On May 2014 , Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood was appointed to head the World Humanitarian Summit Secretariat at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ( UNOCHA ) headquarters in New York . " I am extremely grateful and honoured to be appointed to lead the charge in such an important initiative , and that a Malaysian has been selected for the role , " said Dr Jemilah in a statement . About the World Humanitarian Summit which integrates the voices of those rarely heard in the international arena , she explains , " This is done through eight regional consultations with affected people , civil society organisations , academia , governments , the private sector and new donors , to really have global solidarity on the current situation of humanitarian challenges . " Based on what she had learned at Teach for Malaysia , she further added , if the problems are universal , then the solutions are shareable . According to Dr Jemilah , the consultation is necessary right now because , " in spite of progress and innovation , humanitarian needs are outpacing the response . This is partly because in protracted crises , such as in Syria , where people are displaced by violence that continues with no end in sight , or in the Sahel , where drought recurs every few years , people ’s needs are multi-dimensional . " The medical charity founded by Mahmood , MERCY Malaysia , has performed medical charity and medical rescue work in several countries , including Afghanistan and in Indonesia following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
Jemilah Mahmood