On 29 and 30 October, the Foundation will be in Nairobi for the 6th edition of its annual international conference. This first edition in English-speaking Africa will bring together about 70 participants (by invitation), including 30 speakers: researchers, representatives of Kenyan NGOs, representatives of the United Nations or other international organisations, members of the Kenyan government or of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement.
Offering 6 thematic round tables, this conference aims to develop the interactions between the different actors, to create a space for debate and to foster the exchanges between research carried out in English-speaking Africa and Francophone Africa. Co-organized by the Foundation, the Kenyan Red Cross Research Center (“International Center for Humanitarian Affairs”) and the IRD’s East Africa Representation, the event will take place in Nairobi at the Boma Hotel Conference Center of the Kenyan Red Cross.
Kenya is a particularly interesting country to study the concept of humanitarian transition, which is the core theme of the research supported by the Foundation. Kenya faces huge humanitarian needs, be they the effects of climate change, of natural disasters or the migratory consequences of crises in neighboring countries. Kenya’s humanitarian response is specific and constantly evolving. The role of State humanitarian and social actors in responding to emergencies is becoming increasingly important.
During this two-day conference, it will be a question of taking the time to reflect, and to question the coordination of aid actors, the collaboration between researchers and practitioners, and the role of new practices, such as “humanitarian technologies”. Members of the Foundation’s Scientific Council and one of the Foundation’s research fellows will participate in the panel discussions, so as to to put the debates in perspective with experiences on other research and operation fields.
The yearly International Conference of the Foundation is, alongside its “Rencontres annuelles”, one of its two major highlights. It is organized every year in one of the priority research countries and allows the Foundation to inscribe reflections on humanitarian transition in the framework of a country.
Photo credit: @IRD
An event organised by
With the support of
