Event | Responding to Conflict: International Efforts to Increase Civilian Surge Capacity

On March 19th, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Washington Roundtable will discuss “Responding to Conflict: International Efforts to Increase Civilian Surge Capacity.”

When violent conflicts arise or as they begin to be resolved, the international community is called upon to help stabilize and then reconstruct the afflicted countries. In such settings, bilateral and multilateral agencies as well as non-governmental organizations must deliver comprehensive political, economic and social assistance rapidly and effectively. That is why these international actors in recent years have been developing civilian “surge capacities” for their operations in stabilization and reconstruction. Our Roundtable will assess how these international efforts on conflict-related surge capacity are progressing. How do the initiatives streamline the policies and procedures governing these operations? How do they increase the personnel and resources for stabilization and reconstruction? And how do the new surge capacities improve coordination and cooperation among international actors (including multinational military forces involved in peacekeeping and peacebuilding)? Our Roundtable will feature Janthomas Hiemstra, Manager of the SURGE Project in UNDP’s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery; Linda Poteat, Director of Disaster Responses at InterAction; and Gary Russell, Director of the Inter-Agency Civilian Reserve Task Force in the State Department’s Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization. The Roundtable will take place from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. at the University of California’s Washington Center. The Center is located at 1608 Rhode Island Avenue, NW (between 16th and 17th Streets). Lunch will be served. Please RSVP by Monday, March 17, by sending an email to wdc.events@undp.org. And please feel free to pass on this invitation to your colleagues.