Throughout the year, the association arranges events and meetings to facilitate thinking, discussion and decision-making:
Association members click here for upcoming events
Associative Debates
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Field Associative debates
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MSF UK Association weekend
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MSF UK Discussion evenings
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MSF UK Operational updates
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MSF UK Pub evenings
Field Associative Debates (FADs)
FADs are important in the associative life of MSF:
- Our Board members attend Field Associative Debates and report back to the Association to facilitate the flow of opinions and ideas between the projects and the Association.
- To welcome national staff into the association and to allow for reflection on the objectives and the great debates of the Association from the members that work in the field and are naturally more preoccupied with their daily work.
FADs are two-day meetings, involving all national and international staff of all sections active in a country or region.
- On the first day, the sections meet in separate sessions and discuss issues directly related to their work and context.
- The second day is a joint session of all MSF sections active in the country and is dedicated to one or more issues that will also be addressed at the General Assemblies. The feedback is channelled back to the sections through the International Council.
For Association members only click on the links below for:
MSF UK Association weekend
The Association weekend is an opportunity for you to talk through MSF related issues that are important to you in a smaller group than at the General Assembly, as well as spend a relaxing weekend together in the countryside.
- On Friday, we decide on the final program for the Saturday. The range of topics is endless; they can be medical, operational, about reasons for joining MSF to questioning how MSF works in this changing world.
- Saturday's discussion and debate is balanced with enjoying the surrounding area - walking and talking through the fields to the local pub.
MSF UK Discussion Evenings
To encourage thinking and debate around specific issues of interest to humanitarian action and public health, MSF UK launched its discussion evenings. One of the principal aims of the discussion evenings is to confront MSF with issues with which it is less familiar and open it to opinions from a range of different organisations - speakers and participants typically come from other NGOs, government agencies, academia and think tanks.
Some discussion evenings focus on issues MSF is relatively familiar with and on which we have a clear position. For example:
- Operational Models in October 2007
- Nutrition in February 2008
Many others, however, are more complex and less well understood by us and may present more of a challenge to MSF:
- Climate Change and Humanitarian Action in December 2007, and
- Increasing prominence of Private Security Companies in hyper-insecure contexts in April 2008
Follow-up to the discussion evenings includes the publication of Dialogue, with contributions from each of the speakers. This is available in hardcopy and on the MSF UK website a few weeks after the event.
Your participation and contribution is encouraged. Click here for details of the next discussion evening.
MSF UK Operations Updates
Keep up to date with current operations and issues. The programmes team in the office organise:
- Reports from the field provided by recently returned field staff
- Presentations by office staff on their activities
- Discussions led by visiting staff from other sections
Association members click here for details of the next event
MSF UK pub evenings
The pub evening is a regular social event, taking place on every last Wednesday of the month at The Three Kings, near the UK office, where anyone with an interest in MSF is welcome to join us for a drink. Come along to discuss and mingle with the office staff and other returned volunteers. Click here for directions to The Three Kings.