July 1, 2009 Panel Event- Dilemma for US NGOs: Counterterrorism Laws vs. the Humanitarian Imperative

Printer-friendly version

The legal constraints national security laws impose of U.S. charitable organizations cause tensions with international law and codes for humanitarian aid and development programs. The standards and principles expressed in the Geneva Conventions and International Red Cross Code of Conduct could be emulated by the U.S and incorporated into future polices.

This panel discussion featured NGO leaders and experts from the U.S. who shared their expertise on humanitarian codes, charitable groups and donors affected by U.S. laws and regulations.

---Summary of July 1, 2009 panel discussion---

---Click on the speaker's name to listen to their presentation---
---A transcript of the event is available here---
 
Opening Remarks: Kay Guinane, Program Manager, Charity and Security Network

Speakers:
Brian Majewski, Partner, Global Emergency Group (Powerpoint presentation)
Charles Swift, Partner, Swift and McDonald, counsel to Muslim Legal Foundation of American, counsel in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld  and US v. Hamdan (Powerpoint presentation)
Jennifer Turner, Human Rights Researcher, ACLU Human Rights Program, author of Blocking Faith, Freezing Charity: Chilling Muslim Charitable Giving in the “War on Terrorism Financing"
Mohammed Alomari, Chief Operating Officer, Life for Relief & Development
Jan Lane, Policy Advisor and Senior Fellow, Homeland Security Policy Institute, George Washington University
 
Click hear to listen to the Question and Answer section.
 
Additional Information about the speakers:
 
Mohammed Alomari is Chief Operating Officer for Life for Relief and Development, a Michigan-based American Muslim charity. Mohammed has worked in the Information Technology field for 15 years and in the non-profit sector for the last seven years. During that time, he has traveled extensively to Iraq and the Middle East since 2003 and seen first-hand the humanitarian work in the field. He has a Bachelor’s Degree with a double major in Arabic Studies and Computer Science. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Management Information Systems, and is currently working on his Juris Doctorate degree. 

Jan Lane currently serves as Policy Advisor of the Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI), of the George Washington University, following her tenure as Deputy Director from 2006 to February 2009. Prior to joining HSPI, Jan was Vice President of Public Policy and Strategic Partnerships for the American Red Cross, and led the organization’s government relations efforts during some of its most challenging times, including the response to September 11th; the 2005 Tsunami; Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; and the interaction with FDA and Congress regarding blood safety issues. As Vice President she was responsible for the legislative and regulatory initiatives spanning all lines of service (Disaster, International Services, Biomedical Services, Health & Safety and Service to the Armed Forces). 
 
Brian Majewski is a founding partner and manager of strategic consulting at the Global Emergency Group. He has 14 years of experience working in the international humanitarian sector on policy and programmatic issues. From 2001-2008 Brian served as the Senior Director for International Policy and Relations managing issues and relationships with an emphasis on multilateral coordination, international humanitarian law and programmatic policy and advocacy initiatives including emerging US anti-terrorism laws. In 2005 and 2006 Brian served as an expert member of the US Government and American Red Cross delegations at international conferences organized to negotiate and adopt the Third Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions. He has also served as an expert adviser to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies delegation in New York during the UN General Assembly and the Economic and Social Commission meetings.
 
Charles Swift is partner at Swift & McDonald, P.S. Charles retired from active service in the United States Navy on August 31, 2007 as a Lieutenant Commander in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Prior to retirement, Swift gained national attention, when after being assigned as a defense counsel in the Office of the Chief Defense Counsel in the Department of Defense Office of Military Commissions and detailed to represent Salim Ahmed Hamdan, he refused to attempt to persuade his client to plead guilty. Instead, Swift persuaded his client, Hamdan, to permit Swift to serve as his “next friend” and file a habeas corpus action on Hamdan’s behalf challenging his detention and trial, an action that ultimately culminated in the landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court inHamdan v. Rumsfeld. His dedication to preservation of the rule of law in the War on Terrorism has been recognized with the Medal of Liberty presented by the American Civil Liberties Union in 2005 and selection as runner-up for “Lawyer of the Year” by the National Law Journal in 2005. In 2006 Lieutenant Commander Swift was named as one of the 100 most influential Lawyers in America.
 
Jennifer Turner is the Human Rights Researcher in the ACLU’s Human Rights Program. Jennifer conducts documentation research and advocacy on human rights violations in the U.S., with a focus on national security, women’s rights, children’s rights and immigrants’ rights. She also carries out advocacy before the U.N. Human Rights Council and human rights treaty monitoring bodies, and has monitored military commission hearings at Guantánamo Bay. Prior to joining the ACLU, Jennifer was a fellow in the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch, where she researched and reported on abuses against Asian migrant domestic workers in the Middle East. She has also worked in the asylum program of Human Rights First assisting refugees seeking asylum in the U.S. to obtain pro bono legal representation. Jennifer is a graduate of Yale University and New York University Law School.