On Thursday 23 November, the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI) held their annual Landmark Lecture, which provides a platform for discussion on topics relating to humanitarianism and disaster management.

This year’s speaker was Pierre Carli – a leading expert in disaster medicine who is currently the chairman of the emergency medical service (SAMU) in Paris. His lecture, entitled ‘The 2015 Paris Terrorist Attacks: Medical Management and Lessons Learned’, provided an insight into the medical response to the Bataclan Terror Attacks, which killed 130 people and are the most deadly attacks on French soil since the Second World War.

The audience, which included medical professionals, students, and academics, listened as Carli drew upon his experience of responding to the Bataclan attacks to discuss the challenges faced in planning for such an incident. Given that the city of Manchester was the victim of a terror attack earlier this year, the topic of the lecture was hard-hitting and poignant for many.

Throughout the lecture, Carli emphasised the importance of international collaboration in all areas of emergency response. He argued that “as terrorism has no boundaries and relies on an international network, we need to share medical expertise across our international network in preparation for the next attack”. By sharing experiences, medical knowledge and strategies, medical professionals across the world will be able to limit the lives lost and chaos caused by terrorism in the 21st century.

The lecture was recorded and can be viewed on the HCRI Facebook page.

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