Protecting Children in Natural Disasters and Humanitarian Crises

Hugh Parmer

President, American Refugee Committee

Thursday, September 28, 2006

12:00 - 1:00 P.M.

Faegre & Benson LLP

The Century Room

2200 Wells Fargo Center ■ 90 South Seventh Street ■ Minneapolis, MN 55402

The mission of the American Refugee Committee (ARC) is to work with refugees, displaced people, and those at risk to help them survive crises and rebuild lives of dignity, health, security and self-sufficiency. Presently ARC is working in 10 countries around the world helping victims of war and civil conflict. ARC programs in Africa, the Balkans, and Asia annually provide health care, clean water, shelter repair, legal aid, trauma counseling, microcredit, community development services, and repatriation assistance to more than one million people. ARC bases its relationship with uprooted peoples on mutual respect and a compassionate exchange of knowledge and value.

Biographic Information

Hugh Q. Parmer became president of American Refugee Committee in February of 2002. He is a former top official of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), having served as assistant administrator of USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Response from 1998 to 2001. Appointed by President Clinton, he led major humanitarian relief operations during the war in Kosovo, Hurricane Mitch in Honduras and Nicaragua, and famine in Ethiopia and Eritrea.  He was majority leader, president pro temp and member of the Texas State Senate from 1982 to 1991. Highlights of his service included authoring the Texas Omnibus Hunger Relief Act of 1985, the first major hunger relief legislation passed at state level in the United States. He has also worked in the private sector, serving as managing shareholder in the law firm of Parmer, Archer, Young & Steen from 1991 to 1998 and president of Parmer Marketing Company from 1969 to 1988.

Please RSVP to Min Chong at Minnesota Advocates by noon on Tuesday, September 26
(612) 341-3302 ext. 115 or mchong@mnadvocates.org.
Lunch will be provided for those who RSVP. Application will be made for one CLE credit.

The bi-monthly Children's Human Rights Speaker Series will be held throughout 2006 and 2007.

Lectures are free and open to the public (registration required).