Is Today’s Humanitarian Aid Sector Fit for Purpose?
Seven Things I Wish I Had Known Ten Years Ago
Wednesday, 16 May 2012, 15.30-17.00
Danish Institute for International StudiesMain AuditoriumStrandgade 71, ground floor, 1401 Copenhagen KBackgroundThe past decade has brought profound changes to the world of humanitarian aid. The contexts of operationhave changed, expectations to what aid can/should do have grown, and the complexity of operations hasincreased as new types of private, governmental, and non-governmental actors have joined the field. Whilethe humanitarian sector is thriving in terms of employment and budgets, the question is if it is fit for itspurpose and the conditions of today, and how it may change in the coming years.Few are as well placed to discuss these issues as Peter Walker, Director of the Feinstein InternationalCenter which has been carrying out research on humanitarian crises for some 14 years. The presentationpulls together seven of the key lessons the research has uncovered about how agencies work today and whatthis tells us about their fitness for dealing with future crises in this more globalized world of ours.SpeakerPeter Walkeris director of the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University and RosenbergProfessor of Nutrition and Human Security. He is director of the Center since September 2002 and active indevelopment and disaster response since 1979. Peter has worked for a number of British-based NGOs andenvironmental organizations in several African countries, as well as having been a university lecturer anddirector of a food wholesaling company. Peter joined the International Federation of Red Cross and RedCrescent Societies in Geneva in 1990 where he was Director of Disaster Policy for 10 years before moving toBangkok as Head of the Federation’s regional programs for Southeast Asia. He has published widely onsubjects as diverse as the development of indigenous knowledge and famine early warning systems to therole of military forces in disaster relief. Peter was the founder and manager of the World Disasters Reportand played a key role in initiating and developing both the Code of Conduct for disaster workers and theSphere humanitarian standards.ProgrammeMore details about the seminar are available on ourwebsite.Practical InformationThe seminar will be held inEnglish.Participation isfree of charge,butregistration is required.Please use ouronline registration formno laterthanTuesday, 15 May 2012 at 12.00 noon.