A World in Humanitarian Crisis: Forced Mobility and Organized Crime in Latin America

This event was conducted in Spanish. English language captions are available for this video.

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences partnered with El Colegio de México to convene a policy forum on the challenges of delivering humanitarian health services to migrants in areas affected by political and criminal violence in Latin America. The event convened academics, scholars, policy-makers, and practitioners in person in Mexico City at El Colegio de México.

The conversation began with remarks by Academy President David Oxtoby and El Colegio de México President Silvia Giorguli, followed by two panels moderated by Giorguli and Academy member Jaime Sepúlveda. Panelists emphasized that organized crime and violence against migrants continue to challenge efforts to improve processes to provide humanitarian aid for migrants, especially due to inadequate government policies and resources. Panelists also discussed climate change-driven natural disasters, natural resources management, and agricultural decline as drivers of forced migration.

The discussion drew upon Delivering Humanitarian Health Services in Violent Conflicts, the Spring 2023 issue of Daedalus, the journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The open access publication is a product of the Academy’s project on Rethinking the Humanitarian Health Response to Violent Conflict. The publication and project are led by Jaime Sepúlveda (University of California, San Francisco), Jennifer M. Welsh (McGill University), and Paul H. Wise (Stanford University).

The event program is available here.

Learn more about the Academy's project on Rethinking the Humanitarian Health Response to Violent Conflict.