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—
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
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.
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.
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