Humanitarian Aid in Crisis: Saving Lives in a Time of Eroding Support

The LLILAS Alumni Speaker Series presents a talk by LLILAS alumnus Doug Mercado, a seasoned humanitarian leader with over three decades of experience responding to some of the world’s most urgent crises.

Mercado has directed emergency operations in dozens of countries, serving with distinction in senior roles at the United Nations, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and international NGOs. From the frontlines of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa to coordinating aid for Ukrainian refugees in Eastern Europe, managing conflict-driven responses in places like Sudan, Bosnia, Angola, and Gaza, and coordinating disaster relief efforts to hurricanes in the Caribbean, he has led high-stakes missions across the globe. His expertise spans emergency response, humanitarian diplomacy, civil-military coordination, and post-crisis recovery. A skilled negotiator and strategic adviser, Mercado has worked closely with governments, UN agencies, donors, and armed actors to secure humanitarian access and deliver lifesaving aid. He has designed and implemented large-scale relief programs focused on food security, health, livelihoods, protection, and disaster risk reduction that have reached crisis-affected communities at scale.