This year’s World Humanitarian Day will commemorate the highest annual incidence of major attacks against aid workers worldwide, yet recorded.
In the years that have elapsed since the foundation of World Humanitarian Day a number of trends and developments have emerged which profoundly affect how, where and in what circumstances humanitarian workers can provide assistance to populations in peril.
This discussion, hosted by the Associate Parliamentary Group on Sudan and South Sudan, will focus on the important events in South Sudan and Sudan from the past year, including the achievements and challenges for both countries. Crucially, it offers an opportunity to look forward to the futures of South Sudan and Sudan, and the role the UK Government can play in contributing towards peace and development. Sara Pantuliano is one of the panelists for this event.
Crowds of locals surround the recently-dispatched UN monitoring team as they walk through the streets of Homs, Syria. Pursuant to an authorization by the Security Council, the team of six unarmed observers were deployed to Syria on 16 April, tasked with reporting on the cessation of violence between Government and opposition forces.
License: Creative Commons
Credit: UN Photo/Neeraj Singh
Source: UN multimedia
This closed-door roundtable on the Syria crisis brought together leading humanitarian aid agencies and senior figures with direct experience of humanitarian work in the country. The purpose of the meeting was to examine the response of the international community and consider its impact on the civilian population.
Victoria Metcalfe gave a presentation on "International interventions and the challenges to humanitarian action" at two different events organised by AusAid, one directed at AusAid staff, the other at the Australia Defence Staff College.
As world leaders prepare for the NATO summit in Chicago on 20–21 May, uppermost in their minds will be domestic political priorities and the logistics of withdrawing their troops from Afghanistan.
High on the summit’s agenda will be exit strategies and the buzz words ‘security transition’. Few are likely to be paying attention to the humanitarian consequences of troop withdrawal or addressing the human cost of their departure.