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From DRC, Unfiltered: Not an Easy Set of Tasks
August 10, 2010 | Matt Pennington | Tagged as: Africa, DR Congo, Unfiltered

Hi folks, sorry for the delay in posts. We’ve been running all around the eastern Congo for the last several days and haven’t really had access to reliable internet. We’re now in Goma, where we’ll be staying for the next 6 days, so I’ll be posting with a bit more regularity.

Much has transpired since I last wrote you from Kinshasa. We finally made it out on the UN flight to Kisangani, and arrived there in the early afternoon on Wednesday. In Kisangani, we met with representatives from MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping mission, UN agencies (UNICEF, OCHA, and UNDP), and an NGO to discuss the latest changes to MONUSCO’s mandate and the future of the mission in DR Congo, and also to get a read on the current humanitarian and security conditions facing civilians in the area.

Visiting the homes of Kyrgyzstan’s Displaced: Next time I’ll make you tea
August 06, 2010 | Maureen Lynch | Tagged as: Kyrgyzstan
Like many businessmen in Jalal-Abad, Ilias* had invested his savings in his home. He had an indoor jacuzzi, a full modern-style kitchen and a personal library of over 2000 volumes, largely religious books. Today the only evidence of where the library once stood is a charred space that has more ash then other parts of Ilias’ burned out house.
From DRC, Unfiltered: Notes from Kinshasa
August 04, 2010 | Matt Pennington | Tagged as: Africa, DR Congo, Unfiltered

I'm writing to you from our hotel lobby, running on three hours of sleep, with my second Nescafé of the afternoon in hand. So forgive me if I sound tired. Why only three hours of sleep, you ask? Well, my colleague, Erin, and I had to get to the airport by 5:00am this morning in order to attempt to board a UN flight to eastern Congo. Unfortunately, due to the limited number of outbound flights and the overwhelming demand for an extremely limited number of seats, we were unable to make it on board. However, we were lucky enough to get tickets for the flight out tomorrow. Although getting "lucky" means we'll have to endure another 4:00 am wakeup call. C'est la vie.

We've taken advantage of the extra time here in Kinshasa (we've now been here for five full days) to primarily meet with UN officials to discuss the latest changes to the UN's peacekeeping mandate here in DRC, and the impact of those changes on Congolese civilians. While I have enjoyed my time in Kinshasa, I have to admit, I am looking forward to heading east to carry out our meetings and field interviews with humanitarian organizations, displaced Congolese people, local NGOs, UN field staff, and other members of the so-called international community.
A Step in the Right Direction
August 02, 2010 | Patrick Duplat | Tagged as: Pakistan, Asia

Torrential rains leading to floods in Pakistan have displaced hundreds of thousands of people. This new emergency has just occurred a week after the United States Congress passed the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2010, which, amongst other initiatives, gives funding to refugees and displaced people in Pakistan and elsewhere. This money will make a real difference to victims in humanitarian crises.
Iraq Hearing: Living up to our Humanitarian Responsibilities both Ethical and Strategic
July 27, 2010 | Briana Orr | Tagged as: Iraq

On Thursday July 22nd, The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, known as The Helsinki Commission, hosted a hearing to examine the humanitarian situation for displaced and vulnerable Iraqis. The hearing was titled “No Way Home, No Way to Escape” an apt description of the plight of approximately two million Iraqis who have been forced to flee their homes in the last seven years of U.S. engagement in Iraq.