CIES Board of Directors on Human Tragedy in Haiti

January 21, 2010

Dear colleagues,

I am writing to you on behalf of the CIES Board of Directors to express our compassion, share our solidarity and assure our support for all those that are suffering beyond words and imagination during the devastating earthquakes that have rocked Haiti in recent days.

Several CIES members live in Haiti or are currently on mission in Haiti to provide humanitarian assistance under the most difficult conditions. Overcoming the massive collapse of infrastructure, providing shelter and medical care and distributing water and food—all desperately needed for survival—are major on-going challenges.

Many of our members in institutional organizations and NGOs—for example, UNESCO, UNICEF, the International Rescue Committee, Save the Children, CARE--but also some involved in domestic relief organizations in Haiti are currently operating in the earthquake region. They are risking their lives. Our gratitude goes out to them as well as to all of you individually who have contributed in myriad ways to mitigate this human tragedy. As you know, the activities of many international organizations depend on your professional help and personal good will. We encourage you to continue to support international and national efforts aimed at helping Haiti to recover and rebuild.  At the same time, we encourage you to promote research and engage in advocacy efforts that direct more attention to conflict prevention and disaster preparedness in different parts of the world.

Continuing an initiative begun during the CIES 2009 conference, when a special event was held to pay tribute to Jackie Kirk’s accomplishments (who was killed tragically in 2008 during her mission for IRC in Afghanistan), we will organize several special sessions during the CIES 2010 annual meeting that examines the many repercussions of the natural disaster in Haiti. In recent years, education in fragile states, among vulnerable populations and in conflict, post-conflict and emergency situations has re-surfaced as an important focus of research and an area of professional practice in CIES. We will continue to accommodate this revived interest while combining the human dimension with the professional aspect of education in fragile states and post-disaster contexts.

Sincerely,

Your CIES Board of Directors
(Gita Steiner-Khamsi, President, CIES)

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Select Internet resources:

INEE (Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies) http://www.ineesite.org/index.php/post/about/
UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/
UNESCO’s Section for Education in Post-Conflict and Post-Disaster Situations http://www.unesco.org/en/pcpd/post-conflict-post-disaster-education/
Save the Children http://www.savethechildren.org/
IRC: http://www.theirc.org/
CARE: http://www.care.org/
World Bank: www.worldbk.org/ht