Since World War II, millions of people living in developing countries have died in interstate and civil wars. However, many more people have died from outbreaks of disease that resulted from conflict than actually were killed by the violence. In the recent Second Congo War and subsequent, ongoing Kivu Conflict, as many as 98.4 percent of all “unnatural” deaths have been the result of disease and famine rather than directly by war.

The links between conflict and elevated non-combat death tolls are varied, but include the destruction of sanitary infrastructure, the stress of mass refugee movements, and the psychological and physical damage from rape and forced conscription. This year’s conference will show how these factors combine to create deadly conditions during and after conflict. Undergraduates and graduates alike will benefit from this one-day conference intended to inform, inspire, and involve students from diverse academic backgrounds.

Join us in exploring these issues with Andrew Natsios, the Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from 2001-2005, and four expert panels of academics, NGO organizers, and government officials. Focused on different areas of conflict, these panels include:

1) Humanitarian Intervention: The Question of Sovereignty in Sudan
2) The Spread of Infectious Disease in the Wake of Conflict in Democratic Rep. of Congo
3) The Psychological Scars of War in Chechnya
4) Refuges and Refugees: Children in Conflict Zones in Burma

Undergraduates and graduates alike will benefit from this one-day conference intended to inform, inspire, and involve students from diverse academic backgrounds. The event is also open to faculty, staff, and community members interested in international development. Thanks to our generous sponsors, attendance at this year's conference is absolutely free!