15th Humanitarian Conference

Day 1, morning

Robert Spencer (Director General Webster University Europe) welcomed us to the 15th International Humanitarian Conference, giving pride to Geneva for its commitment to humanitarian initiatives, being the center of human rights.

David Wilson (Dean of Webster University Worldwide) spoke about Webster University’s long time dedication to humanitarian causes, which is paired well with the spirit of Geneva. Olivier Coutau (Délégué à la Genève) insisted on the importance of supporting global relations through academic institutions, and of the major problem of access to global governance, which as he pointed out, is not part of this year’s program.

The keynote speakers introduced to the theme of the conference: Access to Resources. Rene Holenstein (Head of Multilateral Affairs Division, Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency) presented on Switzerland’s role in Humanitarian Aid and Access, through various example, including the case of Bosnia Herzegovina, Sri Lanka and Haiti. He pointed out that access is defined as a medium to help the distressed population, but not the actual objective, which is sustaining the population.

Aymeric Chauprade (Professor of Geopolitics) went on to speak about the role of military assistance in natural disaster relief as in Haiti and the issue of state sovereignty. Another geopolitical issue is that of energy security and access to resources such as petroleum and gas, which complicate international relations. Geopolitical challenges regarding energy have an impact on human security. Alexandre Vautravers (Head of the Department of International Relations, Webster University Geneva) discussed the trends in the history of natural resources. Jean-François Durieux (UNHCR) instead explained the correlation between climate change and environmental refugees, marking a distinction between migrants and refugees and their status in the receiving countries, as well as the importance to support original countries in maintaining their rights towards their citizens. Gyula Csurgai (Director, International Center for Geopolitics Studies) spoke about the pressing issue of geo-economics, and of economic warfare. Especially in these times where emergent states need more access to resources, relations are tense and strained. To conclude the first session, Yama Maroofi (Centre for Research on Security and Development in the Middle East) presented on the challenges faced in the 21st century concerning oil and water.

Day 1 afternoon

Throughout the late morning, the conference focused on economic and social development in correlation to access to resources. The main themes for the session were population growth, political systems, and importance of oil, access to water, food security, sustainable development and security. Each of the keynote speakers brought originality and insight on the related issues.

On the theme of economic and social development, the keynote speakers touched upon the importance of agriculture, population growth and the involvement of the international community within the states that are in conflict over natural resources. Facing various obstacles such as repressive governments as well as non-state actors, the discussion of resources take on a human rights tone, especially focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In the early afternoon, the speakers concentrated on the issues of environmental degradation, challenges and trends, climate change, food security, water scarcity, and alternative means, while some panelists brought a somber tone to the conference as they presented on the on-going conflict in Darfur. Still connecting access to resources with human rights, the issues of ethnic cleansing, sexual violence, and the legality of land deals new grounds of provocative approach to the currents issues were covered.

Day 1, end of session

Benjamin Lark from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) elucidates how hardship throughout the developing world has been further exacerbated by weapons contaminations. The increased industrialisation of war and its violent concoctions has deeply impacted communities, especially the myriad groups of ‘displaced persons’, who, upon moving, encounter hidden explosives and active landmines. Consequently the ICRC is vying to minimise the physical, as well as psychological impact of these ‘remnants of war’; standing up to the world’s militaries and thereby changing the manner of war to a more humane end.

In line with the theme of access, Erica Pasini from Webster University Leiden illustrates how inadequate access to sustainable health care has plighted underdeveloped regions world-wide. The issue however, as she highlights, is permeated by complexity; requiring the consideration of numerous factors, not least the rapidly changing nature of diseases and hence their treatment options, but also ensuring prompt access to patients.
Furthermore, the pharmaceutical industry needs also to take stock of their responsibilities in terms of humanitarian efforts, but also, due to their integral position in controlling disease, should not be demonised as corporate evil-doers by the public at large. The answer for Pasini is the cooperation between the private and public spheres: minimising the negatives associated with shareholder primacy and exploiting the intellectual capital within universities, whilst making use of the economies of scale offered by the industry

As Dr Stuart Kingma highlights, HIV has truly become a global pandemic, affecting every territory throughout the world. Although it should be noted that the greater deal of those affected live in Sub-Saharan Africa. As a result, access to be expanded by the humanitarian community; entailing increased sex education levels, as well as furthering efficient drug administration and training local medical staff.

Day 2, morning

Jo Elizabeth Butler (UNCTAD) opened the conference of Friday morning with a presentation on access to food as a vital human right. According to Butler, economics is behind the issue of food and security, a situation in which the humanitarian approach and the economic one are “very tightly linked.” Through various examples, Butler showed that the best way to prevent the problem of access to food in developing countries is to implement better food security plans.

Jeff Crisp (Head of the Policy and Evaluation Service, UNHCR) instead gave a very original presentation on the issue of urban refugees, pointing out the importance of reassessing policies and programs in order to offer specific services to such a population. In fact the needs and the circumstances of urban refugees differ from those of refugees living in camps. Through the example of Iraqi refugees, Crisp demonstrated that UNHCR has already been able to implement new policies, however stating that relations between urban refugees and humanitarian personnel remain somewhat tense.

Andreas Wigger (Head, Protection Division, ICRC) spoke of the commitment of the ICRC in implementing access to protection. Protection is in fact an essential resource even though it is not tangible. Moreover, protection is a legal obligation and a set of activities are necessary to ensure that this legal framework is applied. The ICRC is able to gain access to civilians who are affected by armed conflict and to gain their acceptance thanks to their commitment, which creates acceptance to create dialogue.

Vicki Tennant, (Senior Policy Officer, UNHCR) went on to speak about the shrinking humanitarian space, while Michel Veuthey, (Vice President, International Institute of Humanitarian Law, Associate Professor, Institute of International Humanitarian Law) spoke of respect for human beings as the key for the legitimacy of any humanitarian approach.