VIII Humanitarian Congress
Theory and Practice of Humanitarian Action

"Stretching the Mandate: Humanitarian Action and Solutions to Crises?" 

 

Please find the programme of the event below. You can also download it using the following link:
Programme (in English) PDF, 103KB

Click on the link below to download the documentation of the results of this congress (95 pages):
Documentation (mainly in English) PDF, 4,3MB

Friday October 27 and Saturday October 28, 2006

Kaiserin-Friedrich-Haus, Robert-Koch-Platz 7, 10115 Berlin, Germany


Friday, October 27, 2006

Introduction Seminar for Beginners in Humanitarian Issues (no translation provided)

Hörsaal (second floor)

09:00-10:00 Part 1: What is humanitarian Action: Definitions, Principles, Codes (in German)
Jürgen Lieser, Head of the Humanitarian Action Working Group, VENRO , Berlin
Download presentation (PDF, 57KB)

10:00 Break

10:15-11:15 Part 2: Medical Projects in a Refugee Camp: Who does what and how? (in English)
Jérôme Larché, Médecins du Monde (MDM) , Paris
Download presentation (PDF, 1.6MB)

11:15 Break

11:30-12:30 Part 3: Reflections on the Relations Between Relief, Rehabilitation and Development (in English) Moderation: Jürgen Lieser, Head of the Humanitarian Action Working Group, VENRO , Freiburg

12:30 Snack

VIII Congress Theory and Practice of Humanitarian Action

Hörsaal (second floor)

13:30 Welcome Address
Adrio Bacchetta, General Director of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) , Berlin


13:40 Key Note Speech
The provision of Humanitarian Aid is dependent on security. Workers need a secure environment in which to work and victims of crisis need some degree of security in order to reach points of assistance. In some situations where people are being attacked and aid agencies have no access, there have been calls for military intervention by so called neutral, impartial and independent organisations. The UN increasingly defines its protection capacity as what it achieves through armed presence. How do humanitarian organisations and victims deal with insecurity during crises and in how far should humanitarian action seek to protect people in addition to providing life saving assistance.

Randolph Kent, Senior Research Fellow, International Policy Institute of the King's College, London


14:20 Break

Hörsaal (second floor)
14:30 Is simply providing assistance enough, when people are being exposed to violence and abuses?
For people to feel secure and make informed choices in an environment where the system of law has collapsed, during war or where state interests override the interests of victims, protection is needed. In how far does humanitarian action provide such protection? Moderation: Heike Spieker, Head International Law and International Institutions Department, German Red Cross (DRK) , Berlin

Seminarraum/Clubraum (third floor)
14:30 Limitations Imposed by Security Issues on Medical Workers - Testimonials (in German)
Testimonials on the medical challenges in low security environments: How health workers find solutions on a day to day basis Moderation: Tankred Stöbe, Member of the Board, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) , Berlin

16:15 Break

Hörsaal (second floor)
16:45 Calling for Military Intervention: A Humanitarian Act?
In specific situations, either where security has limited access to populations caught in crisis or where the abuse of a population has been so massive and disproportionate agencies have called or have been tempted to call for military intervention. Examples in the past being Rwanda and Darfur where the word genocide was used and some might also argue Kosovo. Under what circumstances do organisations take such positions and how do they rationalise this with the principles of independence, impartiality and neutrality? Moderation: Jörg Calließ, Professor for International Politics and Peace Research, Institute of Social Sciences , Technical University Braunschweig


18:30 Buffet


18:30-20:30 Humanitarian Forum with German NGOs

Hörsaal (second floor)
Presentations by German NGOs of their work.
German NGOs talk about the focus of their international projects and the type of profiles they are looking for.

18:40 Caritas International
18:50 Deutsche Welthungerhilfe/German Agro Action (DWHH)
19:00 Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe
19:10 German Red Cross (DRK)
19:20 Hammer Forum
19:30 Islamic Relief Germany
19:40 Johanniter Unfall Hilfe
19:50 Malteser International
20:00 Médecins du Monde (MDM)
20:10 Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

 

Rest of the house:
Information stands of German NGOs

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Hörsaal (second floor)

09:00 Welcome Address
Lecia Feszczak, Médecins du Monde (MDM) , Munich

09:10 Key Note Speech
Since the early 1990's there has been an increasing momentum for many agencies towards the conviction that humanitarian aid must do more than save lives and alleviate suffering. That assistance must, from the outset of interventions, seek to address future vulnerabilities of people, even peace building. On the other hand there are agencies who consider that linking the humanitarian mandate to development and peace building contradicts the principles of humanitarian action and therefore serves to undermine rather than reinforce. How are the various perspectives justified, and what are the practical experiences?

Antonio Donini, Senior Researcher, Feinstein International Famine Center, Tufts University, Boston

09:50 Break

Hörsaal (second floor)
10:00 Integrating Humanitarian Action into Peace Building?
Recent UN reforms point to the need for humanitarian aid not only to be more coherent in coordination, but coherent in terms of how it serves the broader political framework in achieving peace in countries like Sudan and the DRC. Is this in line with the humanitarian mandate? Is this a necessary ground or is it damaging the humanitarian cause?

Moderation: Antonio Donini, Senior Researcher, Feinstein International Famine Center, Tufts University, Boston

Seminarraum/Clubraum (third floor)
10:00 Practical Challenges in Fighting HIV/AIDS in Resource Poor Countries (in German)

Moderation: Heiko Karcher, Doctor, Infectious Diseases Unit, Charité University Hospital Berlin

11:45 Break

Hörsaal (second floor)
12:15 Can Humanitarian Action Meet More Than Immediate Needs for Victims in Conflict Settings? – The Case of Northern Uganda
 In conflict settings the immediate needs are clear, but can humanitarian action serve to start the development process or at least do something to address future vulnerabilities? If so, what are the risks?

Moderation: Andrea Padberg, Coordinator Emergency Team, Deutsche Welthungerhilfe/German Agro Action , Bonn


Seminarraum/Clubraum (third floor)
12:15 The Promise of New Vaccines – But will they Become Available? (in English)
Vaccination has for a long time been one of the most cost effective health care interventions. New vaccines are in development or have reached the market that can prevent thousands if not millions of deaths from diarrhoea, pneumonia, meningitis or cervical cancer. Which are these vaccine and what promise do they hold for developing countries? How likely is it that these will become available where they are most needed and what are the challenges ahead?

Moderation: Tido von Schoen-Angerer, Head of Research and Development, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Geneva

14:00 Lunch Break

Hörsaal (second floor)
15:00 Post Emergency: When to Stay? When to Leave?
In post conflict settings, the war may be over, but the needs can persist at a level that development programs cannot address. ‘Post war’ seems not to be ‘post humanitarian’, but what is the role of humanitarian agencies and how long should they stay?
Moderation: Kathrin Schick, Director, Voluntary Organisations in Cooperation in Emergencies (VOICE) , Brussels


Seminarraum/Clubraum (third floor)
15:00 New Strategies in Treatment of Severe Malnutrition (in English) Moderation: Michael Krawinkel, Professor for Nutrition in Developing Countries, Institute for Nutritional Sciences , Justus Liebig University Gießen
Download presentation (PDF, 273KB)

16:45 Break

Hörsaal (second floor)
17:15 Democratic Republic of the Congo: Behind the Political Façade, a Country Still in Crisis?
Moderation: Christiane Kayser, Research Fellow, Pole Institute - Intercultural Institute in the Great Lakes Region , Berlin

19:00 Wrap-up
Heike Spieker, Head International Law and International Institutions Department, German Red Cross (DRK) , Berlin
Programm
Anmeldung
Referenten
Dokumente
Anfahrt
Kontakt
Impressum
Ärzte ohne Grenzen Stiftung
18. und 19. November 2005, Kaiserin-Friedrich-Haus, Robert-Koch-Platz 7, 10115 Berlin