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Humanity in a Fragile World

Humanity in a Fragile World

The first session of the 2018 Aurora Dialogues Berlin that brought together global humanitarian activists and organizations took place on December 12 and opened with remarks by moderator Nik Gowing, international broadcaster and visiting Professor at Kings College London. Franz Fischler, President of the European Forum Alpbach; Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman, Munich Security Conference; Michael Keating, Executive Director, European Institute of Peace, and Anja Langenbucher, Director Europe Office, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, took part in the discussion titled Humanity in a Fragile World.

Franz Fischler, President of the European Forum Alpbach and Former Member of the European Commission, expressed his concern with lack of efficient communication between people in charge of dealing with arising crises. “One of the reasons there is not much trust anymore amongst the national leaders in Europe has to do [with the fact] that we are not able to have a real dialogue,” he said.

Michael Keating, Executive Director of the European Institute of Peace, brought up the importance of making sure all interested parties get a seat at the table when it comes to finding solutions. “Often humanitarian crises are the result of failed politics, of failure to address disputes that can be addressed if you manage them, but also failure to engage everybody: civil society, the private sector, women, young people. You need real partnerships,” he stressed out.

They were followed by Anja Langenbucher, Director of the Europe Office, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, who talked about humanitarian foundations, agencies, and other parties playing to their strengths and not trying to cover everything at once. “At the end of the day every actor should do what they do best. Ours is in impact measurement – we see very clearly what long-term measures prevent these crises from happening. We are not a political actor. From this perspective I think we should do what we do best,” she noted.

Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, has shared his views regarding humanitarians working under international law in conflict situations. “I’m not an advocate of the use of military force, but I think that the existence, the continuing existence of dictators such as the one in Syria is, as far as we are concerned, the worst possible procedure for us in terms of prevention the next generation of terrorists,” he stated.

You can watch the full video with the discussion below (in English).