Examining Varying States of Protracted Crises: Case Studies on Sudan and Venezuela

As we approach the end of the 20-teens, we reflect upon a decade that has left us with not only important lessons in the humanitarian space, but also a number of questions. The politicization of aid, the substantial reduction of humanitarian space, and the emergence of new actors lead us to understand differently the way we can help those most in need. A troubling but growing characteristic of a number of humanitarian crises is the degree to which emergencies are becoming protracted in nature, with no end in sight.

Mitigating, understanding and reacting quickly in the face of new crises is a critical challenge facing humanitarian actors around the globe. Against the backdrop of a growing number of protracted humanitarian crises (Syria, South Sudan, Sudan, Venezuela, Afghanistan, etc.), are there ways in which the humanitarian community can modify its practices and approaches to better meet needs or, even, to reduce the duration of crises? How does the increase in protracted emergencies change the humanitarian landscape? Are there different ways in which the humanitarian community needs to understand and respond to these types of crisis? These are just a few of the questions that continue to confront humanitarian practitioners tasked with responding to these long-standing crises.

The 2019 SIPA Humanitarian Conference aims to initiate an open discussion between practitioners and thought leaders in the humanitarian sector, provide an explanation of the protraction of specific complex emergencies, demonstrate analytical tools for the understanding of new emergencies, and propose a framework to ascertain the details of those crises which seem unaltered over time.

This conference aims to explore protracted crises through the lens of two current emergencies, Sudan and Venezuela. The former is a vivid example of a long-standing crisis, the latter, a new crisis to which there is no end in sight.



Welcome Remarks by Professor Susannah Friedman…………………………..……. 3:30 pm





Sudan: Defining a Protracted Emergency……………….……..………………...……. 3:45 pm
Multiple crises in Sudan have rendered populations highly marginalized and left to live in an ongoing state of crisis, now stretching into decades. The effects of colonial history, the instrumentalization of the global South during the Cold War, and the use of ethnic and religious conflicts that favor the marginalization of certain factions of society as contributing factors to the crisis are evident in Sudan. Notable characteristics of long-running crises in Sudan include political instability, authoritarianism, securitization of the state, armed conflict, the crisis in Darfur, the conflict between North and South Sudan followed by South Sudan's independence, and the 2019 social unrest. Sudan has witnessed the turnover of generations of humanitarian aid workers and is a vivid example of multiple sometimes converging protracted humanitarian crises.

• Dr. Tom Catena – Chair of Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, Founder of Mother Mercy Hospital
• Catherine Howard – Section Chief, Operations and Advocacy Division, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA)
• Melanie Hauenstein – Regional Advisor for Sudan, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
• Moderated by Susannah Friedman – Lecturer and Associate Director of Humanitarian Policy, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA)

Venezuela: An Analytical Framework to Stave Protraction…….………………..….. 5:15 pm
Economic and political crises in Venezuela have catalyzed a humanitarian emergency in Venezuela itself and in neighboring countries that is unprecedented in recent memory. Venezuela is facing a near complete and total breakdown of public and social services. The health care system has all but collapsed; food is scarce; and social cohesion is under pressure. The ruling party, which has been in power for nearly 20 years, controls the country's economic and industrial resources importantly including oil. The once formidable economy in Latin America has plunged into an unprecedented crisis which has seriously impacted inside Venezuela's borders and in neighboring countries. Some 5 million migrants and refugees have fled Venezuela. It is the single largest intra-regional migration flow in Latin America. With a continent convulsed by its historical and long-lasting social inequality, the Venezuelan crisis overlaps with events of regional and global importance. The end of the Colombian armed conflict, drug trafficking in Mexico, social protests in Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia, corruption scandals in Peru, high levels of violence across central America, and the economic and environmental policies of Brazil, among other issues, intersect with the Venezuelan emergency and its impact at the regional and international levels.

• Anne-Cecile Vialle – Emergency Specialist, Latin America & Caribbean Desk, UNICEF
• Stephanie Johannsen - Senior Advocacy Officer, Women's Refugee Commission
• Christopher Frassetto – Humanitarian Affairs Advisor, International Committee of the Red Cross
• Moderated by Dirk Salomons, Lecturer and Director Emeritus of Humanitarian Policy, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs


Reception ……………………………………………...……………………………… 6:30 pm

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