Over the past few decades, commissions of inquiry have become an increasingly prominent component of international, regional, and national responses to allegations of violations of international...
Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research (HPCR Research) Updates
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The Design and Planning of Monitoring, Reporting, and Fact-Finding Missions
The design and planning process is crucial to the implementation of monitoring, reporting, and fact-finding (MRF) mechanisms geared toward investigating violations of international law, including...
World Disaster Report 2013 Launch Live Web Seminar [video]
Click here to view a recording of this event. The World Disaster Report (WDR) 2013 examines the profound impact of technological innovations on humanitarian action, how humanitarians employ...
Sharing space: adapting military approaches to geospatial analysis for humanitarian response and the documentation of human rights abuses
Although their objectives may be different, governments and humanitarian organizations observe similar objects and locations when engaging in satellite monitoring.
Live Web Seminar 49: Monitoring Humanitarian Crises in the Digital Age: Crisis Mapping, Crowdsourcing, and Satellite Imagery
Watch Live Web Seminar 49 Developments in digital and communication technology have fueled significant innovations in humanitarian assistance and protection. Crisis mappers have used digital data to...
World + 1 more
How Does Armed Conflict Affect Mental Health?
A recent paper — “Characteristics of the Colombian armed conflict and the mental health of civilians living in active conflict zones” — published in the journal, Conflict and Health, provides a...
Humanitarian Assistance Webcast 13: Follow the Money: How Has Aid Measured Up in 2012?
Click here to view a full recording of this event As the Global Humanitarian Assistance (GHA) 2012 Report notes, humanitarian needs in 2011 decreased from those of the previous year. Financing...
Taliban vaccine ban: new setback for polio prevention in Pakistan
Posted by Anaïde Nahikian on August 21, 2012 The ongoing fight against polio in Pakistan has suffered a significant setback, as Taliban leaders in the tribal areas have banned all vaccination...
World + 3 more
On Target? Drone strikes, legitimate military objectives, and civilian casualties
Posted by Ofilio Mayorga on August 10, 2012 Accounts of U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia abound. In most cases, news agencies highlight the killing of a top Al-Qaeda member or...
Countering Terror in Humanitarian Crises: The Challenges of Delivering Aid to Somalia
Introduction In the post-‐‑9/11 era, humanitarian organizations face a growing dilemma regarding access to vulnerable groups in internal conflicts. On the one hand, international actors have...
Social Media and Humanitarian Protection: Baseline Survey Results
From April 11 to May 8, 2012, the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research (HPCR) at Harvard University conducted a baseline survey on the humanitarian community’s use of social media...
Live Seminar 44: Social Media as a Tool for Humanitarian Protection
The recent increase in social media use across the world has enabled individuals to connect with one another through new and dynamic communication pathways. These platforms — including Twitter,...
The Promise of Social Media for Humanitarian Action?
[Editor's Note: In its efforts to enrich professional dialogue on contemporary challenges of humanitarian law and policy, the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research (HPCR) at Harvard...
Social Media Use and the Humanitarian Sector
Posted by Rob Grace on April 19, 2012 In recent years, humanitarian professionals have undertaken various initiatives that draw on the world’s expanding social media use. Many humanitarian agencies...
Building Effective Monitoring, Reporting, and Fact‑finding Mechanisms
HPCR Draft Working Paper by Rob Grace and Claude Bruderlein This Working Paper presents HPCR’s research to date on dilemmas faced by international actors engaged in the creation and implementation of...
Challenges of Accountability toward Beneficiaries in Humanitarian Relief
The growing professionalization of the humanitarian sector and the corresponding “accountability deficit” in relief interventions has been the subject of on-going dialogue among international aid...
Syria: Humanitarian corridors will depend on international commitment to protect civilians
Posted by Claude Bruderlein Amidst United Nations Security Council (UNSC) gridlock over taking action on Syria, the international community has begun seeking alternate routes to address the...
Humanitarian Action under Scrutiny: Criminalizing Humanitarian Engagement
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Working Paper presents HPCR’s research to date on dilemmas arising from the intersection between, on the one hand, counterterrorism laws and policies prohibiting engagement...
Côte d'Ivoire: Assessing the International Response
Post-event Summary The Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University (HPCR)hosted a Live Web Seminar on which examined the international community's response to the...
The Crisis in Libya: The International Response
Post-event Summary The Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University (HPCR) organized a Live Web Seminar on the international response to the ongoing crisis in Libya...