Events

In spite of the compelling challenges associated with building legitimate governments, health systems development in post-conflict and fragile states has experienced important successes. The conference reviewed the last decade in health programming in post-conflict and fragile states, as well as addressed key questions about the intersection of health in "fragile states" and development, national security policy, and considered a way forward.

Endangered by a cholera epidemic that has claimed thousands of lives, Haiti held elections for president and parliament on November 28. A panel of experts discussed the current situation in a public forum co-hosted by USIP’s Haiti Program and USIP’s Working Group on Health and Peacebuilding.

Kim Jong Un, son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, appears poised to accept a transfer of power from his father.  While the nature and timing of that transfer is not known, even more uncertain is the future of the country he would inherit.   What can international experts learn from migrants and refugees about health and other conditions in North Korea?  A panel of experts discussed these questions at a critical time in North Korea’s history.

A panel of experts will discuss the success of polio vaccine programs in the midst of conflict and the policy implications for future health interventions.

This program provided an overview of what we know about the mental health and psychosocial impacts of armed conflict.  The panel discussed implications for programming, policy, evaluation, and human rights, and how that current knowledge can be put into practice.

This panel discussion reviewed the experience of country directors of a medical NGO that is working in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Issues discussed included the militarization of aid, maintaing neutrality in a conflict zone, and balancing advocacy for programs with the safetly of assets and personnel on the ground.

The Working Group on Health and Peacebuilding hosted a panel to consider cross-border cooperation in disease surveillance, and the broader questions about the relationship between health and national security.

This meeting will address the obstacles to integrating the health sector into preventing and responding to gender-based violence in conflict, and how they can be overcome.

A panel of experts considered the goals and objectives of health programs in Afghanistan, what expectations can be for health programs in achieving those goals, and the roles of civilian agencies and the military in carrying out health programs. The panelists addressed current controversies about health programs in areas of armed conflict, including the military’s role in health programs for civilian populations as well as the role of USAID in supporting military objectives.

Can health interventions in regions of conflict advance the health needs of civilians while simultaneously fostering greater cooperation and contributing to a stable peace?  This panel reviewed these questions in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where a considerable number of efforts to foster cooperation in health have been undertaken.