Media Advisory - Human Suffering and Humanitarian Response: Director of New London School of Economics at IDRC

OTTAWA, March 27, 2012 /CNW/ - Craig Calhoun, incoming Director of the London School of Economics (LSE) and President of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), will be at Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) on March 28 to talk about international responses to humanitarian emergencies.  He will argue that while humanitarian responses have grown dramatically more prominent since the 1970s, this era of distinctive focus on humanitarian action may be coming to an end.  Calhoun will also discuss how these issues are important both globally and for Canada, which has been a leader in emergency response as well as in efforts to move beyond emergency response to protecting civilians.

When: Wednesday, March 28, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Where: IDRC, 150 Kent Street (Corner of Albert), 8th floor

IDRC is currently supporting the SSRC on a series of fellowships and workshops that will examine the links between security, organized crime, drugs, and democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean.  The research is expected to equip civil society and governments with the tools to understand and take action on organized crime and drug trafficking in the region.

Craig Calhoun is the incoming Director of LSE, with the appointment taking effect September 2012. He is President of the New York-based SSRC since 1999, where he led research, training and public awareness of humanitarian concerns.  He is also Professor of Social Sciences and Director of the Institute of Public Knowledge at NYU.  Calhoun is the author and editor of several books, most notably Nations Matter: Culture, History, and the Cosmopolitan Dream and Nationalism. He also recently edited a three-volume collection, Possible Futures, which explores the impact of financial crisis, the challenges of global governance addressing issues from war to climate change, and the future of development.  He most recently published The Roots of Radicalism: Tradition, the Public Sphere, and Early 19th Century Social Movements.

The event is open to the media.  Journalists and the public can also join in the conversation through Twitter #IDRC and Facebook.

For more information visit www.idrc.ca/events-calhoun.

About IDRC
A key part of Canada's aid program since 1970, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) supports research in developing countries to promote growth and development. IDRC also encourages sharing this knowledge with policymakers, other researchers, and communities around the world. The result is innovative, lasting local solutions that aim to bring choice and change to those who need it most.

Isabelle Bourgeault-Tassé / ([phone] / [email protected] / @IDRC_CRDI