Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health

06/10/2026

🌍 Following our launch events in Geneva and Washington DC, we are taking our report "Health in a World of Crises and Impunity" on the road — bringing the report's findings and recommendations to the regions where they matter most.

Join us at one of our upcoming regional launch events:

📍 11 June — Dakar, in partnership with ALIMA
📍 16 June — Nairobi, in partnership with Population Council
📍 24 June — Amman, in partnership with EMPHNET
📍 1 July — Dhaka, in partnership with BRAC University, Dhaka
📍 13 July — Bogotá, in partnership with University of the Andes

📺 All events are in person with livestream available.

👉 Find out more and register: https://healthconflictcommission.org/report-launch/



Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies, The Australian National University, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Paul B. Spiegel, Chiara Altare

06/08/2026

This paper discusses how climate change is increasingly affecting public health and progress toward SDG 3, including through heat stress, infectious disease expansion, food and water insecurity, displacement, mental health impacts, and disruption to health systems.

It highlights the importance of moving from global commitments to practical implementation. It argues that climate adaptation, mitigation, equity, and health system resilience need to be more fully embedded in public health policy, planning, financing, and governance.

Authors: Mohammad Darwish, Shatha Elnakib, Osama Ali Maher, Catello M. Panu Napodano, Dr Saverio Bellizzi

Read here:

Climate change represents one of the defining global health challenges of the 21st century, with far-reaching implications for population health, health systems, and health equity. The acceleration of environmental change, evidenced by record-breaking global temperatures, extreme weather events, and...

06/08/2026

This study examines postoperative care in conflict-affected northwest by combining patient-reported outcomes with the perspectives of health workers, hospital administrators, and humanitarian organizations.

The findings show how surgical outcomes are shaped not only by clinical factors, but also by broader health system constraints, including barriers to follow-up care, workforce shortages, fragmented referral and information systems, limited financing, and gaps in continuity of care.

The paper points to the importance of strengthening surgical care as part of wider efforts to rebuild resilient and equitable health systems in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

Authors: Camila Polinori, Maia C. Tarnas, Kelli Wagner, Mohammad Darwish, Stefany Lazieh, Ahmad Alnasser, Ahmad Ghandour, Ismail Alkhatib, Saverio Bellizzi, Bara Zuhaili, MD, MPH & Gilbert Burnham

Read here:

Introduction Thirteen years of conflict have profoundly disrupted Syria’s health system. In northwest Syria, constraints such as deliberate attacks on healthcare, chronic underfunding, and a fragmented health system have created a fragile surgical ecosystem in which health workers operate under ex...

06/08/2026

Why do communities attack Ebola treatment centres during outbreaks?

A recent article in The New York Sun explores this critical question, featuring extensive insights from our Center Director, Dr. Paul Spiegel.

Drawing on decades of experience in humanitarian health and forced displacement, Dr. Spiegel explains that attacks on health facilities are rarely driven by a misunderstanding of science alone. Rather, they often reflect deeper issues of trust, power, governance, and historical experiences with conflict and state institutions.

As Dr. Spiegel notes:
“People don’t attack a clinic because they misunderstand the science. They attack it because the response feels like one more powerful outside force acting on them without their consent. The [species of the] virus is new; the mistrust is old.”

The article highlights an important lesson for outbreak response and humanitarian action alike: effective public health interventions require not only technical expertise, but also community engagement, trust building, and an understanding of local contexts.

Read here:

A wave of attacks on the treatment centers threatens to unravel one of the most serious outbreak responses the world has seen since Covid-19.

06/05/2026

🌍 Le 11 juin, rejoignez-nous pour le lancement Afrique de l'Ouest et Afrique centrale de notre rapport à Dakar — également disponible en ligne.

📋 Au programme : présentation du rapport, mise en perspective pour l'Afrique et dans les contextes francophones de crise, et une table ronde sur la mise en œuvre des recommandations.

🎤 Nos intervenants : Pr Karl Blanchet, Pr Nicolas MEDA, Dr Moumouni Kinda, Dr. Ibrahima Socé Fall, Ian Van Engelgem

🗓️ Jeudi 11 juin 2026
🕑 14h30 – 17h30 GMT | 💻 Zoom
👉 Inscription : https://unige.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_To1uWItyTrOJwgAzPikPoQ #/registration

Notre rapport "La santé dans un monde de crises et d'impunité" appelle à transformer un système de plus en plus façonné par la politique plutôt que par le besoin.

📄 Lire le résumé exécutif en français:https://healthconflictcommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/FRANCAIS-Exec-Summary-FINAL-May-14-2026.pdf

Merci à notre partenaire ALIMA de nous accueillir 🤝

University of Geneva, Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies Paul B. Spiegel Esperanza Martinez, Chi-Chi Undie, Chiara Altare, Benjamin Schmid, Dr. Rosie Jouhaud, Charlotte Lang

Le système humanitaire mondial fait face à une crise sans précédent : multiplication des conflits, déplacements massifs de populations, attaques records contre les structures de santé et financements insuffisants. Après deux ans de travaux, la Commission du Lancet, pilotée par le Johns Hopki...

06/05/2026

🎙️ CHH-Lancet Commission on Health, Conflict, and Forced Displacement, Co-Chair Prof. Paul B. Spiegel, joined Niall Boyce on The Lancet podcast to discuss the findings of our report "Health in a World of Crises and Impunity," and why the humanitarian response to conflict and forced displacement needs a radical rethink.

From policy and funding to how care is designed and delivered on the ground, it's a thoughtful conversation about one of the most pressing humanitarian health challenges of our time.

🎙️ Listen to the podcast: https://www.thelancet.com/audio-do/paul-spiegel-rethinking-humanitarian-response-conflict-and-forced-displacement
📄 Read our full report: https://healthconflictcommission.org/the-report/


Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Johns Hopkins Department of International Health

Do we need to rethink our response to conflict and forced displacement? A new Lancet Commission radically rethinks policy, funding, and practical approaches to humanitarian crises.

06/04/2026

"Health is not a charity. Health is always a non-negotiable right."

In this short video, our Next Generation Scholar Dr. Awsan Bahattab cuts to the heart of what our report, "Health in a World of Crises and Impunity", is calling out: the crisis in humanitarian health is not a problem of scarcity. It is a system failure — of accountability, power, and political will.

Who decides how care is financed? Who decides how it's delivered? These are all policy choices and can be made differently.

📺 Watch Awsan's message here 👉 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XDNtQmLTRpY

📖 Read our full report 👉 https://healthconflictcommission.org/the-report/

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Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, The Lancet Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, Paul B. Spiegel Karl Blanchet, Esperanza Martinez, Chi-Chi Undie, Benjamin Schmid, Chiara Altare,

Read the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health–Lancet Commission on health, conflict, and forced displacement here:www.thelancet.com/commissions-do/co...

06/03/2026

As displacement crises continue globally, strengthening civil registration systems is critical for ensuring legal identity, access to services, and protection for vulnerable populations.

Our new study among Rohingya youth in refugee camps in Bangladesh found that marriage registration significantly increased the likelihood of birth registration, while child marriage and poverty remained barriers to timely documentation.

Read here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12963-026-00480-7?utm_source=rct_congratemailt&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=oa_20260602&utm_content=10.1186/s12963-026-00480-7

Background In many low- and middle-income countries, the registration of family-related vital events (marriages and births) remains incomplete, with consequences for women’s and their children’s ability to exercise fundamental rights. In humanitarian and displacement settings, the absence of doc...

06/03/2026

On 2 June, we gathered at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, DC for the North America launch of our report "Health in a World of Crises and Impunity," with a full house and a strong online audience joining from around the world.

🗣️ The discussion was as urgent as the moment demands. From the Commission's findings presented by our co-chair Paul B. Spiegel to a compelling keynote by David Miliband from the International Rescue Committee, and two panels brimming with our commissioners, Next Generation scholars, and leading practitioners — the conversation was honest, rigorous, and action-oriented.

🌍 This is only the start. We will be taking our findings to Dakar, Nairobi, Amman, Dhaka, and Bogotá in the coming weeks. Join us: https://healthconflictcommission.org/report-launch/
If you missed our event in DC, catch up below 👇

🎥 Opening, report presentation by Paul Spiegel and keynote by David Miliband: https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=ENxM7opVV-T3uCOT&v=0IHqW7Gfe6I&feature=youtu.be

🎥 Panel 1 — Commissioners and Next Generation Scholars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6085NR5aqws
🎥 Panel 2 — Expert perspectives and closing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDmpMEFfY0Yr

🙏 With thanks to our speakers and panelists: Ana Mateus Richard Horton, Daniel Maxwell, Chiara Altare, Moumini Niaoné, Dr. Joanne Liu, Jeremy Konyndyk, Valerie Nkamgang Bemo, Hibak Kalfan, Ciro Ugarte

🔗 Our full report is available at: https://healthconflictcommission.org/the-report/



Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Johns Hopkins Department of International Health

06/01/2026

Our report is out and the conversation is just beginning!

We are hosting the North America launch of "Health in a World of Crises and Impunity" in Washington, DC on June 2 — tomorrow. Featuring a keynote by David Miliband (President & CEO, International Rescue Committee), alongside our Commissioners, Next Generation Scholars, our editors from The Lancet Group and experts from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the Gates Foundation, PAHO, Refugees International, and more.

📅 Tuesday, June 2, 2026
⏰ 11:00am–1:00pm EDT, followed by a reception (1–2pm EDT)
📍 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center, Washington, DC
💻 Livestreamed — join from anywhere!

🔗 Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/health-in-a-world-of-crises-and-impunity-hybrid-4830341

🔗 Read the report: https://healthconflictcommission.org/the-report/



Johns Hopkins Department of International Health The Lancet Paul B. Spiegel
CSIS | Center for Strategic & International Studies