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Activities | Cycles, conferences and seminars

IECAH organises the University Conference on the European Union and Humanitarian Action for the University Alfonso X el Sabio

Francesco M. Autolino

During the whole month of October, from the IECAH we organize for the Faculty of Social Studies and Applied Languages of the University Alfonso X el Sabio, a series of University Conferences on the European Union and Humanitarian Action, just a year before Spain assumes the rotating presidency of the European Council of the EU. These conferences are in collaboration with the Directorate General for State Cooperation and the European Union of the Community of Madrid.

On Tuesday the 4th was inaugurated with the speeches of Francisco Rey, co-director of IECAH, and Cristina Muñoz, general director of Alianza por la Solidaridad, and the presentation of David Perejil, research officer of IECAH. The first conference was entitled “The European Union, a global actor in humanitarian action. The principle of solidarity and the European humanitarian architecture”.

In the session, Francisco Rey (IECAH) addressed a historical chronology of humanitarian policies from the creation of the European Communities to the current Union, especially since the creation of ECHO in 1991 and its consolidation in the Lisbon Treaty (2007). His first intervention ended by launching three challenges for the HA of the EU: to respect policy coherence, to maintain its independence from the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) and the common defense policy, and to link HA, development and peace-building policies.

Cristina Muñoz (Alianza por la Solidaridad) then explained, through the experience of her organization, its humanitarian action policies inserted in its framework of global justice, attacking the different power relations between the Global North and South; the human rights approach; accountability to affected people, women’s leadership and the challenge of climate change.  He then addressed three issues: the historical weight of humanitarian policies; the work of his organization, integrated into Action Aid, with ECHO; and its evolution, in which he especially highlighted its quality standards and flexibility in the execution of budgets.

The conference will continue throughout the month of October with the following sessions in Spanish:

Wednesday 19/10/2022 at 12:30h. European leadership in redefining global humanitarian response. 

  • Speakers: Camille Nussbaum, Executive Coordinator and researcher of IECAH; and Benjamin Thiberge, Humanitarian Aid Manager at Ayuda en Acción.
  • Moderation: Álvaro Frías Buoso, Training Officer at IECAH.

Thursday 27/10/2022 at 16:30h. The European humanitarian contribution: response to armed conflicts and disaster risk prevention. 

  • Speakers: Jesús A. Núñez Villaverde, co-director of IECAH; and Elisa Paz Cayon, director of the International Program of Plan International.
  • Moderation: Laura Mula, Training and Communication Officer of IECAH.

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