Harvard Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research

Harvard Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research
Name	Harvard Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research
Formation	1996
Founder	Peter Salama; Harold Koh (associate)
Headquarters	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Location	Harvard University
Leader title	Director
Leader name	Jennifer Leaning
Parent organization	Harvard Kennedy School

Harvard Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research is an academic program based at Harvard University that conducts research, education, and policy engagement on humanitarian action, armed conflict, and disaster response. Founded in the late 20th century, the program integrates scholarship from public health, international law, and humanitarian practice to inform policymakers, practitioners, and scholars. It has produced widely cited analyses that intersect with work by humanitarian organizations, academic centers, and multilateral institutions.

History

The program was established amid debates following the Rwandan Genocide, the Balkans conflict, and humanitarian interventions in the 1990s, drawing on influences from figures associated with Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard Kennedy School. Early contributors included scholars who had worked with International Committee of the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, and the United Nations system. Over time, the program engaged with events such as the Asian tsunami of 2004, the Syrian Civil War, and the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa (2014–2016), adjusting research priorities to operational lessons from United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, World Health Organization, and International Rescue Committee. Directors and affiliated faculty have included leading public health and international law experts who also served in advisory roles for U.S. Department of State, European Commission, and international tribunals.

Mission and Objectives

The program’s mission emphasizes evidence-based analysis to improve humanitarian practice and to influence policy debates within institutions such as the United Nations Security Council, the International Criminal Court, and regional bodies like the African Union. Objectives include advancing research on protection of civilians, improving emergency health response aligned with World Health Organization protocols, and developing frameworks for humanitarian access reflecting precedents like the Responsibility to Protect debates. The program seeks to educate practitioners linked to organizations such as Save the Children, UNHCR, and World Food Programme while contributing to normative developments traced to instruments like the Geneva Conventions.

Research Areas and Publications

Research spans humanitarian ethics, public health in crises, conflict analysis, and law of armed conflict, producing policy briefs, peer-reviewed articles, and technical manuals. Publications have addressed topics relevant to crises including displacement seen in the Yemeni Civil War, protection failures evident during the Sierra Leone Civil War, and epidemic control approaches used during the H1N1 pandemic. Work often cites comparative case studies involving Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and South Sudan, and engages with scholarship from centers like the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The program has contributed to journals and books alongside authors associated with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and leading presses. It produces datasets and methodological guides used by analysts at International Organization for Migration and humanitarian coalitions responding to complex emergencies.

Programs and Training

The program runs executive education, postgraduate seminars, and workshops designed for staff from United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, and nongovernmental organizations such as Oxfam International and CARE International. Training modules incorporate scenarios drawn from operations by Médecins Sans Frontières and Doctors Without Borders as well as lessons from humanitarian logistics exemplified by United Nations Humanitarian Air Service. Students and fellows engage in field practicums connected to missions in regions like the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, collaborating with partners such as International Organization for Migration and regional entities including the Economic Community of West African States.

Partnerships and Collaborations

The program maintains formal and informal partnerships with academic units and policy centers including Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard Law School, Harvard Kennedy School, Columbia University, London School of Economics, and think tanks like Chatham House and Brookings Institution. It has collaborated with operational agencies including United Nations Children's Fund, World Food Programme, International Committee of the Red Cross, and faith-based networks involved in disaster relief. Research consortia have linked the program to foundations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, while multilateral engagements included secondments from United States Agency for International Development and advisory roles to European Union External Action Service.

Impact and Policy Influence

Analyses from the program have informed humanitarian policy reforms, crisis guidelines, and academic debates on civilian protection and humanitarian access. Its work has been cited in policy papers by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, strategic reviews in NATO, and assessments by International Criminal Court prosecutors considering patterns of violence against civilians. Graduates and fellows have moved into roles across United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and senior positions within Ministry of Foreign Affairs (United Kingdom), shaping operational doctrine and funding priorities. The program’s methodological contributions influenced monitoring frameworks used by humanitarian donor consortia and evaluation units within World Bank humanitarian initiatives.

Organization and Funding

Administratively, the program is hosted within Harvard Kennedy School and collaborates with faculty across Harvard Business School and Harvard Medical School. Funding sources have included competitive grants from National Institutes of Health, philanthropic support from entities such as the Open Society Foundations, and project-based contracts with agencies like USAID and European Commission. Governance typically involves an advisory board with members drawn from academia, multilateral institutions, and non-governmental organizations, reflecting cross-sectoral oversight analogous to advisory bodies at institutions like Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Tufts University.

Category:Humanitarian aid