Milestones in Humanitarian Action
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Milestones in Humanitarian Action Milestones in Humanitarian Action Edited by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. The Center for International Humanitarian Cooperation Fordham University Press IHA Book Series, New York, 2017 Copyright © 2017 The Center for International Humanitarian Cooperation Distributed by Fordham University Press as part of the IHA Book Series All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publishers. ISBN #978-0-8232-7905-0 All royalties from this book go to the training of humanitarian workers. Printed in the United States of America. IHA Book Series The International Humanitarian Affairs (IHA) Book Series, authored or edited by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D., is devoted to improving the effectiveness of humanitarian relief programs. With contributions by leading professionals, the books are practical guides to responding to the many different effects of civil strife, natural disasters, epidemics, and other crises. All books are available online at www.fordhampress.com. Books marked with an asterisk are available in French translation from Robert Laffont of Paris; books marked with a double asterisk are available in Spanish, German, Arabic, and French. Preventive Diplomacy: Stopping Wars Before They Start, 1996, 2000* Basics of International Humanitarian Missions, 2003* Emergency Relief Operations, 2003* Traditions, Values, and Humanitarian Action, 2003* Human Security for All: A Tribute to Sérgio Vieira de Mello, 200 Technology for Humanitarian Action, 200 To Bear Witness: A Journey of Healing and Solidarity, 2005* Tropical Medicine: A Clinical Text, 7th edition, 2006 The Pulse of Humanitarian Assistance, 2007 Even in Chaos: Education in Times of Emergency, 2010 Sudan at the Brink: Self-Determination and National Unity, F.D. Deng, Foreword by Kevin M. Cahill, M.D. 2010** Tropical Medicine: A Clinical Text, 8th edition (Jubilee Edition), 2011** More with Less: Disasters in an Era of Diminishing Resources, 2012 History and Hope: The International Humanitarian Reader, 2013 To Bear Witness: A Journey of Healing and Solidarity, 2nd expanded edition, 2013* The Open Door: Art and Foreign Policy at the RCSI, 201 An Unfinished Tapestry, 2015 A Dream for Dublin, 2016 IIHA Occasional Papers Kevin M. Cahill, M.D., Abdulrahim Abby Farah, Abdirazak Haji Hussein, and David Shinn, The Future of Somalia: Stateless and Tragic, 200 Mark Malloch Brown, International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance, 200 Francis Deng, Sudan: From Genocidal Wars to Frontiers of Peace and Unity, 200 Kevin M. Cahill, M.D., The University and Humanitarian Action, 2008 Kevin M. Cahill, M.D., Romance and Reality in Humanitarian Action, 2008 Kevin M. Cahill, M.D., Gaza: Destruction and Hope, 2009 Daithi O’Ceallaigh, The Tale Towards a Treaty—A Ban on Cluster Munitions, 2010 5 Acronyms and Abbreviations AUSMAT Australian Medical Assistance Teams CFR Council on Foreign Relations (New York) CIHC Center for International Humanitarian Cooperation CUNY City University of New York DARPA Defense Advanced Research Policy Agency EU European Union FU Fordham University FUP Fordham University Press GSAS Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Fordham University) ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross IDHA International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance (Fordham University) IDHL International Diploma in Humanitarian Leadership (Fordham University) IDMA International Diploma in the Management of Humanitarian Action (Fordham University) IDOHA International Diploma in Operational Humanitarian Assistance (Fordham University) IDP Internally displaced person IFRC International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies IGO Intergovernmental Organization IHA International Humanitarian Affairs IIHA Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs (Fordham University) IMC International Medical Corps IOM International Organization for Migration ISAF International Security Assistance Force JRS Jesuit Refugee Service JUHAN Jesuit University Humanitarian Action Network MHCE Mental Health in Conflict and Emergencies mhGAP Mental Health Gap Action Programme (WHO) MIHA Master of Arts in International Humanitarian Action (Fordham University) MOU Memorandum of Understanding MSF Médecins Sans Frontières NGO Non-Governmental Organization NOHA Network on Humanitarian Action 6 PGA President of the UN General Assembly RCSI The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland UN United Nations UNAOC United Nations Alliance of Civilizations UNDHA United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs UNGA United Nations General Assembly UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund UNOCHA United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs UNRWA United Nations Relief and Works Agency WASH Water, sanitation, and hygiene WFP World Food Programme WHO World Health Organization 7 For the IDHA tutors whose personal and practical field experiences have shaped our unique method of teaching. Table of Contents Acknowledgements 13 Introduction 15 Beginnings 16 Founding Board Members 18 Early Years (1992—1997) 21 The Role of the University 3 The IDHA Experience 37 Larry Hollingworth 39 The IDHA Impact 51 Argentina Szabados 52 Alexis Premkumar 62 Florian Razesberger 67 Mark Little and Angela Jackson 7 Ferdinand von Habsburg-Lothringen 79 Jesper Lund 83 Mark Honnoraty 88 Naomi Gikonyo 91 Roger Mburente 93 Cynthia Coffman 99 Luvini Ranasinghe 10 Joe Lowry 108 Terence Ward and Idanna Pucci 112 MHCE and MIHA 121 Lynne Jones 122 Anthony Land 126 11 Conferences and Publications 130 The Fordham Experience 137 Brendan Cahill 138 Donors 153 Orsa Lumbroso 155 Preventive Diplomacy 157 Appendices 171 IDHA Faculty, Alumni and Venues 171 2017 Humanitarian Training Courses 172 IIHA Resource Library 175 Contributors 176 How to Support the CIHC 179 About the Author 181 12 Acknowledgements Over the past quarter century, many, many friends and colleagues have helped translate our early attempts to deal with complex humanitarian crises into practical training programs and an educational book series; some are mentioned by name in this volume, while others know of my gratitude for their advice, guidance, and loyal friendship. I have dedicated previous books to some, and noted others in earlier acknowledgments, in the body of texts, or in formal lectures. For Milestones in Humanitarian Action, I thank my son, Denis Cahill, and Ms. Sarah Harper for editorial suggestions and, as importantly, for converting my handwritten thoughts, with multiple marginal correc- tions, into an acceptable style for the now necessary computer format. Mauro Sarri has once again been an essential part of the production and designed the book jacket. 13 1 Introduction Pilgrims on spiritual journeys often mark their progress by pausing at special milestones along the path; they reflect on why and how they had come so far, and on plans for onward travel. So, too, in the struggles of life are natural markers that encourage us to assess our original goals, to review accomplishments or failures, to recall important initiatives and personnel, to ultimately create our own milestones. This book is a celebratory history, marking 25 years since the founding of the Center for International Humanitarian Cooperation (CIHC); the completion of 50 of our premier training course, the highly intensive, month-long International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance (IDHA); the offering of dozens of other specialized courses; the publication of books, conference proceedings, and Occasional Papers, many translated into other languages and used in academic centers all over the world; the development of a Master of Arts in International Humanitarian Action (MIHA); the creation of an undergraduate Major in Humanitarian Studies, one of only four such programs offered in any university anywhere; and the establishment of an independent Insti- tute of Humanitarian Affairs (IIHA) at Fordham University in New York. The IIHA coordinates these many global activities, and provides the legitimacy and credibility that can only be conferred by the degrees and diplomas offered by a university. These are but some of the milestones we commemorate here, so that future generations entering the evolving profession of humanitarian assistance might appreciate the challenges faced by earlier pilgrims on a journey that embraced the spiritual as well as the practical elements of this noble, multidimensional discipline. 15 Milestones in Humanitarian Action Beginnings The CIHC was conceived, almost by accident, in the front room of my medical office in 1992, as the offspring of a casual comment by a dear friend and patient, Cyrus Vance, often regarded as the most respected American public servant of the twentieth century. When I asked him about the worst obstacles he faced in the former Yugoslavia as the United Nations (UN) Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Cy said, “Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and humanitarian workers who don’t know what they’re doing. They are often poorly trained and uncoordinated, causing endless and un- necessary problems.” That was, at least to me, a remarkable response, and led me down a path of inquiry and exploration. Mr. Vance’s unexpected observa- tion blossomed into a functioning CIHC, which over the past quar- ter century has trained thousands of relief workers from over 135 countries; helped to