Hosts: Brazil and International Committee of the Red Cross
Short title: Humanitarian action in peacetime: the ICRC’s “Rio Project”
Languages: English, Portuguese
Where: room 15
Description:
The event will aim at presenting an account of the pilot project developed by the ICRC in seven favelas in Rio de Janeiro from 2009 to 2013, as well as at assessing its results. Presentations will cover the specificities of humanitarian action in situations which do not constitute an armed conflict and where a fully-functioning government structure is in place. In such circumstances, the ICRC acts in support of local authorities, rather than attempting to substitute them in the provision of basic services.
The challenges posed by urban violence to public security, health assistance and access to education services will also be examined, and the measures taken to address them in the context of the “Rio Project” will be scrutinized. The outcome of the project will be assessed by both the Brazilian Government and the ICRC, and lessons will be drawn for other countries which face similar challenges and are interested in making use of the project’s toolkit to address them.
Panelists:
- Paulo Roberto Maldos, National Secretary for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights of Brazil (tbc);
- Stephan Sakalian, former Head of the Rio Project (tbc);
Local authorities directly involved with the Rio Project (tbc).