2007 Humanitarian Health Conference hosted by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and Dartmouth Medical School from September 6 to 9 at the Center for Government and International Studies in Cambridge, MA.
The three-day meeting was attended by representatives of more than 43 humanitarian agencies and relief organizations. Speakers included Andrew Natsios, President's Special Envoy to Sudan and former administrator of USAID; Peter Galbraith, Senior Diplomatic Fellow, Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation and former U.S. Ambassador to Croatia; Paul Spiegel of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees; and Richard Brennan of the International Rescue Committee.
Andrew Natsios, President's Special Envoy to Sudan and former administrator of USAID, was a guest speaker.
Attendees were organized into four working groups focused on themes of civilian protection in the health sector; human resources development; health information and data management; and health sector collaboration and collective action.
The working groups were charged with developing consensus statements and strategy documents that will be submitted for publication in a theme issue of a major peer-reviewed journal and as an independent document that will be presented to NGOs, international organizations, UN organizations, and donors.
For more information, visit the Humanitarian Health Conference hompage or contact Erin Lyons at elyons@hhi.harvard.edu.
Copyright, 2009, President and Fellows of Harvard College
