With urgent humanitarian crises invariably arising in post-conflict situations around the world, as well as natural disasters, the United Nations has proved its capacity to provide and to coordinate humanitarian assistance and channel support from donors for immediate relief and long-term recovery, working with Member States and with civil society.

The UN Chronicle has regularly featured such humanitarian work of the United Nations and the expectations thinking observers have of its role in this particular area. The following articles, selected from past issues, give an idea of the scope of the humanitarian efforts of the entire UN system:

Issue 4, 2002

• “Humanitarian Security and Environmental Sustainability”
  by Rustem Ertegun for the UN Chronicle.

Issue 3, 2002

• “Addressing Gender-based Violence: ‘If Not Now, When?’”
  by Herminia Roque for the UN Chronicle.

Issue 2, 2002

• “Refugees and Mental Health”
  by Richard Mollica, Director of the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma (HPRT) at Massachusetts General Hospital and by Laura McDonald, research assistant at HPRT.

Issue 4, 2001

• “The Security Council, Human Rights and Humanitarian Issues”
  by Bertrand Ramcharan, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Issue 1, 2001

• “Restoring Property Rights in Kosovo:
  Post-conflict Disaster Management”
  by Daniel Lewis, Chief Technical Adviser and Executive Director of the Housing and Property Directorate in Kosovo.

Issue 4, 2000

• “When Disaster Strikes”
  
  
• “In Emergency Call: (41 22) 917-2010”
  
  
• “The Risk of Competing Risks”
  

Issue 4, 1999

• “Dealing with Natural Disasters:
  In the Space of a Second”
  by Walter Balzan, Permanent Representative of Malta to the United Nations.

Issue 2, 1999

• “Post-Conflict Programming: Feelings Fatigue?”
  by Ilene Cohn, Visiting Fellow, Human Rights Program, Harvard Law School.
  
  
• “Refugee at Home”
  by Roberta Cohen, Co-Director of the Brookings Institution Project on Internal Displacement.
  
  
• “The Chronicle Interview", with Philip Bloomer
  by Russell Taylor for the UN Chronicle.

These stories and more can be found at UN Chronicle Online at www.un.org/chronicle.

The UN Chronicle print edition is published by the United Nations Department of Public Information in English and French, and co-published in Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish. It is not an official record; the views expressed in individual articles do not necessarily imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.

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