This weekend on March 5th and 6th, the students of the University of Toronto International Health Program (UTIHP) hosted the Health and Human Rights Conference at the J.J.R. MacLeod Auditorium. Gathering a smorgasbord of scholars, professionals, thought-leaders, and concerned and socially-conscious youth, the HHRights Conference was a two day affair that sought to tackle the crucial but highly problematic issue of international aid and development. Asking hard questions about the current impact of aid, its current flaws, and potential solutions, the event generated truly thought-provoking and insightful discussions and conversations. Some highlights include:

1. Opening performance of “Broken Land – A Song for Haiti” by JC and Karim.

I have no idea who these guys are (fellow U of T students, I presume) but what a way to start the conference! A soulful performance with equally riveting lyrics that set the mood for the rest of the evening. Have a listen to the song here…

2. Opening Keynote presented by George Roter

Engineers without Borders Co-founder and Co-CEO George Roter kick started the event by sharing his experiences during his time in various African countries, drawing the link between the rather abstract theme of aid and development to its human connection. After all, as he said, the conference is “about these human beings living in extraordinarily challenging conditions who want to see change for the better”. With a brief history of the development of aid and highlighting specific thought starters, George set the context for the conference reminding the audience that “we need to go beyond the idea of charity and start thinking about [aid] as opportunity, as partnership”.

3. Panelist Andrew Pinto’s take on the question “Is Aid an Equitable & Just Tool for Advancing Health and Human Rights?”

Claiming to be the panel’s least experienced and least  versed speaker on the issue, Andrew Pinto totally underestimated and undersold himself. His skepticism of aid and outright answer of “no” to the question was refreshing to hear after the positive, albeit reluctant, outlooks of the three speakers that preceded him. He spoke eloquently and articulately about the need to trace the roots of aid and inequality in order to fully understand the topic at hand. And though he often spoke of his being a student as a slight against him, it was he, and not the “more experienced” panelists, who was best able to answer most of the questions posed by the attendees.

3. Day 2 Opening Keynote presented by Ben Peterson

Speaking of the importance of the media in advancing human rights awareness, Ben Peterson of jhr (Journalists for Human Rights) started off the very early morning with energy and enthusiasm. Unfortunately, I might be biased in my assessment especially since I work with the man. Nevertheless, Ben covered essential topics that are often overlooked in the discussion of aid and development.

4. NGO Networking Fair

Buzzing with various NGOs like that of TakingITGlobal, Journalists for Human Rights, Partners in Health, Save the Children, Dignitas International, and Doctors without Borders, the NGO Networking Fair gave attendees the opportunity to find out more about the various organizations seeking to make a change and how they can get involved.

5. Panelist Jason Saul on Reinventing Aid and as Workshop Facilitator of Social Entrepreneurship

Quite possibly the best and most engaging speaker of the entire conference, Jason Saul, Founder and CEO of Mission Measurement, addressed the possibility of harnessing the power of the business sector to solve social problems. His talk and his workshop proposed tangible and realistic solutions to the problem that speakers and attendees had been grappling with the whole two days. He discussed the need for non-profits to adapt a business model and the need to develop an efficient metric system that would measure the effectiveness of foreign aid. Saul spoke with a clarity that clearly distinguished the critical difference between doing good and actually solving social problems.

All in all, the HHRights Conference was a tremendous success. To have so many students (a few hundreds by my estimate) attend on a weekend during a time when finals are just about to ruin our lives is truly a feat that the organizers ought to be  proud of. With so many socially conscious, driven, and truly concerned youth, the conference was a hotbed for ideas, conversation, and optimism…

This entry was posted on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 10:05 am and is filed under Events, On Campus, Philanthropy, Politics, We've Got Issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.