philanthropists Archives | UAP 2026-30

Professor Jennifer Hyndman: Humanitarian aid can fuel a war if not done carefully

fmaquito — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 08:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ sociology and geography Professor Jennifer Hyndman knows a little about disasters. She also knows a benign water project run by humanitarian aid agencies can fuel a war if careful attention is not paid to the political and cultural landscape.

Hyndman was in Sri Lanka within months of the 2004 tsunami. She saw first-hand not only the devastation wrought by the tsunami, but the complications of delivering humanitarian aid in areas of Sri Lanka and Indonesia that were already conflict-riddled and impoverished. She also witnessed how the natural and man-made disasters intersected to change the political dynamics of both countries – a peace accord in Indonesia and the end of war in Sri Lanka between the government and the Tamils.

Her experiences led to the recently released book, and companion videos by Hyndman and geographer and humanitarian aid worker Arno Waizenegger, and . To watch the first video, enter the password, "Lhokse". Waizenegger also co-wrote one of the book's chapters with Hyndman.

The earthquake-triggered tsunami is estimated to have killed or displaced more than one million people – three women for every man – and billions in donations flowed in for relief efforts. Dual Disasters addresses pre- and post-humanitarian aid concerns and offers suggestions that are still relevant today.

“I examine two war zones that were then hit by the 2004 tsunami and trace how the conflict and the environmental disaster shaped one another in terms of outcomes,” says Hyndman of 91��ɫ's Department of Social Sciences in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, who has studied humanitarian emergencies, conflict-related human disaster and displacement for more than a decade. For the book, she focused specifically on Sri Lanka and Aceh, Indonesia.

Left: Jennifer Hyndman

The book examines the inequitable delivery of humanitarian aid, but also looks at how the cultural and political situation in both countries played into that. If more aid was given to the coastal areas of Sri Lanka, because of their tourist appeal, than to the people in the hinterland, who are hardest hit by war, that imbalance created a “potential and real threat to peace.” Similarly in Aceh, Indonesia, international tsunami aid was earmarked exclusively for tsunami survivors and not for civilians who had lost their homes and livelihoods in the decades old conflict. This became the cause of tensions and threats recorded in the book by Hyndman and her research assistants.

The problem was that aid agencies had little latitude to spend donated money. As it's often designated for specific things, some agencies collected more money than they could ethically spend, she says. That led to the hiring of sub-contractors who not only didn’t necessarily do the best job, but it also made it more difficult to monitor the funds. This could be remedied if donors gave aid agencies more leverage to spend their donations where needed, says Hyndman, associate director of the .

In addition, aid workers can unintentionally become wrapped up in the politics. “You need to pay very close attention to the political climate, otherwise you can become a political player in what you think is a humanitarian operation.” That can play out in as simple an act as talking to people living on one side of a road. What the aid workers may not realize is that the people on one side of the road are enemies with those on the opposite side, and the workers are seen as allies to one side only. “The unintended result is that humanitarian aid can actually fuel a conflict or create tensions."

Or, as in the case of the water pumps, what seemed like an easy and fast solution – provide villages with water pumps so they no longer had to dig wells – turned out to be not so simple in an area of Sri Lanka where tensions were already high between various factions. Bringing in water pumps heightened conflicting interests, instead of making life easier. “So unintentionally, a benign water project can fuel a war.”

It is just as important for aid workers to be aware of a country's cultural practices. One aid agency built much-needed, but culturally inappropriate housing. The new houses only had one room, when two were required to keep the women separate from the men. Hyndman says many of these issues could be avoided by providing regional cultural and political sensitivity orientation and training to humanitarian aid workers.

Competition between aid agencies for donor dollars was another issue raised by the book, but it has, at least in Canada, been addressed to some extent. Care Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam Quebec and Save the Children formed a coalition after the 2004 tsunami to work together.

“It’s an excellent step in the right direction,” says Hyndman.

For more information, visit the .

By Sandra McLean, YFile writer

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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CBERN and Hennick Centre for Business and Law host talk on corporate social responsibility and human rights

fmaquito — Tue, 17 May 2011 08:00:00 +0000

What are the distinctions between corporate social responsibility, business responsibility and philanthropy, and how can a framework be devised to help businesses define their role in human rights accountability? These are just some the questions that will be tackled today in a lecture by Professor , director of Australia’s Centre for Applied Philosophy & Public Ethics.

The talk will be held from 1:30 to 3pm in 305 91��ɫ Lanes Offices, Keele campus.

Campbell will argue that the structure of a traditional corporate “business case” should be supplemented by a human rights justification which permits – and may require – a corporation to act independently of its economic interests when this is necessary to fulfill its human rights responsibilities.

Right: Tom Campbell

Campbell, a law and philosophy professor whose fields of interest include justice and human rights, business ethics and the legal theory of ethical positivism, is also the author of eight books on law and ethics: Adam Smith's Science of Morals (Allen & Unwin, 1971); Seven Theories of Human Society (Oxford University Press, 1981); The Left and Rights: A Conceptual Analysis of the Idea of Socialist Rights (Routledge, 1983); Mental Illness: Prejudice, Discrimination and the Law (Dartmouth, 1991); The Legal Theory of Ethical Positivism (Dartmouth, 1996); Prescriptive Legal Positivism (UCL Press/Cavendish, 2004); Rights: A Critical Introduction (Routledge, 2006); and Justice (Palgrave, 2010).

This event is sponsored by the , Schulich School of Business, The Hennick Centre for Business and Law, the (CBERN) and the Ontario Legal Philosophy Partnership.

Visit the website to RSVP, or for more information contact Hilary Martin, CBERN’s research and outreach coordinator, at hmartin@cbern.ca.

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Osgoode Professor Neil Brooks launches The Trouble with Billionaires with Linda McQuaig

fmaquito — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0000

In their new book, The Trouble with Billionaires, 91��ɫ Professor , a tax law expert at , and Canadian author make the case that the massive fortunes of the ultra-rich – widely considered benign or even beneficial to society – are actually detrimental to everyone else.

The glittering lives of billionaires may seem like harmless sources of entertainment, the authors maintain, but such concentrated economic power reverberates throughout society, threatening the quality of life and the very functioning of democracy.

Brooks and McQuaig launch their new book today in Room 519 of the 91��ɫ Research Tower, from 12.30 to 2pm. They argue it’s no accident that the United States claims the most billionaires – but suffers from among the highest rates of infant mortality and crime and the shortest life expectancy, as well as the lowest rates of social mobility and electoral political participation in the developed world.

Our society tends to regard large fortunes as evidence of great talent or accomplishment, say Brooks and McQuaig. Yet the vast new wealth isn’t due to an increase in talent or effort at the top, but rather to changing social attitudes legitimizing greed and to government policy changes that favour the new elite.

For more information about the book, visit website or read their op-ed about .

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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Passings: Golda Koschitzky, 91��ɫ patron, supporter of the Centre for Jewish Studies

fmaquito — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:00:00 +0000

Golda Koschitzky, 91��ɫ benefactor and honorary degree recipient, has died. She was 102.

On Nov. 5, 1999, 91��ɫ presented the philanthropist and Jewish education innovator with an honorary doctor of laws. Over 90 years old at the time, she had supported the establishment of a professorship then a Chair in Jewish Teacher Education at 91��ɫ through the Israel Koschitzky Family Charitable Foundation, named for her husband. The Chair was the first of its kind in North America at a public university and was created to respond to a growing demand for teachers of Hebrew and Jewish studies in Canada and beyond.

Right: Golda Koschitzky received an honorary doctor of laws in 1999. Photo courtesy of Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections, ASC06177.

In 2008, 91��ɫ’s Centre for Jewish Studies was renamed the Israel & Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies. The dedication followed another generous gift from the Koschitzky family in honour of the 100th birthday of the Koschitzky family matriarch and the 50th anniversary of 91��ɫ in 2009. The centre conducts cutting-edge research in a range of Jewish studies and offers one of the largest university-level programs in Jewish studies outside Israel.

"91��ɫ has lost a great friend with Golda Koschitzky's passing," said President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. "Her vision and generosity have helped put 91��ɫ at the forefront of Jewish studies, and her legacy will endure through the Israel & Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies at 91��ɫ."

Professor Michael Brown, director of 91��ɫ's Centre for Jewish Studies in 1999 when Golda Koschitzky received her honorary degree, said she and her family have provided leadership and support for local, national and international organizations, including the United Jewish Appeal/Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto.

"Having endured physical hardship in Nazi-occupied Europe, the Koschitzky family arrived in Canada at the end of the Second World War penniless, but determined to succeed and help others around them,” Brown said at the time. "Through their devotion to family and traditional Judaism, through their commitment to education, and through their participation in the commercial and cultural life of Canada, they became role models for members of the Jewish community as well as for newcomers to Canada of all backgrounds.”

Right: Golda Koschitzky, seated, with, from left, Saul, Mira, Julia and Henry Koschitzky

Golda Koschitzky leaves sons Saul and Henry, daughters-in-law Mira and Julia, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Shiva will be observed at the home of Saul and Mira Koschitzky, 4 Coreydale Court, North 91��ɫ, through Sunday morning.

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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