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. For example, 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 attempt to show how these factors combine to create deadly conditions during and after conflict.

Speakers and panelists from a wide variety of backgrounds, including academia, NGOs, and government and including doctors, political scientists, and humanitarian workers, will discuss health and humanitarian issues stemming from conflict. What can be done to prevent the outbreak of infectious disease after conflict? What effects does forced migration have on refugees, particularly on children? What are the psychological effects of living in a war zone? When, if ever, should the global community intervene in a country that is unable to, or refuses to, help its citizens survive during and after conflict?