Today George Stephanopoulos moderated a great panel on “Leadership and Jobs to Overcome Humanitarian Crisis.” The panel featured President René Préval of the Republic of Haiti, Hany El Banna; President of Islamic Relief; Dr. Helen Gayle, President & CEO of CARE USA; George Rupp, President of the International Rescue Committee; and Rhonda Zygochi, VP of Health, Environment and Safety, ChevronTexaco.

While I was unfortunately unable to stay for the entire discussion, what I heard was really fascinating. The discussion primarily focused on shifting from a primary focus on immediate relief efforts, to building long-term infrastructure and capacity in the wake of natural disasters.

President René Préval spoke at length about models of dealing with disaster relief in Haiti. George Rupp talked about some of IRC’s work in Afghanistan and elsewhere and repeatedly made the point that community-driven reconstruction is the key to long-term rehabilitation efforts in traumatized regions. By empowering citizens to reconstruct through their own volition, communities will often feel a sense of “fierce pride and ownership” as Rupp put it, to sustain these efforts. Decentralizing reconstruction work can also reinforce stability over the long-term.

Dr. Helene Gayle reiterated these points, stressing the need to think beyond immediate relief work, which often gets the most press and attention. She also noted that, through her experience, paying equal attention to pre- and post-disaster phases is sometimes the best way to “build back better” after a crisis.

George Stephanopoulos and President René Préval

-Chris Scott