The World has confronted numerous humanitarian crises, including the Myanmar Coup, conflicts in Ukraine and between Israel and Palestine, earthquakes in Turkey, Syria, Morocco, and Afghanistan, and floods in Libya. They have resulted in large-scale damage to human lives and livelihoods, exacerbated by damage continued and accumulated from other human-made disasters in the affected areas. Concurrently, at the global level, we are also threatened by climate change at a slow onset but also as an imminent risk.

These crises have brought about significant consequences for human health. Among the notable global disasters is the COVID-19 pandemic. Although its exact origin is unknown, the cause of viruses, including an endemic Ebola, is ostensibly the increasing interaction between humans and animals as the host of those viruses¹⁾. Besides, it is expected that climate change will lead to the increase and spread of infectious diseases.

What actions can be taken in response to these challenges? From a political angle, the world is being polarized into “democratic” and “authoritarian” nations, with countries in the “Global South,” prone to and most affected by crises, lying in between them. Both “groups” actively try to influence as many countries as possible from the “Global South” to win their respective positions. Meanwhile, the Japanese government amended its Official Development Assistance (ODA) Charter as a national security assurance tool.

In this study, I have introduced the recent crises’ details and background and analyzed their consequences and risks, including health. I then suggested the duties of the civil society I belong to, including influencing the international community and the Japanese government in collaboration with other stakeholders.

1990年代以降にアフリカで生じた武力紛争をめぐる「国際社会」の行動や人道支援のありかたについては，主に政治学者や人類学者による研究の対象となり，実務者を交えた議論がなされてきた。筆者は，日本アフリカ学会の末席に加わりつつ，2003年から2015年まで国際的な非政府組織 (NGO) であるオックスファムの人道部門の政策を担当していた。オックスファムは，国境なき医師団と並んで，1990年代以降の人道支援をめぐる国際的議論を牽引した団体のひとつであり，とりわけ英語圏のアフリカ研究や人道支援研究においては分析や批判の対象になっている。本稿は，そのような組織の人道部門職員としての経験も交えながら，1990年代以降の人道支援をめぐる英語圏と日本におけるアフリカ研究の大まかな傾向を比較する作業を通じて，日本のアフリカ研究にみられる議論の特徴や課題を浮き彫りにすることを試みる。

　外国人診療において，「ことばの壁」は「こころの壁」となり健康格差の原因となっている。筆者らは，医療者にはほとんど知られていない「やさしい日本語」を紹介・普及する目的で，“医療×「やさしい日本語」研究会”を立ち上げ活動を続けている。本稿では，健康の社会的決定要因として「日本語」を捉え，外国人だけでなく聴こえや理解に困難を抱える方々の格差是正の試みとして，さまざまな領域の専門家と協力して行っている取り組みを報告する。