Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières

Overview

Doctors Without Borders, known internationally as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), is an international medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency medical care to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, natural disasters and exclusion from health care. Founded in France in 1971, MSF now operates in more than 70 countries as a movement of roughly 67,000 people organized into 24 national sections, including MSF-USA.

Key functions and role

MSF teams of doctors, nurses, logisticians and other staff are often among the first international responders to arrive at humanitarian emergencies and among the last to leave, providing direct medical care while documenting conditions on the ground. Beyond emergency response, MSF operates long-standing treatment programs for neglected diseases, conducts medical research, and maintains a formal commitment to "bearing witness" -- publicly speaking out about atrocities or obstacles to care its teams encounter, distinguishing it from strictly discreet humanitarian organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross.

History

A group of French doctors and journalists, frustrated by the discretion required of Red Cross volunteers who had worked during the Nigerian Civil War and Biafran famine, founded MSF in Paris in December 1971 with 300 volunteers, including 13 founding doctors and journalists. Co-founder Dr. Bernard Kouchner left the organization in 1979 after a leadership split over its increasing professionalization, going on to found Médecins du Monde; the "realist" leadership that remained, led by Claude Malhuret and Rony Brauman, built MSF into its current professional structure. MSF's French section established a U.S. office, MSF-USA, in New York in 1990 to expand international fundraising, recruitment and advocacy near the United Nations. MSF received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.

Political positions

MSF describes itself as independent, impartial and neutral, providing medical assistance based solely on need regardless of race, religion, gender or political affiliation, and does not accept funding from the U.S. government. Some watchdog groups characterize MSF's public positions on issues such as reproductive health access as left-leaning, while MSF maintains that such positions flow from its medical ethics charter rather than partisan alignment.

Leadership

Avril Benoît serves as Executive Director of MSF-USA. Dr. Rasha Khoury serves as President of the MSF-USA Board of Directors. Dr. Mohamed Javid Abdelmoneim serves as MSF's international president.

Location and contact info

Address
40 Rector Street, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10006, USA
Phone
(212) 679-6800
Website
https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org