HCB Programme 2023

Keynote Speaker:
Ruona Meyer | Journalist, Manager of the Africa Initiative at Solutions Journalism Network
Isabel Schayani | Journalist, Commentator & Moderator at German public broadcaster WDR

This high-level dialogue delves into social, political, health and climate change concerns. It examines the uneven attention that crises receive, and considers whether humanitarian principles evolve from morality, conventions or operational needs. These explorations shed light on both humanitarian work and society. In light of the congress theme, the discussion highlights global responsibilities and the future of the humanitarian system.

This session aims to shed light on the critical issues of neglect and inadequate responses to long-known infectious diseases. While the reasons for the lack of access to life-saving vaccines, medicines, and tests for various diseases can vary regionally, there are common threads of neglect and inadequate access that span different infectious diseases. The panel will explore the different dimensions of structural neglect in Global Health and actionable measures to address the neglect. 

This event will look at who holds authority over categorizations like “neglected crisis” or superlatives like “unprecedented crisis” and what good or harm they actually do. It deep-dives into the power and role of different actors in driving dominant narratives. It will also discuss the usefulness of such categorizations and narratives, and whether attention created that way actually translates into real support.

With interdisciplinary perspectives this panel will both look at the humanitarian sector’s attention on immediate, sudden-onset contingencies requiring swift responses as well as at the climate crisis impacts spanning over decades. By applying a temporal lens, the past, present and future of humanitarianism will be looked at – including its concepts and tools and interconnectedness with global inequalities. Also, the need and benefits of new alliances and cross-learning opportunities with climate scientists and the climate movement will be reflected upon.

While the humanitarian situation in Ukraine is in the spotlight, this close-up look at Ukraine will rather focus on the factual meaning of “vulnerability” as a defining humanitarian criterion, and the mechanisms around vulnerable and marginalized populations that often fall between the sectoral segments that the humanitarian system has set up. It will explore the ideas of humanitarians, researchers and affected people on what changes are needed to overcome structural injustices for neglected vulnerable populations and how additional disasters relate to these.

Exploring healthcare provision advancements in a humanitarian crisis setting amid concurrent challenges from the realms of migration, climate crises and conflicts, this session takes the case study of Colombia to uncover public and financial attention pitfalls. Involved experts will look at how and why effective initiatives often lack sustainable recognition and funding and how that relates to public attention shifting to the benefit of downturn or catastrophe.

Keynote Speaker:
Tirana Hassan | Executive Director of Human Rights Watch
Sorcha O‘Callaghan | Director Humanitarian Policy Group at the Overseas Development Institute

How the historical gendering of medicine prioritizes particular types of knowledge and creates barriers for critical and feminist research is the centerpiece of this session. The panel will discuss the medical framework and its impact on current gender inequalities by analyzing what role biological differences as well as socio-cultural power structures play(ed) in healthcare research and services and how specific groups are particularly neglected in the fields of medical education, drug development and healthcare.

The plight of the Rohingya people, with a crisis showing both a protracted nature as well as various spikes in violence, desperation and marginalization, in this session will serve as illustration for compassion fatigue and humanitarian neglect. Beyond analyzing the status quo, panelists will discuss and showcase why and how humanitarian actors look for new strategies to raise awareness and drive lasting solutions i.a. via creative advocacy, community engagement, and reframing narratives.

In a series of TedTalk-style presentations, local humanitarian actors from humanitarian contexts considered neglected (Lebanon, Niger, Chad) will highlight the damaging effects of the presently attention-driven humanitarian system and explain how they nevertheless continue to serve communities in need. Together with the audience, they will bring forward and reflect upon systemic solutions to the humanitarian attention spiral.

This panel delves into pivotal questions: who shapes tech norms, us or tech? Does society honour human dignity or see people as mere data? Digital tools do and will further boost humanitarian aid provision in terms of efficiency but equally so raise trust, exclusion and bias issues. It’s a double-edged sword for humanitarianism, promising progress and posing doubt. Efficiency meets ethics in this discourse.

This panel looks at how forgotten and underfinanced crises result in reduced efforts to reach those most at risk, for whom humanitarian action requires more specific targeting and attention to underlying risk factors. The panel will discuss how funding constraints impact the much-needed capacity development and technical support to ensure that no one is left behind. The panel will also explore opportunities to strengthen the capacity of local actors and persons with disabilities to be empowered actors of change and will apply an intersectional lens throughout.

This workshop session offers a distinctive blend of practical and theoretical perspectives to delve into the ethics of ensuring dignity in the use of media as an awareness raising tool in humanitarian action. In order to understand how visual media can serve as a tool for raising awareness in humanitarian efforts, practical issues, best practices and potential guidelines about who, when, and why one should use what medium will be explored.

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With ever increasing, all pressing, interconnected crises and in absence of political will to solve crises, we are constantly targeted by diverse actors bargaining for our attention and money, both online and offline. This session will look at the implications and consequences of humanitarian actors using oversimplistic and corporate messaging for fundraising and attention to complex crises, crises that would actually require nuanced solutions and long-term support to achieve meaningful change.

Humanitarian attention disparities, rooted in different priorities and implicit hierarchies, carry significant costs and risks. Understanding humanitarian practitioners’ and institutional donors’ shifts in attention, including whose voices are prioritized and why, especially in the context of local communities, is crucial. This panel explores these dynamics and their impact, drawing from anthropological critique to reshape humanitarianism’s future.

Social media has undoubtedly become a central and indispensable tool for international NGOs, political and social movements and activists, all of whom are trying to achieve the main goal of drawing global attention to certain issues and causes. This panel therefore aims to discuss in depth the strengths and weaknesses of social media and online activism, drawing a comparison with more ‘traditional’ forms of activism, and finally exploring the question of advocacy on behalf of other communities through online means.