MSF International President to Visit Luxembourg for Non-Profit's 50th Anniversary

The international medical humanitarian association Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has announced that it is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a series of events in Luxembourg, from Tuesday 5 to Thursday 7 October 2021, in the presence of MSF International President Dr Christos Christou.

Through the different events organised by MSF Luxembourg, the Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Franz Fayot, journalists, MSF members, health professionals, companies and the general public will have the opportunity to exchange with Dr Christou on half a century of humanitarian interventions and commitment to vulnerable populations.

Dr Christou, who has been MSF's International President since 2019, began his first MSF mission in 2002 as a doctor working with migrants and refugees in Greece. He then specialised in surgery and went on mission with MSF in several conflict zones and insecure contexts, including South Sudan, Iraq and, more recently, Cameroon, as an emergency and trauma surgeon.

"I am very much looking forward to coming to Luxembourg, not only to raise awareness, but also to engage Luxembourgers. MSF relies on them and how they help us to make our interventions possible in more than 80 countries", explained Dr Christou. "MSF is people, it is a chain of men and women. People who help us implement our social mission in the field and also people who work on the front line with our patients. If part of this human chain is broken, if a link is missing, our medical action cannot take place". 

On Tuesday 5 October 2021, Dr Christou will discuss the major challenges faced by MSF on its 50th anniversary during a conference at the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL). The following day, he will offer a humanitarian perspective on the world of today and tomorrow at an exclusive Paperjam + Delano Club event hosted by Jim Kent.

Then, on Thursday 7 October 2021, he will open the Magnum Photo exhibition “Regards témoins – MSF et Magnum, 50 ans de terrain”, in partnership with the Meliá Luxembourg Hotel. This exhibition presents a selection of photographs of major humanitarian crises from 1971 to the present day: for 50 years, MSF and Magnum Photos have covered the same areas of intervention and share the same ethics and principles, notably independence.

"We are very proud to collaborate with MSF. Offering our walls to MSF for the exhibition ‘Regards témoins – MSF et Magnum, 50 ans de terrain’ will help MSF spread its message. In this way, MSF will be able to share with the Luxembourg community and all visitors to the hotel the importance and necessity of its valuable work", commented Chris Peeters, Director of Sales and Marketing at Meliá Hotels International.

Each event is organised under the CovidCheck scheme and will be followed by a question and answer session for the public and a cocktail reception.

In parallel to this series of events, on 27 September 2021, MSF Luxembourg will launch a campaign to raise awareness about climate change and its impact on humanitarian action. The campaign will highlight MSF's commitment to providing a humanitarian response to the victims of climate change while also highlighting efforts to reduce the environmental impact of MSF's work in the field.