In 2015, the government of Saudi Arabia launched a military intervention in Yemen in order to reestablish political control over the country after Houthi rebels ousted Saudi-backed president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. This Saudi-led coalition—with the support of Western countries, including the presidential administrations of both Barack Obama and Donald Trump—has killed civilians and destroyed health centers along with other key infrastructure through numerous airstrikes. The coalition's naval blockades have denied civilians food, water, and medical aid, and all but destroyed the country's economy, which relies heavily on commercial shipping.
The conflict has internally displaced over 2,500,000 Yemeni civilians, according to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In a 2019 report, OCHA estimated that "more than 20 million people across the country are food insecure, half of them suffering extreme levels of hunger." In a 2018 report, UNICEF estimated that "every 10 minutes, a child [in Yemen] is dying from diseases that can be easily prevented." In presenting this report, Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said "colleagues, is today a living hell for children. A living hell not for 50-60 percent of children. It is a living hell for every single boy and girl in Yemen."
Is there hope for peace in Yemen? Why has the "world's worst humanitarian crisis" received so little coverage in Western, particularly American, media? What should be the future of America's involvement in the crisis? An interdisciplinary panel, featuring leading global experts on this crisis, will explore all of these critical topics and discuss their work with U.S. Senator Todd Young, who has been a strong and vocal critic of America's role in the conflict to date.
Panelists will include:
- Awssan Kamal, Acting Head, Rights in Crisis, Oxfam International
- Nawal al-Maghafi, Special Correspondent, BBC News
- Scott Paul, Humanitarian Policy Lead, Oxfam America
Ray Offenheiser, the director of NDIGD and a Distinguished Professor of the Practice in Notre Dame's new Keough School of Global Affairs, will serve as the moderator of the panel.
This event is free and open to the public. Undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and postdoctoral researchers interested in humanitarianism, peace studies, other global issues, or media issues are especially encouraged to attend this event.
Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
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Event URL: ntrda.me/2FAWxml
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This event is sponsored by the Notre Dame Initiative for Global Development (NDIGD).
Contact
Aviva Wulfsohn, Administrative Coordinator, Notre Dame Initiative for Global Development
Phone: (574) 631-2940
Email: awulfsoh@nd.edu