UCD Centre for Humanitarian Action
The UCD Centre for Humanitarian Action (UCD CHA) is an internationally recognised platform of excellence for humanitarian research and education.
"all students should have the competencies to ‘inform an opinion’ of today's crises."
Humanitarian needs have reached unprecedented levels. We are increasingly aware of crises of various types, including natural disasters, political conflicts, and technological crises. The conflicts in Sudan, Palestine, Ukraine, the impact of climate change globally, increasing dependence on technological advances with their associated risks, and the growing numbers of displaced persons seeking refuge and/ or a better quality of life pose an existential risk to communities, societies, and ever-increasing populations across our planet.
How should one react to crises? A cursory review of expert advice ranges from calls to protest in solidarity with victims to relative disinterest in the belief that one cannot influence these crises. An academic analysis might lead one down several diverging paths, including legal, political, public health, social anthropology, environmental, or maybe economic/ management direction(s). Our sister schools and colleges at UCD are increasingly building their expertise to contribute to global education and research on crises and related issues.
Whatever your areas of study at UCD, we at the UCD CHA believe that all students should have the competencies to ‘inform an opinion’ of today's crises. We have a range of programmes from the Structured PhD Programme for scholars who wish to contribute to humanitarian knowledge to the Introduction of Humanitarian Action for students who wish to gain the competencies to have informed opinions on contemporary crises.
In the mantra of John Henry Newman – the founder of UCD – students should encounter more than one discipline as essential to their intellectual formation journey. In this same vein, the UCD Centre for Humanitarian Action's transdisciplinary philosophy aligns with Newman’s in advocating for a university that encourages students from different disciplines to consider solutions to common societal problems.
