Podcasts about new humanitarian

Across newsrooms, stages, screens, and funding tables, there's a growing movement to reshape how migration and displacement are understood. So what does it look like when the people at the heart of these crises tell their own stories, and could it influence the systems that shape their lives? The New Humanitarian hosted a night of film and conversation with journalists, artists, and cultural funders to explore these very questions. This event was moderated by Eric Reidy, Migration and Special Coverage Editor at The New Humanitarian, and featured: Bridgit Antoinette Evans | Artist, culture change strategist, and CEO of the Pop Culture Collaborative Arian Moayed | Actor, writer, director, and co-Founder of Waterwell Mazin Sidahmed | Co-Founder and Executive Director, Documented Annie Slemrod | Journalist, storyteller, and Middle East Editor at The New Humanitarian _____ This event was presented in partnership with the New York Office of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. 

NGO ads don't have to be a balance between dignity and donations. A look at the ethics and power dynamics of crisis communications, and how humanitarian agencies can do better for the communities they serve, with Levis Nderitu, a Kenyan DEI specialist, and Marie-Rose Romain Murphy, a Haitian-American community development expert.  "At the core of your communication should be people, should be dignity, should be: how would I want to be portrayed myself?" Decolonise How? is a new podcast by The New Humanitarian that examines the stories we tell about humanitarian crises.  

Per ricevere un pacco di farina dal World Food Programme, a Gaza, una persona deve scrivere il proprio nome, il numero del documento, il telefono e il quartiere in cui dorme. Quel modulo si chiama People Portal, l'applicazione di auto-registrazione che il WFP rivendicava per aver tagliato tempi e burocrazia. Oltre due milioni di palestinesi l'hanno compilato. Il 14 maggio quei dati sono finiti in mani non autorizzate. Il The New Humanitarian, con l'inchiesta di Jacob Goldberg e Irwin Loy, parla di circa 600.000 famiglie esposte: nomi, documenti, telefoni, posizione. È la più grave violazione di dati di beneficiari umanitari mai registrata, sopra le 515.000 persone colpite nell'attacco al Comitato internazionale della Croce Rossa nel 2022. Due giorni prima, il 12 maggio, un informatore aveva segnalato al WFP una falla individuata da un esperto indipendente. La sede di Roma aveva assicurato che era risolta. L'attacco è arrivato lo stesso, e gli abitanti di Gaza sono stati avvisati via Telegram solo il 31 maggio, diciassette giorni dopo. L'informatore descrive al The New Humanitarian dati «che possono individuare posizioni precise e causare danni», e nessuna valutazione del rischio. A Gaza un dato di posizione pesa diversamente. La Corte internazionale di giustizia ha dichiarato illegale l'occupazione con il parere del 19 luglio 2024, e dal gennaio 2024 considera la popolazione della Striscia esposta a un plausibile rischio di genocidio. Lì le forze israeliane hanno ucciso centinaia di persone in fila per gli aiuti del WFP, scrive la stessa testata. Intanto Domenico Centrone e Leonarda Alberizia restano detenuti a Bengasi: il procuratore libico ha prorogato la custodia senza fissare udienza, il 4 giugno una delegazione alla Farnesina ha chiesto pressione. Il WFP scrive ai registrati: "continuerete a ricevere assistenza". Per riceverla, avevano già scritto dove dormono. #LaSveglia per La NotiziaDiventa un supporter di questo podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/la-sveglia-di-giulio-cavalli--3269492/support.

Humanitarianism in the West Bank: Structures, Power, and the Limits of Aid ___   What does it mean to "do no harm" in a context where aid can both alleviate suffering and entrench the very systems that produce it?   In this critical conversation on the state of humanitarianism in the West Bank today, we examine what it means for humanitarian actors to operate within a broader landscape of occupation, violence, and structural injustice.   This event was moderated by Layth Hanbali, Researcher at Institute for Palestine Studies and PhD candidate, who was joined by: Tammam Aloudat | CEO, The New Humanitarian  Matiangai Sirleaf | Nathan Patz Professor of Law, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law Bushra Khalidi | Global Humanitarian Policy Lead, Oxfam Lubnah Shomali | Palestinian human rights defender and activist, BADIL  ____   Want to find out about future live events?? Subscribe to our newsletter at www.thenewhumanitarian.org/subscribe   This event was convened by The New Humanitarian in collaboration with BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, The Third World Approaches to International Law Review, Birzeit University Muwatin Institute for Democracy and Human Rights and Birzeit University Ibrahim Abu-Lughod Institute of International Studies.

Fostering self-reliance while also caring for those in need here and around the world -- those are both missions of a new humanitarian center just opened by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Church News reporter Aimee Cobabe joins in-studio to discuss how this new center brings together people of all faiths, working towards the commandment to "love thy neighbour as thyself."

The first African to lead the BBC's African service, Joseph Warungu, and The New Humanitarian's Head of Editorial, Andrew Gully, have over half a century's worth of experience working in and leading newsrooms. Why do both use the word "battle" to describe their efforts to produce decolonised journalism with local perspectives? Decolonise How? is a new podcast by The New Humanitarian that examines the stories we tell about humanitarian crises.  

Does it really matter whether a journalist is a local or a foreigner? The distinction between "local" or "international" journalists raises questions about trust, credibility, and control in global news.  In this episode of Decolonise How? Patrick Gathara sits down with The New Humanitarian's Ali Latifi and Ahmer Khan to discuss power dynamics in crisis reporting, and why it matters. Decolonise How? is a new podcast by The New Humanitarian that examines the stories we tell about humanitarian crises.  

In the latest Decolonise How? podcast, we ask whether ethical journalism is possible when individual ideals collide with institutional realities. "In school, we are taught: Don't be too close to the story, because then how do you maintain objectivity?" says Kenyan journalist Njoki Chege. "But on the ground, things are very different."  Decolonise How? is a new podcast by The New Humanitarian that examines the stories we tell about humanitarian crises.  

Like many local aid workers living through war, Hind Obeid is surviving a crisis while responding to it. Obeid works for an NGO that supports refugees in Lebanon, but since 2024 Israeli attacks have forced her to fulfill her obligations while experiencing multiple displacements, the fear of airstrikes, and the constant sound of drones.  Obeid, who wrote about her experiences for The New Humanitarian, joins the podcast to reflect on the mental anguish of delivering aid under Israeli bombardment, how the humanitarian system can better support local staff, and why showing up in a crisis feels like resistance.  Guest: Hind Obeid, safeguarding officer and PSEAH focal point at Basmeh & Zeitooneh Got a question or feedback? Email podcast@thenewhumanitarian.org or post on social media using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism.    

In this episode of Decolonise How?, host Patrick Gathara sits down with journalist Jane Ferguson to debate what role foreign correspondents should have in telling stories from crises, and why she now describes herself as a "recovering war reporter".  "I had grown up with this sense of what a foreign correspondent was… but what I learned early on was that my impression was very self-absorbed," Ferguson says. Decolonise How? is a new podcast by The New Humanitarian that examines the stories we tell about humanitarian crises.  

There's more than one way to cover crises, says Professor Martin Scott. In the second episode of Decolonise How?, host Patrick Gathara sits down with Scott, who studies media and global development, to discuss the ethics, practice, and impact of media coverage of crises. Scott popularised the term "humanitarian journalism". He explains what makes it different from mainstream journalism, and why the labels matter.  Decolonise How? is a new podcast by The New Humanitarian that examines the stories we tell about humanitarian crises.  

"The first place that people are dehumanised is in stories." - Sophie Otiende The way we tell stories about humanitarian crises can distort the realities of the people living through them. From news coverage and research to aid donation appeals, there is a tendency to simplify, decontextualise, and even dehumanise – to portray locals as suffering and helpless, and the outsiders riding to their rescue as heroic and selfless.  In Decolonise How? host Patrick Gathara brings together journalists, humanitarians, researchers, and affected communities, to understand why this happens, and how to change it. For his first podcast, Gathara is joined by Kenyan teacher, activist and advocate for survivors of human trafficking, Sophie Otiende, and Kelsie Kilawna Marchand, a Syilx journalist from Canada. They discuss community, consent, what to do differently – and just what is a "coyote" move?  Decolonise How? is a new podcast by The New Humanitarian that examines the stories we tell about humanitarian crises.

Decolonise How? is a new podcast by The New Humanitarian that examines the stories we tell about humanitarian crises. Join host Patrick Gathara as he gathers journalists, humanitarians, researchers, and affected communities into the same conversation. They debate the crisis in crisis reporting – and talk about how things could be done differently. 

The UN has a new refugee chief: Barham Salih is the former president of Iraq. He takes over as high commissioner for refugees in January 2026. Salih may be a surprise pick. The head of UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency, has almost always been a European. Just as rare: The new refugee chief has actually been a refugee. But does a change at the top really address the power imbalances refugees face in the aid sector? Revisit our series, Power Shift, which puts decision-makers – and those affected by their choices – at the same table.  In this episode, Hafsar Tameesuddin, a Rohingya activist and refugee, speaks to Raouf Mazou, a senior UNHCR official. They talk about passports and privilege, and try to find common ground. ––– Power Shift is an experiment in dialogue that puts decision-makers in aid and philanthropy and those affected by their decisions in honest, one-on-one conversations about the aid sector's inequalities. ___ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube, or search "The New Humanitarian" in your favourite podcast app.   You can find transcripts of all podcasts on our website. Are you or anyone you know interested in participating in future Power Shift conversations? Email us with the subject line 'POWER SHIFT".  

The UN climate summit, COP30, is getting under way in Brazil, with global temperatures rising – and global cooperation under deep strain. Ten years on from the Paris Agreement, the UN Secretary-General warns that the world has missed its targets to limit global temperature rise. The stakes are high. But do COP discussions match the urgency? The New Humanitarian journalists unpack what happens behind the scenes at COP, and what humanitarians and everyday citizens can do while negotiators wrestle over targets and funding. Guests:  Will Worley, staff reporter and editor for policy at The New Humanitarian   Namukabo Werungah, staff editor and reporter for breaking news and social at The New Humanitarian Got a question or feedback? Email podcast@thenewhumanitarian.org or post on social media using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism.

Our miniseries Not Now, But Soon challenges the stories we often tell about disasters and explores how we can use speculative fiction to create better futures and policies. On this episode, host Malka Older explores food systems with investigative journalist Thin Lei Win. Win shares her experience growing up in Myanmar, and how that has shaped how she sees the intersection between food production, climate, and disasters. This podcast is part of the Future Tense Fiction project, a speculative fiction series that uses imagination to explore how science and technology will shape our future. Read the short stories from the series published by Issues in Science and Technology.  ResourcesFollow Win's weekly newsletter, Thin Ink, to learn more about food, climate and where they meet. Get started with her newsletter with these articles: “Moonstruck”: a critique of the focus of the food system's focus on technology and productivity to solve food insecurity, at the expense of equity. “A System Under Strain”: a roundup of recent reports on food systems. Win coordinated The New Humanitarian's series on emerging hunger hotspots as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Find more of Win's food system investigations at Lighthouse Reports. “The Hunger Profiteers”: how financial speculation could be fueling hunger. “Farmers Protest, Who Gains?”: Who is leading the farmers' protest in Europe and are they truly representative of farmers? Visit Kite Tales to read stories from Myanmar's people in their own words.

Remaking humanitarianism: Dispatches from the future How can we reimagine the international humanitarian system so that it builds on – rather than undermines – the response communities are already creating? What would it take to align funding and infrastructure? And what is standing in the way? The New Humanitarian and Refugees International have taken these questions around the globe, producing a series of dispatches from the future that highlight the strategies, values, and visions guiding community-driven responses to crisis – and show what's possible. We brought these dispatches to the heart of UNGA to grapple with what it will take to remake humanitarianism – and what must change for the system to have any future at all.

The 80th UN General Assembly should be consequential given all that's happening: the genocide in Gaza, spiralling emergencies, aid cuts, the crisis of trust in the UN system. But does the rhetoric in New York match the urgency we see across the globe? From UNGA's high-level week in New York, producer Levi Sharpe and host Tammam Aloudat unpack events, contrast the Gaza flotilla with the suits at UN headquarters, and discuss what it all says about where humanitarian action is heading. Guest:  Tammam Aloudat, CEO of The New Humanitarian, and host of the Rethinking Humanitarianism podcast. ____ Got a question or feedback? Email podcast@thenewhumanitarian.org or post on social media using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism. ____ SHOW NOTES United States of America - President Addresses United Nations General Debate, 80th Session   Brazil - President Addresses United Nations General Debate, 80th Session   Colombia - President Addresses United Nations General Debate, 80th Session   Syria - President Addresses United Nations General Debate, 80th Session   Remaking humanitarianism: Dispatches from the future      

A few weeks ago, my To Save Us From Hell co-host Anjali Dayal and I joined Tammam Aloudat, CEO of The New Humanitarian, for an episode of their podcast ReThinking Humanitarianism. The questions Tammam posed—and the topics we explored—were big-picture ones: how can the UN, a fundamentally liberal institution shaped by liberal values, function and survive in an era when those very values are under sustained challenge? It was a thoughtful, wide-ranging conversation that I'm delighted to share directly with Global Dispatches subscribers. If you want even more UN-focused content, consider becoming a paying subscriber at GlobalDispatches.org. A subscription gives you full access to To Save Us From Hell, my premium podcast about the UN, as well as UN Dispatch, where I publish regular UN-focused analysis. We're running a UNGA discount this month: 40% off. Subscribe now to unlock my personal UNGA preview along with all UNGA-related coverage. You can sign up at GlobalDispatches.org or use this direct link: https://www.globaldispatches.org/40PercentOff   

Send us a textInside Geneva's Summer Profiles are back! In this episode we talk to Tammam Aloudat, doctor, aid worker and now journalist. “I was born in Syria, and I spent most of my life there until my mid-20s. I studied there; I went to medical school there,” says the CEO of The New Humanitarian.Was being a doctor in Syria his first choice? “One of the first side effects of autocratic dictatorships is that there isn't really work outside a few private enterprises, one of which is being an engineer, a lawyer, or a doctor,” he says.A chance meeting with a British Red Cross official led him into humanitarian work.“And a couple of years later, when I wanted to go out and work for the Red Cross, it was him who gave me a contract with the British Red Cross and sent me to Iraq. I mean, arguably not the nicest thing to do to someone, but it was exactly what I had asked for.”But the disastrous consequences of that conflict made him question his work, and the traditional neutrality of humanitarianism. “Can we afford to only put roofs over people's heads and do nothing about the system? If your house was bombed for the first time, I understand. If it was bombed for the 17th time, and instead of a house you have a tarp, and instead of food, you have animal feed or grass to eat,” Aloudat says.Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva for a fascinating discussion. Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the international Geneva please visit www.swissinfo.ch/Host: Imogen FoulkesProduction assitant: Claire-Marie GermainDistribution: Sara PasinoMarketing: Xin Zhang

On 7 October 2023, Rita Baroud was a 20-year-old in Gaza thinking about doing a master's degree. Today, evacuated to France after surviving nearly 20 months of genocide, she's a journalist who recently met with Macron and told him, “You have to stop this bloodshed”.  In a special What's Unsaid episode, she speaks to Eric Reidy, our editor managing coverage of Gaza. They have been working together for the past year on a series of first-person articles about how lives in Gaza have been torn apart. These have now been collected into a series titled “Don't look away”. Please take a moment to read them.  What's Unsaid is a podcast by The New Humanitarian, where we explore open secrets and uncomfortable conversations around the world's conflicts and disasters.   

Power Shift is an experiment in dialogue that puts decision-makers in aid and philanthropy and those affected by their decisions in honest, one-on-one conversations about the aid sector's inequalities. ___ In the latest episode of Power Shift, Hafsar Tameesuddin, a stateless Rohingya refugee and LGBTQ+ rights activist, and Raouf Mazou, one of the UN refugee agency's highest-ranking officials, navigate the complex dynamics of global refugee protection, the righteous anger of refugees and stateless people, and the challenges of supporting the more than 122 million people around the world forced to leave their homes.  Although their conversations took place before USAID's dismantlement sent the humanitarian sector into a tailspin, both Mazou's and Tameesuddin's proposals for a better refugee response strike right at the heart of the international aid system's current limitations, calling for more equitable cooperation between global and grassroots organisations, more support for refugee self-reliance, and, consequently, for less reliance on a sector facing major cuts.  “I'm a believer of collective leadership,” Tameesuddin reflected. “In a lot of ways, I feel there is goodwill from UNHCR, from the communities, and all of us. We all want to do good things and want to accomplish something great. “What is missing from my observation is that human interaction and relationship, and really building relationships with the grassroot.” ___ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube, or search “The New Humanitarian” in your favourite podcast app. You can find transcripts of all podcasts on our website. Are you or anyone you know interested in participating in future Power Shift conversations? Email us with the subject line ‘POWER SHIFT”.

After a decade of fighting jihadist groups in the Sahel – and losing – isn't it time for governments to try dialogue? Speaking about her research project Negotiating with Islamist and jihadi armed groups: practices, discourses and mechanisms across Asia and Africa, Laura Berlingozzi tells What's Unsaid host Obi Anyadike she's detected a “timid openness” from the region's military juntas for dialogue. What's Unsaid is a podcast by The New Humanitarian, where we explore open secrets and uncomfortable conversations around the world's conflicts and disasters.   

Power Shift is an experiment in dialogue that puts decision-makers in aid and philanthropy and those affected by their decisions in honest, one-on-one conversations about the aid sector's inequalities. ___ What happens when a stateless activist sits down with one of the UN refugee agency's highest-ranking officials? What if they had the chance to tell him what it's like to lose everything, to have to depend on aid, and what it would take for refugees to have more agency? Can the decisions he makes in Geneva affect the lives of refugees on the other side of the world? And could their conversation change how those decisions are made? Listen in as Rohingya refugee rights activist Hafsar Tameesuddin and UNHCR's Assistant High Commissioner for Operations Raouf Mazou candidly discuss what needs to change in refugee response, and who has the power to change it.  ___ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube, or search “The New Humanitarian” in your favourite podcast app. You can find transcripts of all podcasts on our website. Are you or anyone you know interested in participating in future Power Shift conversations? Email us with the subject line ‘POWER SHIFT”.

Daylight abductions of permanent residents. Mass deportations with no due process. Homelessness at a record high. Outbreaks of previously eliminated childhood diseases. Sounds like a humanitarian crisis could be unfolding in the US. “When is the UN going to come in?” asks Carlos Menchaca, a legislator, activist, organiser, and former New York City council member.  What's Unsaid is a podcast by The New Humanitarian, where we explore open secrets and uncomfortable conversations around the world's conflicts and disasters.   

How did Sudanese revolutionaries organize neighborhood and resistance committees to resist state and non-state violence? What are some of the principles underpinning their worldview? What can we learn from them?For episode 188 of The Fire These Times, Elia Ayoub is joined by Sudanese journalist Eiad Husham to talk about his piece "revolutionary aid in Sudan" for The New Internationalist and try and answer those questions.The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠⁠. This episode was first released on the FTP Patreon page. Please consider supporting us directly there and you'll get early access to all of the FTP podcasts, exclusive content, an invitation to join our monthly hangout as well as our ongoing movie club on Lebanese cinema - and more! You can also help by leaving us a review wherever you listen to podcasts and telling your friends and enemies about us.Other FTP projects: From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, ⁠Obscuristan⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠.For more:Elia Ayoub is on ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠, ⁠Mastodon⁠, ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and blogs at ⁠Hauntologies.net⁠ Eiad is on X and writes for The Internationalist, The New Humanitarian, Geeska and 3ayin among others.The Fire These Times is on Bluesky,⁠ IG⁠ and⁠ YouTube⁠ and has a⁠ ⁠website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠From The Periphery is on⁠ ⁠Patreon⁠⁠, ⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠,⁠ Instagram⁠, and has a⁠ website⁠⁠Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done by⁠ Antidote Zine⁠ and will be published on⁠ The Fire These Times' transcript archive⁠.Credits:Elia Ayoub (host, producer, sound editor, episode design), ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics). Original photo by Ela Yokes for The New Internationalist.

Lydia Poole discusses "The Big Humanitarian Rethink," a digital consultation she launched with Ben Parker to capture diverse perspectives on reforming the humanitarian system during a period of unprecedented funding cuts. The consultation revealed two distinct camps: "reimaginers" who advocate for radical transformation addressing power imbalances, and "improvers" who prefer incremental change while preserving humanitarian principles. Despite these differences, both groups agree on the need to maintain some international crisis response capabilities. As the humanitarian sector navigates this watershed moment, Lydia emphasizes the urgent need to make difficult choices about what to preserve while avoiding a disorderly collapse of vital services. This conversation offers rare insight into a sector at a crossroads, balancing immediate operational demands with the opportunity for meaningful, long-overdue reform.Today's GuestLydia Poole is a humanitarian financing expert with over 15 years of experience. Along with Ben Parker, Lydia co-created "The Big Humanitarian Rethink" citizen consultation, an initiative to collect diverse perspectives on humanitarian system reform following recent funding cuts. Lydia previously wrote an article published by The New Humanitarian addressing the risks of leaving key decisions about humanitarian system reform to a small group of leaders with vested interests.You'll LearnHow Lydia and Ben launched a digital consultation to give voice to diverse perspectives on humanitarian reformThe major divide between "reimaginers" and "improvers" in approaches to humanitarian reformWhat both camps agree on despite their different visions for the futureHow the humanitarian system is responding to the current funding crisisWhy traditional humanitarian financing models may be at odds with localization effortsThe common ground that could unite different perspectives on reformResourcesThe Big Humanitarian Rethink citizen consultation Find Lydia Poole on LinkedIn"Improving or Reimagining? Mapping key narratives on the Future of Development Cooperation," by Prof. dr. Sara Kinsbergen & Dr. Zunera Rana, Radboud University, April 2025.

Power Shift is an experiment in dialogue that puts decision-makers in aid and philanthropy and those affected by their decisions in honest, one-on-one conversations about the aid sector's inequalities. ___ In the second episode of Power Shift, we continue our candid conversation between Grand Bargain ambassador Michael Köhler, formerly a senior leader of the EU's humanitarian aid arm, and Nadine Saba, founder of a Lebanese grassroots NGO. As the global humanitarian system faces unprecedented challenges – from donor cuts to accusations of colonial structures – they explore whether the system can truly be reformed, and if reform is enough. Saba speaks passionately from the front lines, sharing how communities are losing faith in a system that often delivers only "Band-Aid" solutions while failing to address – and often instigating – root causes. Köhler acknowledges the system's shortcomings while defending its foundational merits. “Would anything be better without the Grand Bargain? I think no. Would it be worse without the Grand Bargain? I believe, yes,” Köhler says of the major humanitarian reform process, “because we wouldn't have this kind of platform that reminds us [of] the need to get better, to reform, to open up, to share power.” Saba, who represents Global South NGOs, expressed doubt that there was sufficient will for the Grand Bargain to live up to its potential. "When things get difficult, people go back to old habits,” she argued Saba. “I do see that change is incremental. But I fear that it's getting so much incremental that it's not happening.” Their conversation reveals a fundamental tension between Köhler's technical approach to humanitarian response, and Saba's close-range exposure to the politics of crises. As this experiment in dialogue came to a close, Israel's campaign of airstrikes in Lebanon loomed, lending greater urgency to Saba and Köhler's attempts to come to a common understanding of what it would take to shift power in humanitarian response. ___ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube, or search “The New Humanitarian” in your favourite podcast app. You can find transcripts of all podcasts on our website. Are you or anyone you know interested in participating in future Power Shift conversations? Email us with the subject line ‘POWER SHIFT”.

Power Shift is an experiment in dialogue that puts decision-makers in aid and philanthropy and those affected by their decisions in honest, one-on-one conversations about the aid sector's inequalities. ___ Michael Köhler and Nadine Saba are just two of the many people tasked with advancing the goals of the Grand Bargain – one of the most ambitious attempts at delivering humanitarian aid more effectively and efficiently.  As such, they often log into the same meetings by videoconference. And yet, Köhler, one of three ambassadors tasked with overseeing the process, and Saba, a Grand Bargain sherpa representing Global South NGOs, have never spoken one-on-one. Until now.  Over the course of seven weeks in mid-2024, Köhler and Saba met over Zoom as part of the Power Shift experiment – one leading high-level meetings from Brussels, and the other contending with real-life humanitarian crises on the ground as both a local organisation leader, and citizen.  Much has changed in the aid sector since these initial meetings, but the spirited, yet convivial, debates between Köhler and Saba have taken on a new urgency as the world reacts to the loss of major Western humanitarian funding. “Are we relinquishing power? Are we keeping it in the hands of the donors?” Saba challenged Köhler, “And if we're keeping it in the hands of the donor, how much are they attuned to what is happening on the fields? Not much.” Listen in to the no-holds-barred conversations between Köhler and Saba as they take on a range of topics, from the yawning gap between headquarters-level decisions and realities in the field, to the dilemma of donor countries' competing obligations to constituents and affected people, to the need to treat the Grand Bargain – and other attempts at change – with a lot more urgency.  ___ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube, or search “The New Humanitarian” in your favourite podcast app. You can find transcripts of all podcasts on our website. Are you or anyone you know interested in participating in future Power Shift conversations? Email us with the subject line ‘POWER SHIFT”.

The Trump administration's aid freeze is a pivotal moment for the humanitarian sector. Veteran aid worker and TNH CEO Tammam Aloudat doesn't believe that simply restoring funding will fix a broken system. While imagining what remaking humanitarianism might look like, he makes a plea: “Let's start shifting the conversation.” The New Humanitarian aims to amplify the voices of refugees, asylum seekers, and people affected by conflict and disaster – placing them at the centre of the conversations about the policies and events that shape their lives. Listen to more First Person stories at TheNewHumanitarian.org.

The fallout from the US aid funding freeze continues. In Haiti, one of USAID's largest recipients, could this actually be a moment for optimism?  “My instinctive reaction was, maybe now we can take better care of ourselves,” Haitian anthropologist and aid reform advocate, Isabelle Clérié tells What's Unsaid host, Obi Anyadike.  What's Unsaid is a podcast by The New Humanitarian, where we explore open secrets and uncomfortable conversations around the world's conflicts and disasters.     

Alasdair speaks to journalist Margot Gibbs about her investigation into a US government-funded PR firm that profiled pesticide scientists. Last autumn, Lighthouse Reports - in collaboration with media partners across Europe - published an investigation into v-Fluence, a US-based PR firm that worked to discredit anti-pesticide scientists and campaigners.Alasdair speaks to Margot Gibbs, a journalist who led the investigation, about its findings and what it reveals about the agro-chemicals lobby.Margot Gibbs is an investigative reporter at Lighthouse Reports focusing on money trails and food systems reporting. Before joining Lighthouse she was a reporter for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and Finance Uncovered.  Audio engineering by Vasko Kostovski.Further reading:'US-funded ‘social network' attacking pesticide critics shuts down after Guardian investigation', The Guardian, February 2025'Poison PR', Lighthouse Reports, September 2024'How the US agrochemical lobby is meddling in the future of Kenyan farming', The New Humanitarian, September 2024'Secret files suggest chemical giant feared weedkiller's link to Parkinson's disease', The Guardian, October 2022'"Monsanto papers": the pesticide giant's war against science', Le Monde, June 2017Merchants of Doubt, Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway, 2010Click here to read our investigation into the UK biomass supply chain, or watch a clip from the BBC Newsnight documentary.

People affected by crises, and the people who respond to them, have been calling for change and equity for years, but for every reform pledge in Geneva or New York, there's little movement in Yangon or Juba.   Changing an entire sector is a tall order. But how can an entire system change? In reality, it has to begin with conversations between people.  For months, The New Humanitarian and the Center for Transformational Change sent out invites to people across the power spectrum in the aid world: heads of international humanitarian agencies, environmental, and refugee right activists, you name it. The goal? To set up one-on-one dialogues between people with the power to make decisions and mobilise resources and people who are affected by such decisions. “People need to be listened to, and when they come in with their own stories, that is a form of power,” argues Lina Srivastava, Power Shift's moderator and founder of The Center for Transformational Change. In this first episode of Power Shift, host Melissa Fundira, Adeso executive director Degan Ali, and Srivastava set the stage for conversations to come by highlighting how power inequalities prevent us from addressing humanitarian crises adequately and fairly, and by discussing whether dialogue can ever truly shift power. ___ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube, or search “The New Humanitarian” in your favourite podcast app. You can find transcripts of all podcasts on our website. Are you or anyone you know interested in participating in future Power Shift conversations? Email us with the subject line ‘POWER SHIFT”.  

The term 'decolonising aid' is everywhere. And yet, many decisions about aid are made behind closed doors in the West, and those most affected by aid policies have little power in shaping them. But what if people who are rarely in the same room together sit down and talk? No talking points. No self-censorship. Just open, honest, and moderated one-on-one conversations. Introducing Power Shift: A new podcast from The New Humanitarian and the Center for Transformational Change that presents moderated conversations between decision-makers in aid and philanthropy and those affected by their decisions. Can they use honest and sustained dialogue to create shared visions for fairer humanitarian responses? Find out on Power Shift. ___ Participants & Interviewees Nadine Saba: Grand Bargain Sherpa; Co-founder and Director of Akkar Network for Development Michael Köhler: Grand Bargain Ambassador Hafsar Tameesuddin: Co-Secretary General of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN); Rohingya activist and refugee Raouf Mazou: Assistant High Commissioner for Operations at UNHCR Degan Ali: Executive Director of Adeso Lina Srivastava: Founder of the Center for Transformational Change Production Team Host: Melissa Fundira Moderator: Lina Srivastava Producers: Lina Srivastava, Frederica Boswell, Melissa Fundira Editor: Irwin Loy Theme song: “Chill 2.0” by Barno Sound engineer: Tevin Sudi ___ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube, or search “The New Humanitarian” in your favourite podcast app. You can find transcripts of all podcasts on our website. Are you or anyone you know interested in participating in future Power Shift conversations? Email us with the subject line ‘POWER SHIFT”.

Since the early days of the American west, World War Two, the Cold War, or the war on terror, conflict has been presented in the movies as having two sides: good guys and bad guys. Host Ali Latifi and Idrees Ahmad, a journalism, film, and culture professor, dig into why we brand groups and people in such binary terms – and ask what role Hollywood and the media play in ignoring the complexity of conflict and crisis. What's Unsaid is a podcast by The New Humanitarian, where we explore open secrets and uncomfortable conversations around the world's conflicts and disasters.   

Can power truly shift in a sector whose origins are rooted in colonialism? If not, what lies beyond the international aid system as we know it? On the sidelines of UNGA 2024, The New Humanitarian, the Center for Transformational Change, and Refugees International convened a panel to examine the systemic limitations of the current global aid architecture, whether it can evolve for the better, and what comes next. SPEAKERS Lina Srivastava, founder of the Center for Transformational Change (moderator) Hanin Ahmed, Emergency Response Room volunteer and Sudanese activist Alex Gray, Director, International Funds at The Center for Disaster Philanthropy Aarathi Krishnan, Founder of Raksha Intelligence Futures and former Head of Strategic Foresight at UNDP Asia-Pacific Nadine Saba, Co-founder and director of Akkar Network for Development-AND; Grand Bargain Sherpa * This panel was part of a doubleheader event on Navigating the Limits and Evolving Role of Humanitarian Aid held on 27 September, 2024.  ____ Got a question or feedback? Email podcast@thenewhumanitarian.org or have your say on Twitter using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism.  ____  SHOW NOTES From Gaza to Sudan: The limits and future of humanitarian aid

The New Humanitarian's new CEO, Tammam Aloudat, sits down with our Middle East Editor Annie Slemrod for a special episode of Rethinking Humanitarianism. In a wide-ranging and intimate conversation, Slemrod digs into Tammam's childhood in Damascus, his decades-long career as a humanitarian worker, and his expansive views on decolonising aid. If you want to know more about his vision for The New Humanitarian, listen in.   Guest: Tammam Aloudat, CEO of The New Humanitarian

Eighteen months of war have forced more than 10 million Sudanese from their homes, created the world's largest hunger crisis, and triggered terrible war crimes. It's a conflict in which regional and global powers are dabbling, arming both sides, intent on pursuing their own geopolitical interests. We ask Solomon Dersso, founding director of Amani Africa, what it will take for the fighting to end?  What's Unsaid is a bi-weekly podcast by The New Humanitarian, where we explore open secrets and uncomfortable conversations around the world's conflicts and disasters.   

Ever wondered what daily life in Afghanistan, Syria, and Venezuela have in common? In this episode, What's Unsaid host Ali Latifi, who lives in Kabul, speaks to Reporting Fellows Zeina Shahla in Damascus and Iván Reyes in Caracas to discuss dealing with conflict, threats of violence, and economic instability, while also buying groceries, having coffee with friends, and listening to music. It can make for a strange duality: life is normal - but also not.  What's Unsaid is a bi-weekly podcast by The New Humanitarian, where we explore open secrets and uncomfortable conversations around the world's conflicts and disasters. 

Wine fraud, migration policy and climate litigation: there's something for everyone this week. Back in April, Switzerland's government lost a groundbreaking European court case and was ordered to rewrite its climate policy. Has it actually done that? No, no it has not. We speak to Geneva-based climate lawyer Seb Duyck about whether Switzerland can be forced to change its tune. We're also talking about offshore migrant detention centres, a full-bodied fraud case and the latest sign that AI is coming for podcasters' jobs.    Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠leaving us a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or giving us five stars on Spotify.      Seb is a senior attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law. You can follow him on Twitter here.   You can listen to our award-winning 2023 episode about the KlimaSeniorinnen case, 'The Biggest Climate Case That Ever Was', here and find the follow-up interview with Molly Quell here.   This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Swimming in the Dark' by Tomasz Jędrowski, translated by Robert Sudół; 'World Without End' by Christophe Blain and Jean-Marc Jancovici, translated by Edward Gauvin.   Other resources for this episode:    Ursula von der Leyen's letter to EU leaders on migration, October 14, 2024 https://www.politico.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/15/October-2024-EUCO-Migration-letter.pdf  'What is refugee rentierism? An explainer'. The New Humanitarian, August 14, 2024 https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2024/08/14/what-refugee-rentierism-explainer    00:22 Katy's parents made a podcast 06:18 Good Week: Pedro Sánchez 19:48 Bad Week: Rich wine-drinkers 29:14 Interview: Seb Duyck on Switzerland's failed response to the KlimaSeniorinnen ruling 46:26 Inspiration Station: 'Swimming In The Dark' and 'World Without End' 51:02 Happy Ending: Luka Modrić, an inspiration for all people in their late thirties   Producers: Katz Laszlo and Wojciech Oleksiak  Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina   Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hello@europeanspodcast.com⁠

Listen to the full episode covering Tekmetric's acquisition of Shopgenie with Sunil Patel and Kieran O'BrienLearn more about the 2024 AAPEX Student ProgramNominate someone or an organization for the AACF Humanitarian Award!Braxton Critcher discusses the recent merger between Tekmetric and Shopgenie, highlighting the benefits of an integrated CRM marketing platform for shop owners. Braxton shares updates on the Apex show, emphasizing its student program to attract top talent to the industry. Lastly, hear the announcement of the AACF's inaugural humanitarian award, recognizing individuals and companies within the automotive aftermarket who have shown exceptional dedication to their communities. Thanks to our sponsor AutoFix Auto Shop Coaching! Schedule your free strategy session here: autofixautoshopcoaching.com

When violent gangs moved into her neighbourhood in April, Haitian journalist and former UN official Monique Clesca left the Caribbean nation. She returned home a few months later, and in this episode, she describes what daily life is now like. “We are in more than a crisis situation”, she says. “The gangs are at war with us”. The ongoing turmoil in Haiti is featured in The New Humanitarian's annual list of ten crises that demand your attention now, which highlights places in the world where needs are rising, aid budgets have been cut or are insufficient, and where people feel forgotten by the international community. Over the coming months, our First Person series will feature aid workers and people affected by the crises on this year's list.

“We came mainly seeking safety, seeking to live a decent life. But then we found another war” Our First Person narratives dig into the humanity of humanitarian challenges. This episode tells a story of the 15,000 Sudanese people living in Egypt's Masaken Osman area. When the war broke out in April 2023, these tower blocks on the dusty outskirts of Cairo became home to a group of refugees. Meet them as they gather to discuss their current challenges and collective efforts to overcome them. The New Humanitarian aims to amplify the voices of refugees, asylum seekers, and people affected by conflict and disaster – placing them at the centre of the conversations about the policies and events that shape their lives. Find more first-person stories at TheNewHumanitarian.org.

Our First Person narratives dig into the humanity of humanitarian challenges. In this episode, Zeina Shahla, a reporting fellow with The New Humanitarian based in Damascus expresses what it is like to live in the shadow of war. With everyone in Syria living on edge since the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated last month in Tehran, Shahla worries if a regional war is going to break out.  The New Humanitarian aims to amplify the voices of refugees, asylum seekers, and people affected by conflict and disaster – placing them at the centre of the conversations about the policies and events that shape their lives. Find more first-person stories at TheNewHumanitarian.org.  

Our First Person narratives dig into the humanity of humanitarian challenges. In this episode, Ali Latifi, The New Humanitarian's Asia Editor and co-host of the What's Unsaid podcast, marks the anniversary of the creation of the Taliban's Islamic Emirate in his home country, Afghanistan.  Three years on, the country is still in the throes of a humanitarian crisis, with 23.7 million people in need of assistance. Latifi says: “We're in a situation full of paradoxes”. He paints a picture of how traders, TikTokers, and the Taliban co-exist, while noting: “In the Islamic Emirate, everything seems fine – until it's not”. The New Humanitarian aims to amplify the voices of refugees, asylum seekers, and people affected by conflict and disaster – placing them at the centre of the conversations about the policies and events that shape their lives. Find more first-person stories at TheNewHumanitarian.org.  

Our First Person narratives dig into the humanity of humanitarian challenges. In this episode, Mahmoud Shalabi describes the difficult reality of life in his home, Beit Lahia. When the Israeli military issued orders last October for 1.1 million Palestinians to evacuate their homes in the north of Gaza, Shalabi refused to leave. “I believed that remaining in my home would be a form of resistance,” he says. Now, nearly 11 months later, the Deputy Director for programs for the UK-based NGO, Medical Aid for Palestinians, explains why he is ‘exhausted'.  The New Humanitarian aims to amplify the voices of refugees, asylum seekers, and people affected by conflict and disaster – placing them at the centre of the conversations about the policies and events that shape their lives. Find more first-person stories at TheNewHumanitarian.org.  

Our First Person narratives aim to dig into the humanity of humanitarian challenges. In this episode, Yusuf Sa'adu, a shopkeeper in Warawa in Nigeria's Kano state, points out that “whoever has abundant water has wealth”. He shares how water scarcity made him lose out on education and still impacts personal relationships. “If you are experiencing water stress, you will not be able to do a lot of things”, Yusuf explains.  The New Humanitarian aims to amplify the voices of refugees, asylum seekers, and people affected by conflict and disaster – placing them at the centre of the conversations about the policies and events that shape their lives. Find more first-person stories at TheNewHumanitarian.org.  

*This episode was originally published on November 9, 2023. Palestinian peace activist Nivine Sandouka discusses the difficult way forward for building trust between Israelis and Palestinians. Hosted by Irwin Loy. What's Unsaid is a bi-weekly podcast by The New Humanitarian, where we explore open secrets and uncomfortable conversations around the world's conflicts and disasters.   

Iyad Agha, a Syrian now living in Germany, has been working on his country's humanitarian crisis for nearly a decade. The United Nations itself recently said that “Syria is in danger of being forgotten”, while noting that the country is facing the highest levels of humanitarian need since the start of its 13-year war. Some 7.2 million people have been forcibly displaced inside the country, and another 5.1 million are refugees in neighbouring countries. Türkiye is host to 3.3 million refugees who are increasingly subjected to harassment, not to mention arbitrary arrest, detention, and deportation by authorities. In this First Person account, he narrates his experiences as an aid worker in Türkiye, and laments how many times Syrians have had to rebuild their lives. The continuing conflict in Syria is featured in The New Humanitarian's annual list of ten crises that demand your attention now, which highlights places in the world where needs are rising, aid budgets have been cut or are insufficient, and where people feel forgotten by the international community. Over the coming months, our First Person series will feature aid workers and people affected by the crises on this year's list.  

A humanitarian crisis has unfolded in eastern Libya, after a major storm battered the region and destroyed two dams. About 10,000 people are missing and more than 5,000 are confirmed dead, after floods wiped away entire neighborhoods in the city of Derna. And, "The Listening Project," launched by The New Humanitarian, is inviting Yemenis from across the country and in the diaspora to talk about their own experiences of war and their daily lives. Also, later this month, Slovakia holds a parliamentary election that will have ramifications far beyond its borders. If the opinion polls are correct, it would mark the return of Robert Fico: a man who models himself on Viktor Orbán, Hungary's “alt-right” leader. Plus, China's tobacco problem.