Humanitarian Studies: Adapting and reworking in new times and contexts

The International Institute of Social Studies is hosting the third edition of The Hague Humanitarian Studies Centre’s One-Day Conference which will look at how global political currents affect the work of humanitarian actors and researchers.

Global political currents are buffeting humanitarian action and humanitarian studies in multiple contexts across the world, with decisions taken in places like Washington severely affecting everyday humanitarian actors. 

For humanitarian actors and researchers, these new times require adapting, reworking and remixing of humanitarian activities to ensure adherence to principles like ‘do no harm’, and continuing to work in vulnerable and fragile places. A major concern is the status of respecting and upholding International Humanitarian Law, including the protection of medical and humanitarian workers. 

At the same time, humanitarianism has a strong focus on localised responses, with contextual actors and affected populations being required to take more and more of the brunt of funding cuts, and more and more of the tasks associated with humanitarian programming. 

The questions that will be approached during this conference are: 

• How can humanitarian studies adapt and remix within these new contexts? 
• Where does power lie now, as the responsibilities and complications pile up? 
• What is the role of academia/researchers in these challenging times?
• And how can we see the positive within a sea of negative headlines? 

This third edition of The Hague Humanitarian Studies Centre’s One-Day Conference brings together humanitarian scholars and practitioners to share their knowledge, pose questions and exchange ideas.

Programme

The keynote speaker and programme will be announced in the coming months.

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