Médecins du Monde
Encyclopedia
Médecins du Monde or Doctors of the World, is a non-governmental humanitarian aid organisation
created in March 1980 by 15 French doctors, including Bernard Kouchner
after he had left Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF, Doctors Without Borders), the aid society which he had co-founded earlier in 1971. The impetus for the foundation of MDM was Kouchner's split with MSF over certain aspects of MSF's policies. For example, he felt that MSF was giving up its founding principle of témoignage ("witnessing"), which refers to aid workers making the atrocities they observe known to the public. While MSF still practices this principle under certain conditions, the organization has moved closer to a more neutral approach as a consequence of experiences from the genocide in Rwanda
in 1994. In contrast to that shift in MSF's policy, MDM maintains that humanitarian aid cannot be separated from politics, lest the aid become misused by politicians (e.g. by sending bombs, and then doctors). Another reason for Kouchner's split with MSF was an aid mission for Vietnam
ese boat people
organized and led by Kouchner in 1980. While the mission was later considered to be successful, it was seen as a single-handed operation and not supported by the majority of MSF's leadership back then.
(founded 1995 by Elena Theoharous
), Argentina
(founded 1998), Belgium, Canada and Portugal (all founded in 1999), as well as four bureaus in Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan and the Netherlands. The international secretariat as the headquarters of the organization is situated in Paris, France. The leading body of the international network is the International Executive Committee consisting of four presidents, who are elected for a period of two years by the International Board of Directors consisting of the presidents of the eleven national associations.
On February 23, 2009, Doctors of the World-USA officially changed its name to HealthRight International
.
region of Ethiopia
.
Humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity...
created in March 1980 by 15 French doctors, including Bernard Kouchner
Bernard Kouchner
Bernard Kouchner is a French politician, diplomat, and doctor. He is co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières and Médecins du Monde...
after he had left Médecins Sans Frontières
Médecins Sans Frontières
' , or Doctors Without Borders, is a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland...
(MSF, Doctors Without Borders), the aid society which he had co-founded earlier in 1971. The impetus for the foundation of MDM was Kouchner's split with MSF over certain aspects of MSF's policies. For example, he felt that MSF was giving up its founding principle of témoignage ("witnessing"), which refers to aid workers making the atrocities they observe known to the public. While MSF still practices this principle under certain conditions, the organization has moved closer to a more neutral approach as a consequence of experiences from the genocide in Rwanda
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
in 1994. In contrast to that shift in MSF's policy, MDM maintains that humanitarian aid cannot be separated from politics, lest the aid become misused by politicians (e.g. by sending bombs, and then doctors). Another reason for Kouchner's split with MSF was an aid mission for Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese boat people
Boat people
Boat people is a term that usually refers to refugees, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers who emigrate in numbers in boats that are sometimes old and crudely made...
organized and led by Kouchner in 1980. While the mission was later considered to be successful, it was seen as a single-handed operation and not supported by the majority of MSF's leadership back then.
History
Kouchner was president of MDM from 1980 to 1982. In 1989, the foundation of a second national MDM association in Spain paved the way for the creation of the international network of MDM. The MDM association in the United States founded in 1990 was the first non-European association. Currently, the international network of MDM consists of eleven associations; they are in France (founded 1980), Spain (founded 1989), Greece (founded 1990), Italy and Switzerland (both founded 1993), Sweden (founded 1994), CyprusCyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
(founded 1995 by Elena Theoharous
Elena Theoharous
Dr Elena Theoharous is a pediatric surgeon, a member of the House of Representatives of Cyprus for the Limassol District, a member of the Democratic Rally, and is the founder of the Cyprus chapter of Médecins du Monde...
), Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
(founded 1998), Belgium, Canada and Portugal (all founded in 1999), as well as four bureaus in Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan and the Netherlands. The international secretariat as the headquarters of the organization is situated in Paris, France. The leading body of the international network is the International Executive Committee consisting of four presidents, who are elected for a period of two years by the International Board of Directors consisting of the presidents of the eleven national associations.
On February 23, 2009, Doctors of the World-USA officially changed its name to HealthRight International
HealthRight International
HealthRight International is a global health and human rights organization that works to build lasting access to health for excluded communities. HealthRight was founded in 1990 by pioneering physician and human rights advocate Dr. Jonathan Mann, who championed the principle that health is a human...
.
Operations
MDM has been involved in about 300 projects in more than 80 countries. In contrast to MSF, which primarily focuses its work on emergency aid work, MDM is equally active in short-term emergency aid, reconstruction and rehabilitation aid as well as long-term development projects for a period of up to three years. MDM has around 7,000 members worldwide, around 360 paid staff members and about 6,700 volunteers, about 1,200 of them working on-site in the projects of the organization. The income in 2003 was about 43.6 million euros, of which about two-thirds came from private donations and one-third from public sources. Of these funds, about 41.6 million euros were spent for its work.Incidents
In September 2008, two MDM workers were kidnapped in the OgadenOgaden
Ogaden is the name of a territory comprising the southeastern portion of the Somali Regional State in Ethiopia. The inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Somali and Muslim. The title "Somali Galbeed", which means "Western Somalia," is often preferred by Somali irredentists.The region, which is...
region of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
.
External links
- Médecins du Monde MDM Official website (French)
- Médecins du Monde International website (English/ French)
- Ärzte der Welt Ärzte der Welt/Médecins du Monde (Deutsch)
- Médecins du Monde UK Médecins du Monde UK (English)
- Médecins du Monde Be Médecins du Monde Belgium (French)
- Dokters van de Wereld Be Dokters van de Wereld Belgium (Dutch)
- HealthRight International HealthRight International, formerly Doctors of the World-USA, official website (English)