Relief and research
With war raging in Syria, refugees suffering in South Sudan, and other trouble spots boiling around the world, Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, visited Harvard this week to talk with faculty at the School of Public Health and the Kennedy School about potential collaborations to help the ICRC in its humanitarian-assistance mission. The Gazette sat down with Maurer to talk about his goals for the visit and to get his thoughts on the world’s most urgent crises. GAZETTE: What brings you to Harvard — what are you hoping to accomplish? MAURER: In my former position as a Swiss diplomat, I worked with the School of Public Health and with the Kennedy School, so I’m coming back now as president of ICRC and because I learned [how] important the collaboration between diplomacy practice and the research community is. This is, of course, an enormous opportunity for...