Abstract image of the outline of people's heads in layered multicolours

Humanitarianism in crisis?

22 February 2024Bond and University of Bath

Themes

Politics

Humanitarianism has been all over the news in recent months, prompted particularly by the situation in Gaza. Humanitarians are being constrained by geopolitical agendas of donor states and the growing assertion of national sovereignty. What, then, can humanitarians hope to achieve?

In this conversation with three academics from the Department of Social and Policy Sciences at the University of Bath, we will discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of humanitarian principles and practice. Our focus on contemporary humanitarian dilemmas, we will draw on extensive first-hand research in Africa, Asia and the Middle East conducted by scholars at Bath. What should be the role of humanitarianism in a world where international law has evidently failed to protect large numbers of civilians? How should international humanitarian organisations respond to calls for the decolonisation of aid?

Find out more about the University of Bath’s Centre for Development Studies here

Find out more about the University of Bath’s master’s programmes in humanitarianism and international development at http://go.bath.ac.uk/humanitarian-dev-studies.

This webinar explored three themes:

  • What is humanitarianism?
  • What are humanitarianism’s achievements and challenges?
  • Who should be saving whom?

Click here for the University of Bath’s presentation

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