Humanitarian Crises

Peace-keeping operations which are not based on the humanitarian dimension are useless and doomed. This book will help us to understand that reality, too often forgotten. -- Boutros Boutros-Ghali "Humanitarian crisis" is a term of the nineties that denotes the extreme suffering of tens of millions of people driven from their homes--dependent on humanitarian aid and destitute for lack of shelter, security, food, clean water, and basic care. These emergencies can be sudden-onset events or last for years of civil strife. The health impact is evident, but not well studied or documented. A body of knowledge related to the adverse health effects of humanitarian crises is now accumulating, but it requires careful analysis so we can apply the experience gained during one emergency to the management of the next. Humanitarian Crises provides the results of such analysis as well as practical recommendations about how to apply these painfully learned lessons. -- Gro Harlem Brundtland, M.D., M.P.H., Director-General, World Health Organization

Since the late 1980s the international relief community has seen its resources stressed beyond capacity by humanitarian crises. Covering topics from emergency public health measures to the psychological trauma of relief workers, this volume presents a seasoned assessment of current practice and proposals for improving operational efforts.Since the late 1980s the international relief community has seen its resources and personnel stressed beyond capacity by humanitarian crises--large-scale, man-made catastrophes such as the conflicts in Somalia, Bosnia, Rwanda, Chechnya, Zaire, and elsewhere. Waged within collapsing states, political and ethnic strife targets civilians, causes mass population dislocation and widespread human rights abuses, and impedes the efforts of relief organizations to respond effectively. Covering topics ranging from emergency public health measures to the psychological trauma of relief workers, this volume presents both a seasoned assessment of current practice and proposals for improving operational efforts in the future. The discussion also raises important questions relating to the definition and direction of the overall humanitarian mission.