Paper authors | Jack Garnett, Daisy Lee, Chris Loughran, Amanda McCorkindale |
In panel on | Bridging the Gap: Academia, Policy-Making, and Humanitarian Response in Complex Emergencies |
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting | In-Person & Online |
This paper presents a collaborative initiative between the HALO Trust, the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI), and postgraduate students, aimed at addressing the intricate nexus of conflict, environment, and humanitarianism. Armed conflicts and environmental vulnerabilities often overlap, affecting the most vulnerable regions disproportionately (Hanson, 2018; Lawrence et al 2015).
HALO Trust's Strategic Plan (2021-25) underscores the importance of linking their demining efforts to broader initiatives for community resilience, biodiversity preservation, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. This collaboration leverages the expertise of HCRI and harnesses the research skills of postgraduate students, aligning their studies with HALO's challenges in conflict and environmental contexts.
Students engaged with HALO throughout their Master's, focusing their research on specific issues related to violence, conflict, and the environment. Post-graduation, they continued to work with HALO for three months in an internship where they contributed to HALO's Policy team making significant contributions to the current debates in their areas. This partnership between academia and practitioners highlights opportunities and challenges, emphasizing the dynamic response required in the ever-evolving humanitarian sector.
This interdisciplinary collaboration not only advances knowledge but also addresses real-world challenges, demonstrating the potential for academia to inform practical solutions in the complex web of conflict, environment, and humanitarianism. It is a model that holds promise for shaping policies and interventions in conflict-affected regions with environmental vulnerabilities.