【March 4 updated】Humanitarian crises and COVID-19: A three-part GSDM symposium (Oct.11-Nov.18-Mar.18 AY2021)

　The large number of casualties due to COVID-19 is only one aspect of this pandemic. Underlying structural risks and vulnerabilities have been evidenced and amplified in multiple areas by the response to the present coronavirus outbreak. This is especially true on a humanitarian level. For example, governments worldwide have introduced travel restrictions, stopping individuals such as aid workers and refugees from accessing international travel, thereby causing a human mobility crisis, which has also exacerbated political crises. Moreover, many different inequalities have been highlighted and deepened, from race (e.g. discrimination against Asian individuals), to gender (e.g. domestic violence), to national and regional development levels.
　Against this backdrop, this three-part online symposium – comprising keynote speeches by practitioners in the field, presentations by invited researchers at the University of Tokyo, and active discussions with participants – will deepen insights into the humanitarian impacts and aspects of the present pandemic.
■Symposium pamphlet
■For inquiry: stu.com.gsdm(at)gmail.com
　Organiser: Maximilien Berthet and Saeko Kawataki, GSDM Student Committee

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Session 1：Confronting humanitarian crises in a global pandemic
＜CLOSED＞ The poster for session 1 can be found here.

In the opening session of this symposium, Dr. Albert Ko, a distinguished engineer, entrepreneur, and humanitarian worker, will share examples of how simple mature technology can improve the lives of the underprivileged, in relation to his recent humanitarian projects during the pandemic. These have included developing an internationally acclaimed reusable transparent anti-COVID-19 face mask to promote barrier-free communication for people with hearing loss, and a mobile UV-C system to disinfect subdivided flats in Hong Kong. Dr. Ko serves as Programme Director of the MA in Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, and Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Graduate Studies, at Lingnan University, Hong Kong. Prior to joining Lingnan, Dr. Ko volunteered in multiple field missions for Médecins Sans Frontières, including in South Sudan and Indonesia. In 2009, he co-founded INSIGHT Robotics and developed the world’s most accurate wildfire detection robot.
Dr. Roberto Orsi will be the discussant during this session.

◎The event was successfully held, and a summary of the proceedings can be found here.

　
Session 2: Understanding what strategies are necessary and have been taken to overcome humanitarian crises in relation to COVID-19
＜CLOSED＞ The poster for session 2 can be found here

In the second session of this symposium, Dr. Masamine Jimba, a distinguished researcher in the field of public health, will share insights on what strategies are necessary and have been taken to overcome humanitarian crises during the COVID-19 pandemic, in relation to his recent projects on global health.
Dr. Jimba’s research interests encompass health promotion, global health, human security, and other broad public health issues in the world. He established the first WHO office in the Gaza Strip and worked as a WHO Health Coordinator for the Gaza Strip and the West Bank from 1994 to 1996. Then, from 1996 to 2001, he worked in rural Nepal as a team leader of the Nepal School and Community Health Project organised by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), WHO, etc. Since his return to Japan in 2002, he has been working at the University of Tokyo on health research projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America. He is the President of the Japan Association for International Health. He has published more than 300 articles and over 10 book chapters.
Ms. Kozue Okamura will provide insights from her recent study on a model for forecasting future COVID-19 cases based on observed data.
Kozue is a Ph.D. candidate in the Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Chemical Systems Engineering. She is a member of multiple GSDM Student Initiative Projects, including “SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) Support During COVID-19” . She was awarded the “GSDM Student Effort Award AY2020”, and the “Dean of the School of Engineering Award”, The University of Tokyo, March 2021, for her strong leadership and excellent research accomplishments.

◎The event was successfully held, and a summary of the proceedings can be found here.

　
Session 3: “Planning how we can prevent future humanitarian crises by building a new, resilient social system and cooperating across the globe”.
＜CLOSED＞ The poster for session 3 can be found here.

In the third and final session of this Symposium, Mariko Hayashi, Executive Director of the Southeast and East Asian Centre (SEEAC), will share her experiences of national, regional and international human rights advocacy with a focus on migration issues, during her work in the civil society sector. SEEAC is a London based community organisation led by and for migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum from Southeast and East Asian countries. SEEAC was officially launched as an NGO in 2020.
Hayashi-san is also a co-founder of BEBESEA (Better Engagement between East and Southeast Asia), a cross-regional network of civil society actors advocating for the rights of migrants and intersectional human rights in East and Southeast Asia.
Professor Toshiro Nishizawa will be the discussant during this event.
Given the cross-disciplinary challenges posed by the spread of COVID-19 to migrant communities and to international human rights in East and Southeast Asia, we hope to have a lively discussion on how various stakeholders can cooperate beyond differences in expertise, positions and interests.

◎The event was successfully held, and a summary of the proceedings can be found here.