Recent Terror Attacks – November 2015
Last Friday, a string of terror attacks took place across Paris, killing more than 130 people on a warm, lively Friday evening. The day before, a double suicide bomb attack killed more than 40 people and wounded 200 more in a market in South Beirut. These attacks happened the same week as a bomb at a funeral in Baghdad killed 18 and a Russian airliner killed 224 on board after crashing near Sinai, Egypt.
With what feels like increasing frequency, more and more attacks on human life are taking place all over the world. What can or should philanthropy do in response to attacks like what has happened in the last week?
PHILANTHROPY’S RESPONSE
Following Friday’s attacks in Paris, the Council’s President and CEO Vikki Spruill spoke with the Director General of the Fondation de France, Francis Charhon, about the Council’s solidarity with the French philanthropic community. They discussed sharing information in coming days and providing updates to their respective communities as the situation develops. View the statement from the U.S.-based Friends of Fondation de France and learn how you might contribute to their efforts. Council staff have also been in touch with our other Council member in Paris, the Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme.
Our thoughts are also with all of our members working in countries and communities directly impacted by violence, all over the world. Alongside partners like the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, the Council is tracking how and where philanthropy is responding to these attacks, and we will share what we find with our members.
YOUR RESPONSE
We ask any and all members responding to these attacks to reach out to the Council, as we work to share with our membership how funders from around the world are playing important role as members of civil society, despite increasing instability and terrorism.
RESOURCES
In the meantime, we want to share the following resources, which provide some broad background on the recent attacks:
- If members want to support victims of recent attacks directly, several global organizations are supporting victims and survivors:
- Violence in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan have contributed to a growing refugee crisis over the last two years. The Council recently partnered with the Center for Disaster Philanthropy to help funders understand this crisis and determine how they can best respond.
- The Council’s Resource Page on the European Refugee Crisis
- The issues at play are complex. I know that our members have many different ways of gathering information, but here are some pieces I have found informative.
- 18 Things About ISIS You Need to Know - VOX.com
- What ISIS Really Wants by Graeme Wood – The Atlantic
- The Empathy Gap Between Paris and Beirut by David Graham – The Atlantic
- Words Matter in “Isis” War, so use “Daesh” by Zeba Kahn – Boston Globe
**By listing these pieces, I am not endorsing the content. I’d appreciate you sharing intellectual resources you’ve found helpful with the Open Philanthropy Exchange Group. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly at Natalie.ross@cof.org.
Natalie Ross is the Member Relations Director for Global Philanthropy at the Council on Foundations.
