Sustainable Humanitarianism

Catalog description

This course examines the relationship between Humanitarianism – or humanitarian assistance – and Sustainable Human Development (SHD). Developing innovative methods to link the two in pursuit of the long-standing wellbeing of affected populations is crucial in this time of intensified humanitarian crises due to conflicts and climate change. We study the fundamentals and actors of both SHD and emergency relief, assess their convergent and divergent components, and examine the needed continuum of approaches via a number of case studies such as the 2004 Tsunami in East Asia, 2010 Haiti Earthquake, and 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which have demonstrated rapid relief but uneven long-term results. We also focus on recent and current situations of conflict and complex emergencies in the developing world. Risks to vulnerable populations may have been reduced in some cases, but sustainable livelihoods have not always been ensured for the future. This course aims at understanding gaps in the relief to development continuum and elaborating potential strategies to ensure the sustainable wellbeing of populations exposed to natural and manmade disasters.