MSF marks its 50 years with the visit of International President Dr Christos Christou to Luxembourg

Through the different events organised by MSF Luxembourg, Minister of Cooperation and Humanitarian Action Franz Fayot, journalists, members of the association, 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. This retrospective will be essential to understand MSF's action today in the face of emergencies such as the earthquake in Haiti, the food crisis linked to an unprecedented drought in Madagascar or the breakdown in health services across Afghanistan.

Dr Christou, 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," explains 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, Dr Christos Christou, International president of MSF.

On Tuesday 5 October, he will talk about the major challenges faced by MSF on its 50th anniversary during a conference at the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg. On Wednesday 6 October, Dr Christou will offer a humanitarian perspective on the world of today and tomorrow at an exclusive Paperjam + Delano Club event hosted by Jim Kent.

On Thursday 7 October, 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," states Chris Peeters, Director of Sales and Marketing.

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

MSF's climate commitment for the next 50 years

In parallel to these series of events, on 27 September 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 featuring efforts to reduce the environmental impact of MSF's work in the field.