NEWPORT, R.I. – An international group of academics, military members, and humanitarian response practitioners attended the Civilian-Military Humanitarian Response Workshop held at U.S. Naval War College (NWC) in Newport, Rhode Island, Oct. 26-27.
This humanitarian-focused workshop was designed to help the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, international maritime forces, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, humanitarian organizations, and academia develop robust research, professional education, training, and development agendas to improve civilian-military (civ-mil) coordination during humanitarian crises.
Dave Polatty, director of NWC’s Civilian-Military Humanitarian Response Program and co-chair of the event, said these goals are important to all organizations that respond to complex emergencies and natural disasters.
“We were very fortunate to have some of the leading experts from around the world taking part in these important discussions. The intent of this event was to create actual research agendas that humanitarian organizations and universities can take away from here and actually start digging into,” he said. “Those agendas might look at how to create more effective information communications technologies, how to potentially create new education and training programs, how to begin to think through dealing with climate change and urbanization, and other areas of research in civ-mil engagement that can help save lives and alleviate the suffering of vulnerable people impacted by conflicts, complex emergencies, and natural disasters.”
The workshop had four specific goals: enhance the response capacity of key organizations; expand a network of humanitarian response practitioners, academics, and leaders; highlight key opportunities for professional education, training, and development for decision makers to identify best practices; and develop a comprehensive research agenda on civ-mil coordination.
Polatty thinks the wide range of interests represented will help gain a greater understanding for the group.
“The diversity of organizations attending and the expertise of every single person in the room made this a truly extraordinary event,” he said. “We had leaders from the United Nations, United States Agency for International Development, U.S. and other militaries, faculty from many of the best universities in the world, and most importantly, practitioners from humanitarian non-governmental organizations that are dealing with complex emergencies and natural disasters every day across the globe.”
Dr. Jennifer Leaning, director of the Harvard University FXB Center for Health and Human Rights agrees that wide range of experience among participants benefited everyone.
“It was a robust and vibrant group in terms of experience, knowledge and commitment to this complicated topic,” said Leaning. “I am learning a good deal from some of the experts in the military and the UN about civ-mil collaboration.”
This conference will have long-lasting effects, according to Leaning. There will be a road map for future collaborations by providing “not just a guidebook for how civilian humanitarian responders and military can collaborate,” she said, “but a set of principles, and case studies, and actual joint experience that will provide us with lessons learned.”
Michael Marx, senior civ-mil coordination advisor for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, agrees.
“The workshop has gone a long way in helping build trust and relationships within the humanitarian ecosystem that will help us respond more efficiently and predictably in the future,” said Marx.
The workshop included attendees from Brown University’s Humanitarian Innovation Initiative, Providence, RI; Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Mass; MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, Mass.; Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif.; University of Oxford, England; Yale University, New Haven, Conn.; U.S. Navy; U.S. Marine Corps; Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; medical facilities; private industry, humanitarian organizations; U.S. Coast Guard; the International Committee of the Red Cross; Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency; Brigham and Women's Hospital; The Carter Center; U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance; and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
This event was supported by the U.S. Naval War College Foundation, through life member and long-time contributor Edward Polk.