Videos by Unni Karunakara
I offer my opinions on the pandemic treaty and outline why it won't be able to help address defic... more I offer my opinions on the pandemic treaty and outline why it won't be able to help address deficiencies in global solidarity, and improve access to essential lifesaving medicines, vaccines, and tools. 1 views
Papers by Unni Karunakara
Disasters, 2024
Public discourse is rich in meaning, reflecting consensus, dissent, and change. Yet, very little ... more Public discourse is rich in meaning, reflecting consensus, dissent, and change. Yet, very little public discourse on the humanitarian sector has been authored by aid workers themselves. We conducted a thematic analysis of the ‘Secret Aid Worker’ (SAW) series, published in The Guardian newspaper between 2015 and 2018, the only corpus of data on humanitarian life experiences publicly accessible through mainstream media. Our research questions were twofold: how did authors frame their work and appraise humanitarian structures?; and how did they reflect and amplify humanitarian issues of the time? The main themes included: personal challenges of humanitarian life; characterisation of stakeholders; and systemic issues within the humanitarian sector. The SAW narratives reveal a powerful discourse of discontent. They planted seeds of change regarding shifting power, coloniality and racism, sexual abuse, and duty of care. We argue that such public discourse has symbolic power, calling for greater accountability, equity, and justice in remaking the future of the humanitarian sector.
Chronique ONU, 2016
Le systeme d’aide humanitaire fait-il ce qu’il faut ? Et le fait-il bien ? Les donnees peuvent-el... more Le systeme d’aide humanitaire fait-il ce qu’il faut ? Et le fait-il bien ? Les donnees peuvent-elles contribuer a rendre l’aide humanitaire plus efficace ? A premiere vue, ces questions semblent superflues. On pourrait supposer que des donnees plus completes auraient pour effet d’ameliorer la fourniture de l’aide humanitaire. Peut-etre, mais rien n’est moins sur : un plus grand nombre de donnees ne se traduit pas necessairement par une action humanitaire plus efficace ni par une meilleure qualite des services.
Revista Da Sociedade Brasileira De Medicina Tropical, Jun 1, 2008
Trypanosoma cruzi infection is often not detected early on or actively diagnosed, partly because ... more Trypanosoma cruzi infection is often not detected early on or actively diagnosed, partly because most infected individuals are either asymptomatic or oligosymptomatic. Moreover, in most places, neither blood banks nor healthcare units offer diagnostic confirmation or treatment access. By the time patients present clinical manifestations of advanced chronic Chagas disease, specific treatment with current drugs usually has limited effectiveness. Better-quality serological assays are urgently needed, especially rapid diagnostic tests for diagnosis patients in both acute and chronic phases, as well as for confirming that a parasitological cure has been achieved. Some new antigen combinations look promising and it is important to assess which ones are potentially the best, together with their requirements in terms of investigation and development. In August 2007, a group of specialized researchers and healthcare professionals met to discuss the state of Chagas infection diagnosis and to build a consensus for a plan of action to develop efficient, affordable, accessible and easy-to-use diagnostic tests for Chagas disease. This technical report presents the conclusions from that meeting.
Bulletin of The World Health Organization, 2006
Open data and data sharing are essen-tial for maximizing the benefits that can be obtained from i... more Open data and data sharing are essen-tial for maximizing the benefits that can be obtained from institutional and research datasets [1]. In 2012, the medical human-
An Interview with Anna Pierobon and Pranav Sharma Providence, RI, 23 February 2015 "The ... more An Interview with Anna Pierobon and Pranav Sharma Providence, RI, 23 February 2015 "The practice of health cannot just be biomedical in its approach. It has to take into account local beliefs and customs, but more than that, the economic, political, and social realities of communities. Humani- tarian medicine is political medicine. It is not politics with a capital “P” but rather one encompassing a firm advocacy for and solidarity with people going through difficult times, and the consistent belief that people should be provided with good quality, effective medical care. "
This is the second of three articles in the November 2007 issue on developing new drug treatments... more This is the second of three articles in the November 2007 issue on developing new drug treatments for tuberculosis.
Bulletin of The World Health Organization, 2006
UN Chronicle, 2016
Is the humanitarian aid system doing the right things? And, is it doing the right things right? C... more Is the humanitarian aid system doing the right things? And, is it doing the right things right? Can data help increase the effectiveness of humanitarian aid? On the face of it, these questions seem redundant. One would assume that improved data would surely result in more effective humanitarian aid delivery. The answer, however, is “maybe” at best: more data does not always translate into better humanitarian action or quality of care.
In times of humanitarian crises and complex emergencies, our TV screens and mailboxes fill up wit... more In times of humanitarian crises and complex emergencies, our TV screens and mailboxes fill up with funding appeals. Charities raising funds to respond to emergencies tend to rely on images of malnourished babies and winsome children to raise funds. There is something about threats to the very young that awakens the protector in all of us. This focus on the very young is perhaps a natural reflex, yet we mustn't allow it to blind us to the needs of older people. As a doctor and a humanitarian worker, I want to challenge our sense that when emergencies arise, we should always focus first on the needs of the very young. At the heart of humanitarianism are the principles of humanity and impartiality—the belief that all human beings deserve a life of dignity, and that all have equal value. It would run counter to these principles to exclude someone on the grounds of nationality, religion, politics or gender. I believe it is time we add to this list, asserting that it also violates the...
Anthropology & Aging, 2015
Adapted from Keynote Address at the Association for Anthropology and Gerontology conference, Flor... more Adapted from Keynote Address at the Association for Anthropology and Gerontology conference, Florida International University, Miami. February 7, 2015. An earlier version of this paper titled “Humanitarian assistance for older people: does it matter?” (June 2012) was presented to Doctors Without Borders for discussion, and later published in PLoS Medicine (December 2012; 9(12):e1001357) as “Ending Neglect of Older People in the Response to Humanitarian Emergencies.”1
Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical, 2005
BMC psychiatry, Jan 25, 2004
Political instability and the civil war in Southern Sudan have resulted in numerous atrocities, m... more Political instability and the civil war in Southern Sudan have resulted in numerous atrocities, mass violence, and forced migration for vast parts of the civilian population in the West Nile region. High exposure to traumatic experiences has been particularly prominent in the Ugandan and Sudanese of the West Nile Region, representing an indication of the psychological strain posed by years of armed conflict. In this study the impact of traumatic events on the prevalence and severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a random sample of 3.339 Ugandan nationals, Sudanese nationals, and Sudanese refugees (1.831 households) of the West Nile region is assessed. Results show a positive correlation between the number of traumatic events and the number of endorsed PTSD symptoms. Of the 58 respondents who experienced the greatest number of traumatizing experiences, all reported symptoms which met the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD. There is a clear dose-effect relationship between traumati...
The Lancet Global Health, 2014
PLoS Medicine, 2012
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Videos by Unni Karunakara
Papers by Unni Karunakara
But many dedicated individuals and international organizations have taken up the cause of providing health care and reducing miseries inside war zones.
One of them is Dr. Unni Karunakara, former International President of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Since 1995, he has been dedicating his passion and commitment to the organization, known as Doctors without Borders, in Afghanistan, Somalia and a number of other locations. He was recently in Beijing where he shared his incredible journeys with CGTN.
“In a globally interconnected world, we need an organization with the mandate of WHO to be able to kind of set global norms and standards,” said Karunakara during a conversation with Devex. A critic of the new Health Emergencies Programme, created by the agency in 2016 to develop its operational capacities, he urged the incoming WHO director-general to preserve its core activities and programs amid a difficult funding climate.
Providence, RI, 23 February 2015
"The practice of health cannot just be biomedical in its approach. It has to take into account local beliefs and customs, but more than that, the economic, political, and social realities of communities. Humani- tarian medicine is political medicine. It is not politics with a capital “P” but rather one encompassing a firm advocacy for and solidarity with people going through difficult times, and the consistent belief that people should be provided with good quality, effective medical care. "
Data from a single-round survey conducted by the Demography of Forced Migration Project was used to examine the impact of forced migration on population structure, household composition and fertility. Three population groups — Sudanese refugees, Sudanese stayees and Ugandan nationals — were surveyed between 1 November 1999 and 4 March 2000. 2,521 women and 818 men from 1,831 households were interviewed in Lugbara and Arabic using structured questionnaires.
Analyses of household data show evidence of demographic distortion. Refugee households were older than stayee households with more than half of the household members between ages 15 and 64. Sudanese stayees had the highest dependency ratio with more than half the population below age 15. Female headship of households is higher among the Sudanese groups and highest among stayees. Low parental survival among the Sudanese has resulted in high rates of fosterhood and orphanhood, especially among Sudanese stayees.
Logistic regression analysis shows that fertility is robust to experiences of forced migration or violence. Family separation, experience of child death and reduced access to food showed significant associations to fertility outcomes. Methodologically, the results of the study indicate a tendency for the truncated birth history approach to underestimate fertility levels. A full birth history is therefore recommended for the estimation of fertility. Alternatively, a less biased and current estimate of the General Fertility Rate maybe be obtained from the percentage of women currently pregnant.
Refugees continue to experience high levels of violence and post-traumatic stress in exile. A majority of the women perceived threats from security officials and settlement employees. The physical and mental security of refugees should therefore be a priority for policy makers as well as humanitarian agencies.
My thesis adviser was Professor Kenneth Hill. Thesis readers were Professors Nan Astone, Gilbert Burnham, Jacquelyn Campbell and Robert Lawrence.
some of the world’s greatest scourges are at risk of going
into reverse as donor nations cut back on funding essential
programmes. Governments need to act to ensure money is
made available and that generic drug production is protected.
As the research findings attest, the promotion of social justice for refugees can range from offering humanitarian assistance, to diverse acts of advocacy, activism, and solidarity, all within political and social contexts that are often compromised and precarious. The findings also evidence a disconnect between what policy makers and practitioners assume that ‘refugees need’ and what different groups of refugees themselves consider to be essential requirements, as prerequisites to dignity and justice. The report presents and analyses these findings, tracing the implications of this project for future research in this field, and laying the foundations for a Policy Brief that will be published in 2020.
A session Monday sponsored by the Geneva Global Health Hub (G2H2) brought leading CSOs, diplomats, academics and even WHO’s chief legal counsel face to face to air those views, in the context of a research initiative on the treaty being undertaken by the hub.