{"id":137062,"date":"2021-03-11T11:26:28","date_gmt":"2021-03-11T21:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=137062"},"modified":"2021-03-11T11:27:07","modified_gmt":"2021-03-11T21:27:07","slug":"uh-hilo-grad-nobel-peace-prize-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/03\/11\/uh-hilo-grad-nobel-peace-prize-project\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> Hilo poli-sci grad part of Nobel Peace Prize project"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Colin Hourihan, left, in Herat, NW<\/abbr> Afghanistan, for group discussions with local displaced populations in 2009.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Hilo political science department<\/a> is applauding one of its alumni for his contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic that helped the United Nations World Food Programme<\/a> (WFP<\/abbr>) secure the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize<\/a>. UH<\/abbr> Hilo graduate Colin Hourihan<\/strong> worked with WFP<\/abbr>, the world\u2019s largest humanitarian organization that combats hunger and food security to move critical medical supplies around the world during the early days of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

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Colin Hourihan<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n
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WFP<\/abbr> Food distribution in Aleppo, Syria. (Courtesy: WFP<\/abbr>\/ Khudr Alissar WFP<\/abbr>)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n

“A team of about 100 of us worked tirelessly to make sure that those most vulnerable didn\u2019t succumb to the virus or the knock on effects the pandemic caused,” Hourihan said. “We are now scaling up our work to feed more people than ever before in what is likely the largest humanitarian crisis since [World War II<\/abbr>].”<\/p>\n

Hourihan joined the UN<\/abbr> in 2008 and heads the WFP<\/abbr>\u2019s Humanitarian Military Interaction Unit for the Emergency Operations Division in Rome.<\/p>\n

During his time at UH<\/abbr> Hilo, he earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in political science with a focus on international relations and affairs. In 2015, Hourihan returned to the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island campus to headline two lectures about his experience with WFP<\/abbr>\u2019s emergency response<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“We are extremely honored to share in the applause of Colin\u2019s Nobel Prize winning work with the United Nations World Food Programme,” said UH<\/abbr> Hilo Public Law Professor Sarah Marusek.<\/p>\n

The Norwegian Nobel Committee<\/a> awarded WFP<\/abbr> the Nobel Prize in October 2020.<\/p>\n

In fall 2020, the Pacific Disaster Center<\/a>, a research and technology organization under UH<\/abbr>, joined forces with WFP<\/abbr> to advance disaster preparedness and emergency response in the Asia and the Pacific region<\/a>.<\/p>\n