The Global Refugee Crisis: A View From the Ground

Leaders of humanitarian aid organizations will discuss their work on the ground - both the immediate response and longer-term programs - to address the unprecedented waves of refugees across the globe.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
118 Haines Hall

Sponsored by the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of International Migration and the Center for European and Russian Studies.

ABOUT THE EVENT

Today there are over 65 million refugees fleeing violence and natural disasters or looking for better economic opportunities. Over 5 million people have fled the conflict in Syria alone. Many of these refugees have made the dangerous journey to Europe, which saw over one million applications for asylum in 2015. Millions more are in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq.

What many consider the worst refugee crisis since World War II has elicited humanitarian responses from nonprofit organizations from around the world. Leaders of two humanitarian aid organizations, IsraAid and International Medical Corps, will discuss their work with refugees in the Middle East and Europe. They will be joined by a representative of the Yazidi refugee community. 

SPEAKERS

Yotam Polizer is Global Partnerships Director and Asia Regional Director at IsraAid, an Israel-based disaster relief and long term support group. Polizer has been a social activist for many years and has more than 10 years of hands-on experience in humanitarian projects in countries around the globe, including Nepal, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, and Greece. Polizer also recently established IsraAID Germany, which provides long term support for Yazidi and Syrian refugees in Germany, with a special program focusing on unaccompanied minors.

Margaret Traub is Head of Global Initiatives at International Medical Corps, a global humanitarian nonprofit organization. She has traveled extensively to field programs around the world - including to Syria, Haiti, Congo, South Sudan and Lebanon - to photograph, write and speak publicly about humanitarian crises and International Medical Corps’ work. Prior to joining International Medical Corps in 2005, Margaret spent 17 years in print and broadcast journalism, including as Executive Producer at CNN, Head Writer at Good Morning America, and reporter for The Associated Press.

Hadi Pir is Vice President and co-founder of Yazda where he is responsible for planning the organization’s strategic objectives, building relationships with other parties and supervising the organization’s program in Iraq and other countries. Yazda was founded in August 2014 by Yazidi Americans following the campaign of ethnic cleansing and sexual enslavement that was conducted by the self-declared “Islamic State” militants. Yazda is active in most areas inhabited by Yazidis in Iraq and was formed to respond to the various needs of the displaced and traumatized Yazidi community.

Sponsor(s): Center for European and Russian Studies, Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies, Center for Study of International Migration