Annual Report 2017
Annual Report 2016-2017
Table of Contents 01 02 03 04 05 05 05 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 14 15 16 17 19 20 24
Introduction
Annual Reflections Our Team
Our Mission
News and Announcements
IDHA 49 students participate in a team building workshop in Nepal (IIHA)
50th International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance Course in NYC New Master of Science in Humanitarian Studies
Humanitarian Blockchain Summit
New Helen Hamlyn Senior Fellow
IIHA Headquarters Relocation to Fordham Rose Hill
Boutros-Boutros Ghali Commemoration at United Nations
The Inaugural Father Miguel D’Escoto Memorial Lecture First Innovation and Data Management Course
Book Series
Milestones in Humanitarian Action
The IIHA Book Series Published by CIHC and IIHA
Research
Undergraduate Programs Graduate Programs The CIHC
Gratitude and Support
01 Introduction
Annual Reflections 02
Introduction
Our undergraduate program, beginning as a minor and moving strongly into a full major, again keeps practical experience at its core: students must intern, must experience how the aid world works.
Brendan Cahill IIHA Executive Director Dear friends, Seventeen years ago, the Reverend Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J., the then President of Fordham University, made an offer to the board of the Center for International Humanitarian Cooperation. He suggested that Fordham would be a perfect venue for the Center’s training program, the International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance (IDHA), to be housed. I was asked to lead this Institute. At that time, Larry Hollingworth, our program director, would take four weeks from working with a UN agency or a humanitarian NGO to direct the IDHA. The course would alternate between Geneva and New York. Over time, we added courses, negotiated academic credit for all of them, recruited new faculty, and mentored tutors. With a lot of hard work and determination, we crafted a strong vision for how we could accelerate our impact, most importantly through friendship. We built
We are now launching our new Master of Science in Humanitarian Studies, for those entering into the humanitarian sector. In doing this we will closely align with the NOHA group of European universities, and bring together the alumni from our MIHA programs to mentor this upcoming group.We are also launching online programs that will bring necessary training to those who cannot travel to our course locations. Our research areas are beginning to blossom. We held the first Humanitarian Blockchain Summit in November 2017 and will hold our first Design for Humanity summit in June 2018. Our Education in Emergencies research area will examine best practices and devise solutions for children in Lebanon, Chad, and Tamil Nadu. Our exhibitions, in the Canisius Gallery, have been well attended and thought-provoking. We have featured photos from the acclaimed war photographer James Nachtwey looking at his own inspiration in Goya’s illustrations, The Horrors of War, on loans from the artist and the Hispanic Society of America. In the Spring semester, we exhibit Getty Images photographer Robert Nickelsberg’s show No Safe Harbor, which presents sex trafficking, its enforcement and its survivors.
Our publications - the most downloaded in the Fordham University Press canon, our occasional papers, and our lectures all compliment the work we do. We recognize how far we have come, and how we have been assisted in that journey by colleagues at Fordham and in the humanitarian sector. Our strategic partnerships and memberships will lead to more opportunities. We will always move forward, adapting our approach to increase our impact on the world around us.
Our International Humanitarian Book Series are used by universities and training programs throughout the world. Humanitarian crises have existed as long as history itself, and our response to them has evolved. Our research allows us to remain to be the global leader on humanitarian assistance. Finally, I acknowledge the generous donors who have continued to provide essential financial support and volunteer their unique insights in addressing the complex emergencies of our time.
Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. University Professor and Director Dear friends, I am not sure that any of the distinguished Board of the IIHA/CIHC expected the growth that would come from creating an independent Institute at Fordham University. With its administrators, faculty, research fellows, visiting scholars, interns and student workers the IIHA is a widely recognized vibrant and influential international academic center. None of this could happen without the network of UN, NGO, diplomatic, medical, legal, and business professionals who lecture for us throughout the world. Our role, from the beginning, has been to identify gaps - in best approaches, in negotiations, in training, in publications - and fill them.
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Our research allows us to remain to be the global leader on humanitarian assistance.
-Kevin M. Cahill, M.D
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a Master of Arts in International Humanitarian Action that married academic rigor with practical experience for mid-career humanitarian professionals.
03 Our Team
Our Team
Our Mission 04
Our Mission
Kevin M. Cahill, M.D., University Professor and Director Brendan Cahill, MBA, IDHA, IIHA Executive Director Larry Hollingworth, C.B.E., Humanitarian Programs Director H. E. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, Diplomat-in-Residence Peter Hansen, Diplomat-In-Residence Judy Benjamin, Ph.D., Helen Hamlyn Senior Fellow Anthony Land, Ph.D., Senior Fellow Ellen Bratina, International Programs Officer Angela Wells, Communications Officer Giulio Coppi, Humanitarian Innovation Fellow Jorn Poldermans, Humanitarian Innovation Fellow Rene Desiderio, Ph.D., Urban Displacement Fellow Ann Pawliczko, Ph.D. Ageing in Crisis Fellow Alberto Preato, IDHA , Humanitarian Design Fellow Willem van de Put, Research Fellow Al Panico, IDHA, Fellow Nora Lester Murad, Ph.D., Faculty Member Isaie Dougnon, Ph.D., Faculty Member Francois Servranckx, Faculty Member Anna Levy, Faculty Member Pat Foley, Faculty Member
Naomi Gikonyo graduates with a Master of Arts in International Humanitarian Action at Fordham University (Deborah Gans).
The Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs (IIHA) educates the future generation of humanitarians in the classroom, shapes humanitarian leaders in the field, and innovates solutions to complex humanitarian challenges worldwide. Founded in 2001 in partnership with the Center for International Humanitarian Cooperation (CIHC), the IIHA endeavors to make the global response to humanitarian crises dignified, effective, andsustainable.
Grounded in social justice and humanitarian ethics, our training courses equip humanitarian workers around the world with the necessary tools to thoughtfully and effectively respond in times of conflict and disaster. We regularly publish research and host events about emerging humanitarian issues - including humanitarian innovation and design, forced migration, and education in emergencies. Collective and coordinated efforts to respond to humanitarian crises have never been more essential. Good intentions must be informed by practical experience, technical knowledge, and academic critical thought.
05 News and Announcements
News and Announcements 06
News and Announcements Thirty-three humanitarian practitioners, Fordham academics, and leaders in the field gave lectures during the IDHA course on humanitarian law, disaster management, communicable disease, logistics, civil-military cooperation, and dozens of other topics.
IDHA 49 students participate in a team building workshop in Nepal (IIHA).
IDHA 49 students participate in a team building workshop in Nepal (IIHA) In February 2017, the IIHA team traveled to Kathmandu to offer its one-month International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance Course (IDHA) - its first course ever in Nepal. The cohort consisted of 24 disaster response and humanitarian aid professionals working for organizations like the Nepal Red Cross Society, International Federation for the Red Cross, the Norwegian Refugee Council, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and Oxfam, among others. Supported by a core team of IIHA faculty and expert humanitarian professionals, the IDHA brought participants to the cutting edge of humanitarian knowledge and application. Following graduation, IDHA graduates returned to
their posts in Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa and beyond.
50th International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance Course in New York City The IIHA reached a meaningful milestone in June 2017 with the graduation of the Institute’s 50th International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance (IDHA) course and the Master of Arts in International Humanitarian Action (MIHA) at Fordham University. Hollywood actor and Commencement Speaker Robert De Niro joined for the occasion to honor the graduates’ commitment to humanitarian action in a world increasingly challenged with a “lack of humanity.”
Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. commended the students for their willingness to “not be blocked in by academic barriers or the barriers that separate us from each other.” IDHA 50 and MIHA graduates went on to employ the skills learned at the IDHA while responding to humanitarian crises and emergencies in South Sudan, Niger, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Mexico, North Korea, and beyond as medical professionals, logisticians, communicators, operational managers, or military officers. “You are a treasured part of our IDHA family all over the world. Continue to come back. Continue to be in touch and be involved with our programs, no matter where you are or where we are,” Brendan Cahill, IIHA Executive Director, reminded the graduates before they left the halls of Fordham University and returned to their posts around the world. For more than 20 years, the IIHA has trained humanitarian aid workers in cities around the world, including Geneva, Goa, Amman, Barcelona, Kathmandu, Nairobi, New York, and elsewhere.
The IDHA 50 cohort celebrated their graduation with CIHC Director and University Professor Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. and critically-acclaimed actor Robert De Niro. The IDHA 50 cohort celebrated their graduation with CIHC Director and University Professor Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. and critically-acclaimed actor Robert De Niro (Deborah Gans).
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You have distinguished yourselves here and you will take these lessons with you for the rest of your lives. - Robert De Niro
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The IDHA 50 cohort celebrated their graduation with CIHC Director and University Professor Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. and critically-acclaimed actor Robert De Niro.
“We were all on a ship named IDHA 50, floating on a wide ocean of experience with an incredible depth of knowledge. Luckily, we had superb and skilled captains on board with us,” said Bart Vermeiren, IDHA 50 Student Representative.
07 News and Announcements
News and Announcements 08
Addressing contemporary challenges of humanitarian action requires well-trained profesionals who possess multi-sector knowledge, cultural understanding, and practical skill sets. Fordham University’s Master of Science in Humanitarian Studies will begin in the fall semester of 2018
New Master of Science in Humanitarian Studies Building on more than 20 years of humanitarian education, the IIHA and Fordham University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences opened enrollment for the first US-based Master’s degree dedicated exclusively to international humanitarian response. With the unprecedented rise of humanitarian crises, the need to ensure collective and effective responses that meet the needs of affected communities has never been more pressing. Built on social justice values and humanitarian principles, this 30-credit interdisciplinary program will challenge students to examine critically the political, social, economic, and legal foundations of the contemporary humanitarian sector, and to master various techniques to engaging holistic and sustainable responses to protracted and rapid onset humanitarian crises.
Beginning in Fall 2018, the Master of Science in Humanitarian Studies (MSHS) will educate a new generation of humanitarian professionals to make meaningful contributions to humanitarian operations. The MSHS curriculum will train students to: • Engage deeply in contemporary humanitarian issues, including forced migration, human rights in conflict, urban disasters, and education in crises • Develop practical skills through unique experiential learning opportunities in New York and overseas • Cultivate an extensive network of highly-qualified graduate program alumni and practitioners • Learn policy making and project management techniques from faculty engaged in humanitarian work and research • Concentrate in one of three areas: Human Rights; Communities and Capacity Building; or Livelihoods and Institutions.
The Humanitarian Blockchain Summit at Fordham University (Jason Boit)
Humanitarian Blockchain Summit
to be more central to long-term humanitarian response,” said Brendan Cahill, IIHA Executive Director.
The Humanitarian Blockchain Summit hosted by the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs at Fordham University explored the potential of blockchain technology to revolutionize humanitarian response to global complex emergencies.
At the Summit, the IIHA and its partners launched the Blockchain for Humanity Initiative which will provide ongoing opportunities for engagement on the application of blockchain technology for humanitarian action among like-minded institutions and practitioners.
More than 250 humanitarian workers, United Nations officials, governmental and public sector representatives, technology experts, and academics convened at the Summit. In the humanitarian context, blockchain — a distributed ledger technology — could be used to store identification, educational and professional qualifications of displaced persons; implement direct cash transfer programs via cryptocurrencies; or manage contracts for migrant workers. “Blockchain can have a role in finding new ways that allow people to be more self-reliant, projects to be more inclusive, and protection
The World Identity Network (WIN), the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the United Nations Office for Information and Communications Technology (UN-OICT) announced their Blockchain for Humanity — Global Challenge to counter child trafficking in Europe. The Humanitarian Blockchain Summit was organized by IIHA Humanitarian Innovation Fellow GIulio Coppi and held in partnership with Centre for Innovation at Leiden University, Center for International Humanitarian Cooperation, University of Northampton, United Nations Office of Information and Communications Technology, and Civic Hall.
09 News and Announcements
News and Announcements 10 illustrations of 19th-century conflict in Spain were presented alongside photographs of modern-day warfare by world-renowned photographer James Nachtwey. Fordham University President Father Joseph M. McShane, S.J. opened the exhibition with a traditional blessing of Canisius Hall in which he blessed the work and aspirations of the IIHA. Horrors of War is the first of many exhibitions that will explore issues of social justice and humanitarian action through art. The next exhibition in Spring 2018 will showcase photographs on sex trafficking victims in the United States composed by Getty Images photographer Robert Nickelsberg.
Judy Benjamin, Ph.D. (Dana Maxson)
Fordham University President Father Joseph M. McShanze, S.J. blesses Canisius Hall (Roberta Munoz)
New Helen Hamlyn Senior Fellow
As Helen Hamlyn Senior Fellow, Dr. Benjamin spearheads the development, management, and implementation of the Institute’s academic and training programs. She also instructs and coordinates humanitarian curriculum and represents the IIHA at events, symposia, and meetings on international humanitarian issues. Her experience in the humanitarian field began working with displaced populations and refugees in Sudan with the Eritrean exodus from Ethiopia. She has served as a gender expert and humanitarian consultant to numerous international humanitarian organizations including the World Food Programme, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, USAID,
UNDP, UNICEF, UNHCR and various non-governmental organizations. Judy Benjamin also holds a doctoral degree in anthropology with a focus on international development. She served as a guest lecturer with the IIHA in its formative years.
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I am pleased to be part of the IIHA mission to provide state of the art approaches that seek to professionalize humanitarian work for students and experienced field workers alike. -Judy Benjamin, Ph.D.
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The IIHA welcomed Judy Benjamin, Ph.D. as the new Helen Hamlyn Senior Fellow in Fall 2017. Dr. Benjamin comes to the Institute with more than 25 years of experience working in more than 30 countries in humanitarian response, gender, education, health and economic development.
IIHA Headquarters Relocation to Fordham Rose Hill After 16 years of growth at Fordham University Lincoln Center, the IIHA moved to the Rose Hill campus in the Bronx in February 2017. The Institute’s new home, Canisius Hall, has offered the IIHA additional space to bring in more dedicated research fellows studying humanitarian innovation, humanitarian design, water and migration, and older persons affected by crisis. Canisius Hall also serves as a congregating space for humanitarian students to come together for events, internships, and classes. The IIHA marked the official opening of their new headquarters with an inaugural humanitarian art exhibition, entitled Horrors of War: From Goya to Nachtwey. This exhibition highlights the human condition and connection amidst atrocities of war. Francisco de Goya’s
Horrors of War was the first exhibition at Canisius Hall.
11 News and Announcements
News and Announcements 12
The Boutros-Boutros Ghali Memorial Lecture (Angela Wells).
Father Miguel D’Escoto addresses the UN General Assembly.
Boutros-Boutros Ghali Commemoration at United Nations
The Inaugural Father Miguel D’Escoto Memorial Lecture
In March 2017, President of the CIHC, Kevin M. Cahill, M.D., joined IIHA Diplomat-in-Residence and High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), H.E. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, to commemorate the life of former Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali at the United Nations for his commitment to preventive diplomacy.
A liberation theologian, a lead advocate in a David and Goliath case for international justice, and leader in the United Nations, Father Miguel D’Escoto was one of the great champions of social justice and humanitarianism of his time. The IIHA honored the legacy of Father D’Escoto’s with an inaugural lecture, Spiritual Sources of Legal Creativity, at Fordham University.
Boutros Boutros-Ghali, a founding member of the CIHC in 1992, was a champion for preventive diplomacy. His landmark 1992 UN report, An Agenda for Peace, has become a guiding document for diplomats and UN representatives in their pursuit of sustainable social peace throughout the world. Guided by the tenants of fact-finding, confidence building, early warning and preventive deployment, he made significant strides to prevent the escalation of conflict between
nation-states around the world. Twenty-five years later as the international community struggles to bring numerous conflicts to an end, his legacy is more important than ever. “In our ever more dangerous world, in the throes of both inter- and intra-state conflicts, the need for a new approach in international relations, seems obvious. Preventive Diplomacy should deal with — and even direct — where a nation can move towards peace rather than replaying where it has been in endless wars. That surely was our intention in promoting this option, and neither Boutros nor I ever abandoned that dream,” said Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. Dr. Cahill’s speech is available in full at www.cihc.org.
Father D’Escoto, who passed away in June 2017, served as the Nicaraguan Foreign Minister and as the President of the UN General Assembly. Perhaps his most important achievement was his advocacy and leadership in an International Court of Justice case in the 1980’s which found the United States guilty for assisting insurgents to mine and blockade Nicaraguan harbors during the country’s revolution.
Princeton Law Professor Richard Falk delivered the lecture following an introduction by CIHC President Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. and a response from Fordham Law Professor Michael Flaherty of the Leitner Center. Dr. Cahill, who served as Father D’Escoto’s physician and confidant for over half a century, recalled the Maryknoll priest’s “incredible ability to move from being a missionary to being a political activist and diplomat.” Through his unwavering commitment to speak truth to power and act in a spirit of love and humility, Father D’Escoto lived out values worth remembering in contemporary times rife with conflict, injustice, and humanitarian crisis.
13 News and Announcements
Book Series 14
Book BookSeries Series co-founder Boutros Boutros-Ghali who led UN efforts to prioritize preventive diplomacy, using “universally understood semantics of health, disease, and medicine.” When asked about his most significant legacy in a final interview at the age of 93, the former Secretary General responded, “My work with Dr. Cahill in the mid-1990s on preventive diplomacy.” Looking forward, the CIHC and IIHA continue building upon the remarkable contributions of its founders, instructors, students, donors, and partners to shape leaders in the humanitarian field and, ultimately, improve the global response to a world in strife. Benjamin Kumpf, Policy Specialist for UNDP Innovation, delivers a lecture (John Kuyat)
The IIHA offered its first Data and Innovation Management in Humanitarian Action course in July 2017 at Fordham University in New York City. Under the direction of IIHA Humanitarian Innovation Fellows Giulio Coppi and Jorn Poldermans, students learned about cashless transfers for food aid, digitized refugee identification, human security and technology, and ethics of data management. Course lecturers from academia and the humanitarian sector brought real-world challenges of data and innovation management under academic critique and led workshops to prototype innovative solutions to humanitarian challenges. In her keynote lecture, Ms. Atefeh Riazi, the UN’s Chief Information Technology Officer, challenged humanitarians in the course to maximize the potential of technology, design thinking, and big data for the benefit of crisis-affected populations.
Students also studied existing frameworks and guidelines for ethical and effective data management and innovation, such as The Signal Code: A Human Rights Approach to Information During Crisis by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative; the Handbook on Data Protection in Humanitarian Action by the International Committee of the Red Cross; and A Guide to Data Innovation for Development by UN Global Pulse. A two-day hands-on prototyping and simulation workshop, led by the Centre for Innovation at Leiden University, allowed the humanitarians to tackle the theoretical and legal challenges they face in their current roles through data preparedness and interpretation.
Milestones in Humanitarian Action Chronicles Impact of Humanitarian Education Milestones in Humanitarian Action is the tale of a quarter-century-long effort to improve responses to complex humanitarian crises that emerge during or after wars, or as sequelae of natural disasters. The book chronicles the impact of humanitarian education through 12 reflections of the CIHC and IIHA founders as well as students, instructors, and tutors of the IDHA.“I have aimed to redefine humanitarian relief work as not merely the actions of ‘do-gooders’, but as a distinct new profession, and to confer legitimacy on humanitarians who seek to build bridges to peace and understanding in times of war,” writes Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. in the book. The book includes a speech given by former United Nations Secretary General and CIHC
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I have aimed to redefine humanitarian relief work as not merely the actions of ‘do-gooders’, but as a distinct new profession. -Kevin M. Cahill, M.D.
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First Innovation and Data Management Course
Milestones in Humanitarian Action is available for purchase on the Fordham University Press website.
15 Book Series
Book Series 16
The IIHA Book Series Published by CIHC and IIHA As an essential part of its mission to provide a bridge between academia and the humanitarian sector, the International Humanitarian Affairs continually publishes research and books which serve as practical and well-informed guides on a range of humanitarian topics. From natural disasters to epidemics to the effects of civil strife, IIHA publications feature contributions from leading practitioners, diplomats, and academics on critical issues facing the global community. The CIHC and IIHA has published the following books over the past 17 years: Preventive Diplomacy: Stopping Wars Before They Start, 2000 Revised and Updated Edition Edited by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. Available in English and French A Framework for Survival: Health, Human Rights and Humanitarian Assistance in Conflicts and Disasters, 2000 Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. Available in English and French
Human Security for All: A Tribute to Sergio Vieira de Mello, 2004 Edited by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. Available in English and French Technology for Humanitarian Action, 2004 Edited by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. To Bear Witness: A Journey of Healing and Solidarity, 2005 Kevin M. Cahill, M.D.
Basics of International Humanitarian Missions, 2003 Edited by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. Available in English and French
Tropical Medicine: A Clinical Text, 7th edition, 2006 Revised and Expanded by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D.
Emergency Relief Operations, 2003 Edited by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. Available in English and French
The Pulse of Humanitarian Assistance, 2007 Edited by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D.
Traditions, Values, and Humanitarian Action, 2003 Edited by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. Available in English and French
Even in Chaos: Education in Times of Emergency, 2010 Edited by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. Foreword by H.E. Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann Sudan at the Brink, 2010 Francis M. Deng Foreword by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. Available in English, Arabic, German and French Tropical Medicine: A Clinical Text, 8th edition, 2011 Revised and Expanded by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. Available in English, French and Spanish More with Less: Disasters in an Era of Diminishing Resources, 2012 Edited by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. History and Hope: The International Humanitarian Reader, 2013 Edited by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. To Bear Witness: A Journey of Healing and Solidarity, 2nd edition, 2013 Updated, Revised and Expanded Edition Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. The Open Door: Art and Foreign Policy at the RCSI, 2014 Edited by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D.
An Unfinished Tapestry, 2015 Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. A Dream for Dublin, 2015 Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. Bound by Conflict, 2016 Francis M. Deng Foreword by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. Milestones in Humanitarian Action, 2017 Edited by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D.
17 Research
Research 18
Water and Migration The Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs innovates solutions to complex humanitarian challenges through research and academic critique. The Institute continues to establish itself as a thought leader in the humanitarian field and fosters dialogue among scholars, humanitarian professionals and experts around the world. IIHA Research Fellows contribute to the knowledge of our undergraduate students, the mainstream media and the general public on topics of humanitarian response through events, engagement with the press, and academic publishing. Our fellows draw from decades of experience in the field to conduct practical research that transforms humanitarian action on the following themes:
Innovation As technological tools become more available in an open source market, the humanitarian community has the opportunity to adopt cutting-edge innovation for more effective impact and relief. The Institute’s Innovation for Humanity Initiative explores the applications and limitations of technology - like blockchain - for humanitarian response. Research fellows craft policy, implement training and education modules, and host public and private events intended to place innovation management and ethical data science at the center of humanitarian action.
to contribute their skills for social change and humanitarian action. Through the multi-year Design for Humanity Initiative, the IIHA explores the intersection of design and humanitarian action.
Education In Emergencies With 50 million children forcibly displaced and uprooted from their homes worldwide, millions lose the opportunity to access education. Providing quality education to displaced children gives them a sense of stability keeps them safe, and allows them to flourish and learn amidst crisis. In partnership with the Jesuit Refugee Service, the IIHA conducts analysis and research on best practices and solutions for providing quality education during and after humanitarian crises.
The scarcity or availability of water in West
Humanitarian Design Humanitarian actors persistently strive to design more dignified and sustainable relief and recovery operations beyond the emergency phase to foster resilience of affected populations. Similarly, a growing community of designers from diverse disciplines endeavor
(Julie Batula/IOM)
Africa has fueled conflict and driven human migration across and within the region’s borders over the past fifty years. The IIHA researches natural resource management and the effects of climate change in the Sahel in order to better understand and address the reasons and consequences for humanitarian crises and ecological displacement in West Africa, particularly in the Niger River basin and the Lake Chad region.
(Alberto Preato/IOM)
Urban Disasters As conflict, political strife, and natural disasters increasingly reach urban areas, the humanitarian sector is challenged to respond to marginalized populations when urban disasters strike. IIHA researchers investigate the implications of global urbanization on humanitarian response, focusing on urban growth and vulnerability. Using data on urbanization
trends and projections, the research provides a demographic and spatial context for humanitarian action given the increasing frequency and severity of large-scale disasters impacting cities.
Ageing and Migration During humanitarian crises, older persons are often the first to fall through the cracks of the humanitarian safety net, with limited mobility and frail health. Facing grave protection risks, they struggle more than most to reach safety, rebuild their homes, access healthcare or food, and continue their lives in dignity. IIHA Research Fellows investigate how humanitarian and relief agencies ensure that older persons have equal access to vital services and are thus not deprived of critical life-saving resources during and after crises.
19 Undergraduate Programs
Graduate Programs 20
Undergraduate Programs
Graduate Programs
In 2017, students developed the Humanitarian Student Union with branches on Fordham’s Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses. The IIHA also offered internships to more than two dozen undergraduate students from Fordham University and Colby College - providing students with the opportunity gain practical experience in communications, programing, and research on a range of humanitarian issues.
The Humanitarian Studies undergraduate program challenges students to incorporate humanitarian principles in pursuit of Fordham’s Jesuit commitment to education that assists in the alleviation of poverty, promotion of justice, protection of human rights, and respect for the environment. The Humanitarian Studies Major and Minor curriculum provides students with the technicalknowledge and analytical tools necessary to examine and critique a wide range of humanitarianactivities, including food aid, water and sanitation programming, medical assistance, and refugeeprotection. The combination of rigorous interdisciplinary coursework and experiential learning opportunities prepare students for a host of graduate studies and careers in disaster relief, global public health, human rights, and international law. In addition to academically rigorous coursework and research, students engage in hands-on humanitarian action through internship and volunteer opportunities in New York City and abroad.
Additionally, recruitment for the new Master of Science in Humanitarian Studies has begun with a unique five-year accelerated track program for Fordham undergraduates.
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The IIHA has greatly influenced my work as an undergraduate. The values I once held as true regarding justice, ethics in humanitarian action, and sustainable and effective aid have been challenged and transformed in the best way possible.
-Hannah Ervin
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Hannah Ervin, Fordham University Humanitarian Studies and Theology Major, 2018
Additionally, recruitment for the new Master of Science in Humanitarian Studies has begun with a unique five-year accelerated track program for Fordham undergraduates. providing students with the opportunity gain practical experience in communications, programming and research on a range of humanitarian issues.
Master of Arts in International Humanitarian Action
Master of Science in Humanitarian Studies
Shaping humanitarian leaders
Educating the next generation of humanitarians
A Master of Arts in International Humanitarian Action (MIHA) shapes humanitarians in the field to lead and transform international humanitarian response. Intensive courses, offered globally, challenge mid-career professionals to devise solutions alongside like-minded practitioners from around the world. The program’s multidisciplinary approach equips humanitarians with the tools to respond thoughtfully and effectively in crises. Students apply theoretical learning in the classroom to the complex realities of humanitarian action to generate debate, gain knowledge, and craft solutions,emboldening them to put the innovative approaches they study throughout the program to practice in their own careers.Learn more at fordham.edu/miha
A Master of Science in Humanitarian Studies (MSHS) from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) will educate the next generation of humanitarians to make meaningful contributions to humanitarian operations.Built on social justice values and humanitarian principles, this 30-credit interdisciplinary program is uniquely focused on the theory and practice of humanitarian relief, and is centered on equipping students with a wide range of skills and competencies necessary for a dynamic career in the sector. Commencing in Fall 2018, students will be challenged to examine critically the political, social, economic, and legal foundations of the contemporary humanitarian sector, and to master various techniques to engaging holistic and sustainable responses to protracted and rapid onset humanitarian crises. Learn more at fordham.edu/mshs
21 Graduate Programs
Graduate Programs 22
Making A Difference: Voices from IIHA Alumni in the Field “The level of complexity of the problems that we are dealing with is so great that the system has not necessarily been able to evolve as quickly in order to properly address these needs. The game has changed but the players have remained the same, whether this be the scope of migration issues or politicization of aid. In general, these issues have intensified, but the humanitarian architecture has stayed the same. There have been attempts to evolve, but they have not been sufficient enough to match the level of complexity we are dealing with. It remains a fundamental challenge to the system overall if we are to deal with future issues.” - Naomi Gikonyo, Emergency Preparedness and Response Officer for the World Food Programme, coordinates emergency preparedness and response in crises around the world. She is a recent graduate of the MIHA program.
The IIHA has trained more than 3,000 humanitarians from 140 countries worldwide.
Ruth Jebb (IDHA 37 graduate)
“Supporting and prioritizing capacity building is paramount in disaster response. Not only does mentoring and training become an avenue for relationship building, but it also enhances local capacity for future disaster responses. Committing to developing the skills and training of the local staff is also key to engagement and acceptance.” Ruth Jebb (IDHA 37 alumna) was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal this past May - a prestigious award for humanitarian nurses granted by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Council of Nurses.
Naomi Gikonyo (MIHA graduate)
“Not many trained architects end up working in humanitarian relief. At some point, I just decided that I wanted to do something meaningful with my life. I realized that I’m among the two percent of the world’s population that has the opportunities I’ve been granted. I wanted to use my skills to do something more significant.” - Martine van der Does, Senior Policy Advisor in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, serves in the Stabilisation and Humanitarian Aid Department. She is a recent graduate of the MIHA program and serves as an IDHA tutor.
Martine van der Does (MIHA graduate)
23 Graduate Programs
The CIHC 24
IIHA Trains Humanitarians Around the World
The CIHC
Spring 2017
Summer 2017
February 5 - March 3 International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance (IDHA) 49 Kathmandu, Nepal
May 17 - 20 Sistema Global de Asistencia Humanitaria: Crisisy Respuestas Cali, Colombia (in partnership with Javeriana University)
March 20 - March 24 Humanitarian Negotiators Training Course (HNTC) 15 Barcelona, Spain March 27 - March 31 Humanitarian Logistics 7 Barcelona, Spain April 3 - April 7 Community Participation and Mobilization in Humanitarian Response 8 Barcelona, Spain April 10 - April 14 Forced Migration 7 Barcelona, Spain
June 4 - July 1 International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance (IDHA) 50 New York, USA July 6 - July 10 Data and Innovation Management in Humanitarian Action New York, USA August 28 - September 1 Big Data for Peace and Justice The Hague, Netherlands (in partnership with the Centre for Innovation at Leiden University)
Fall 2017
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April 24 - April 28 Disaster Management Training Course (DMTC) Vienna, Austria
September 23 - October 2 Mental Health in Complex Emergencies (MHCE) 13 Amman, Jordan
May 1 - May 5 Strategic Issues in Humanitarian Affairs 5 Vienna, Austria
October 2 - October 6 Education in Emergencies 4 Rabat, Malta (in partnership with Jesuit Refugee Service November 5 - December 1 International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance (IDHA) 51 Geneva, Switzerland
Center for International Humanitarian Cooperation The Center for International Humanitarian Cooperation (CIHC) was founded in 1992 to promote healing and peace in countries shattered by natural disasters, armed conflicts, and ethnic violence. The Center employs its resources and unique personal contacts to stimulate interest in humanitarian issues, promote innovative educational programs and training models, and fund scholarships for IIHA students, particularly those from the Global South. CIHC’s extensive list of publications and regular symposia address both the basic issues and the emerging challenges of humanitarian assistance. Members of the CIHC Board of Directors also serve as advisors to the IIHA.
CIHC Board of Directors Kevin Cahill, M.D. Lord David Owen Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser Francis M. Deng Richard J. Goldstone Lady Helen Hamlyn Peter Hansen Geraldine Kunstadter Eoin O’Brien, M.D. Reverend Joseph O’Hare, S.J. Argentina Szabados Peter Tarnoff
Officers
Founding Members
Brendan H. Cahill Larry Hollingworth, C.B.E. Albert J. Marchetti Leo F. McGinity, Jr. Gonzalo Sánchez-Terán
Boutros Boutros-Ghali Paul Hamlyn John Cardinal O’Connor Cyrus Vance
25 Gratitude and Support
Gratitude and Support The Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs would like to thank its major contributors for their outstanding support: Allen & Company Fondazione Marco Besso Helen Hamlyn Trust Hess Foundation KMC Foundation North-Shore Long Island Jewish Health System Foundation Oak Foundation Robert Wood Johnson 1962 Charitable Trust Sarita Kennedy East Foundation The Randall and Barbara Smith Foundation The Womadix Fund We are especially grateful to the Center for International Humanitarian Cooperation (CIHC), whose generous ongoing support helps fund programs and scholarships, and to the IIHA interns, student workers, and graduate assistants who dedicate their time and effort to supporting and assisting IIHA staff in all their work.
Engage With Us Online: www.cihc.org www.fordham.edu/iiha www.thehumanitarianhub.org Social media: Twitter: @iiha_fordham Instagram: @iiha_fordham Facebook page: CIHC and IIHA Medium: medium.com/humanitarianpulse
Fordham University Canisius Hall 2546 Belmont Ave Bronx, NY, 10458 +1 (718) 817-5694 www.fordham.edu/iiha iiha@fordham.edu