RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Roberta Cohen, June 2008, Brookings Northeast Asia Commentary
In this Brookings Northeast Asia Commentary, Nonresident Senior Fellow Roberta Cohen calls for the development of performance standards for addressing natural disasters including the cyclone in Burma, earthquake in China, and famine in North Korea. Without such standards, states and the international community may be hampered in saving lives and reconstruction efforts. Read More
PAST EVENT
Monday, May 19, 2008
2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Washington, DC
On May 19, the Brookings Institution-University of Bern Project on Internal Displacement explored the role of public diplomacy in humanitarian crises, assessing the benefits and costs for governments and other organizations when they offer relief assistance after large-scale disasters. Topics discussed included: the extent to which humanitarian response is shaped by foreign policy or institutional concerns; the lessons learned from previous experiences; ways to deliver humanitarian assistance both to meet the needs of the victims and to enhance the standing of governments providing assistance; and whether public diplomacy in humanitarian crises can have negative effects. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Elizabeth Ferris and Lex Rieffel, May 16, 2008, The Brookings Institution
As the scope of tropical cyclone Nargis becomes clearer, Elizabeth Ferris and Lex Rieffel recall that the 2004 tsunami, which struck Aceh provice in Indonesia among other places, was both a human tragedy and a political blessing. They argue that this experience is not likely to be replicated in Myanmar because the regime will continue to refuse much of the assistance offered by foreign governments and international NGOs. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Elizabeth Ferris, May 15, 2008, The Brookings Institution
Images from the cyclone in Myanmar and the earthquake in China have dominated the news for the past week. But, as Beth Ferris observes, these victims of natural disasters are just a small portion of the over 200 million people each year who are affected by natural disasters. Although most of these disasters never make it onto the nightly news in America, their effects are felt by victims long after the TV cameras have moved on. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Michael E. O'Hanlon, May 13, 2008, The Washington Times
As the disaster caused by tropical cyclone Nargis continues to unfold in Burma, Michael O'Hanlon offers suggestions for dealing with the crisis. He believes the UN should appoint an aid coordinator to Burma, and that political activities against the government should be put on hold during this time of great need. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Lex Rieffel, May 07, 2008, The Brookings Institution
With more than a million people killed, missing, or uprooted by the cyclone that struck Myanmar/Burma on May 3, international aid groups and foreign governments are mobilizing food, water and other assistance for the country. Lex Rieffel, who is currently studying the Asian perspective on Myanmar/Burma, addresses some of the key policy challenges. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Spring 2008, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement
Although disasters are quick to strike, their consequences can be long to remedy and can linger on for months and years. The extend to which their effects increase inequalities in life and society is a question of how governments and humanitarian actors integrate human rights into their disaster preparedness and response. The Brookings-Bern Project has just published a new field manual designed to accompany the Inter-Agency Standing Committee's Operational Guidelines on Human Rights and Natural Disasters and intended to help people in the field to understand the human rights dimensiosn of disaster response. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Amy Liu, April 2008, The Brookings Institution and the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center
Though buoyed by some recent high-profile events-the return of their playoff-bound pro basketball team plus the upcoming Jazz and Heritage Festival-aspects of greater New Orleans' recovery have slowed. Repopulation remains slow, exacerbating a tight labor market. The number of new Road Home closings has dipped dramatically, and many major infrastructure repairs, though funded, still have yet to get underway. Read More
PAST EVENT
Monday, January 14, 2008
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
On January 14, the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement hosted a discussion to examine the ways to place human rights at the center of any future response to a major natural disaster in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Walter Kälin, January 14, 2008, The Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement Seminar
While it is correct that those displaced by floods, earth-quakes, tsunamis and the like are primarily in need of humanitarian assistance, experience from natural disasters all over the world teaches us that there is a serious risk of human rights violations when the displaced cannot return to their homes or find new ones after some weeks or months. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Elizabeth Ferris, December 14, 2007, Calcutta Research Group Winter Course
Predictions have been made that millions of people will be displaced because of climate change in the coming years. However, despite the frequent mention of this statistic, as Brookings expert Elizabeth Ferris discusses, the terminology of those displaced by climate change has yet to catch up. And while many in the humanitarian field are aware of the distinctions between the various types of forced migrants, those in the environmental field are not as aware of the nuances. Read More
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
12:00 PM to 02:00 PM
Washington, DC
Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is a vital defense against climate change and displacement, particularly in the current context of increasing numbers of disaster-affected persons. This seminar raised awareness and encouraged organizations represented to begin or to renew their efforts to reduce the human impact of natural disasters. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Walter Kälin, October 10, 2007, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement
We know that the number of natural disasters is increasing. However, while international attention focuses on the dead, the wounded and the destruction of houses and infrastructure, the fate of surviving victims often tends to be forgotten. It is therefore important, and feasible, as Walter Kälin argues, to take steps now to reduce the risk of natural disasters. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
October 10, 2007, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement
Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is a vital defense against climate change and displacement, particularly in the current context of increasing numbers of disaster-affected persons. This is a report on a seminar to raise awareness and encourage organizations to begin or to renew their efforts to reduce the human impact of natural disasters. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
William H. Frey, Audrey Singer and David Park, September 12, 2007, The Brookings Institution
Using new Census data, we provide the first full picture of who lived in New Orleans and its region after the hurricanes of 2005, and what types of residents moved in, stayed, or remained displaced one year after the storm.
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