Maison de la Paix
Special Adviser, World Humanitarian Summit
The first-ever World Humanitarian Summit will take place in Istanbul on 23-24 May 2016. As human suffering from the impacts of armed conflicts and disasters has reached staggering levels, the humanitarian system is no longer able to address the scale and complexity of present, let alone future humanitarian needs.
The Summit will bring together governments, humanitarian organisations, people affected by humanitarian crises, and new partners including the private sector to propose solutions to the most pressing challenges and set an agenda to keep humanitarian action fit for the future. By putting affected people at the centre of humanitarian action and reinforcing the universality of humanitarian principles, the Summit aims at initiating a set of high-level and transformative commitments to enable countries and communities to better prepare for and respond to crises, and be more resilient to shocks.
Mukesh Kapila, Special Adviser to the World Humanitarian Summit, will engage in a dialogue session, moderated by GHP Director Ilona Kickbusch. He has extensive experience in the policy and practice of international development, humanitarian affairs, human rights and diplomacy, with particular expertise in tackling crimes against humanity, disaster and conflict management, and in global public health. He has held leadership roles with the UN, the WHO, the IFRC, and the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom. In 2012, he was appointed Professor of Global Health and Humanitarian Affairs at the University of Manchester. His memoir “Against A Tide Of Evil” was nominated for the best Nonfiction Book Award of 2013.
“One humanity, shared responsibility” is the challenge posed by the UN Secretary General in his report for the World Humanitarian Summit. What does this mean for those at the front-lines of the many crises that define the age we live in?
Join us to discuss these and other pressing questions - the floor is yours!
The event is supported by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.