The Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme of the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) at RSIS commemorated World Humaritarian Day on 19 August 2021 with a webinar on “Responses to Crises during the Pandemic”.

World Humanitarian Day marks the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, when 22 humanitarian workers were killed. Ever since, the date is an opportunity to pay tribute to all humanitarian workers and strengthen the understanding of and respect for International Humanitarian Law. Every day, humanitarian aid workers help millions of people around the world, regardless of who they are and where they are. This year’s World Humanitarian Day theme — “#TheHumanRace” — highlights the immediate consequences of climate crisis for the world’s most vulnerable people.

Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, delivered the opening remarks while Dr Alistair D. B. Cook, Coordinator of the HADR Programme, moderated the session titled “Responses to Crises During the Pandemic — Challenges and New Modalities”. The panellists were Dr Caroline Brassard, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy; Ms Ann Moey, Private Sector Partnerships Manager, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Singapore; and Ms Aimee George, Regional Humanitarian Operations Assistant Manager, Save the Children, Asia.

The speakers examined some of the challenges faced by the humanitarian sector during COVID-19, potential solutions, and initiatives to help alleviate these challenges, as well as how perceptions of risk in communities can affect approaches to crisis management. Some of the insights from the webinar included the acknowledgement that future risks will be increasingly complex and intertwined; the need to tailor national policies in line with the needs of targeted communities; and the need to invest in anticipatory humanitarian action.

Catch it here on the RSISVideoCast YouTube channel: