The New Humanitarian
176 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsThe New Humanitarian brings you an inside look at the conflicts and natural disasters that leave millions of people in need each year, and the policies and people who respond to them. Join TNH’s journalists in the aid policy hub of Geneva and in global hotspots to unpack the stories that are disrupting and shaping lives around the world.
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Episodes
Can blockchain help fix the I.D. problem for a billion people? | Fixing Aid
March 31, 2022 13:19 - 22 minutes - 31 MBIs there an efficient and secure way for refugees and others who have had to leave their homes and documents behind to establish and access digital I.D.s? In this episode of Fixing Aid, host Alae Ismail hears from a student who had to flee Sudan without I.D. papers and how that complicated his journey towards claiming asylum. She also speaks to two blockchain technology startups that are working in humanitarian environments to try to create secure methods to access identification. Guest...
How this Afghan-led business pivoted to emergency aid | Fixing Aid
March 17, 2022 08:00 - 24 minutes - 33.4 MBWhen you’re a member of the diaspora community, it can feel helpless watching a crisis unfold in your home country. In this episode of our podcast series, Fixing Aid, host Alae Ismail explores how a diaspora-led business turned global concern into emergency aid – delivered straight to families in the middle of Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis. Guest: Nasrat Khalid, founder of Aseel; Ihsan Hasaand, lead distributor Aseel
Finding better ways for people to give feedback | Fixing Aid
March 03, 2022 13:18 - 25 minutes - 35.8 MBWhy’s it so difficult for people who need aid to give feedback on what they’ve received – or what they really need? In the first episode of the new podcast series Fixing Aid, host Alae Ismail hears from individuals in Somalia, the Philippines, and Zambia about their frustrations, and explores how existing technologies are being used to address their concerns. Guests: Alex Carle, founder of Loop; Nanette Antequisa, executive director of Ecoweb.
Trailer: Fixing Aid
March 01, 2022 19:42 - 1 minute - 3.92 MBThe New Humanitarian is launching a new 6-episode podcast series exploring innovations across the emergency aid sector. Hosted by award-winning innovations expert Alae Ismail, each episode will focus on people, projects, organisations, or start-ups working in new and creative ways to improve the lives of those affected by conflict and disaster. We will, of course, also be speaking to people on the receiving end of aid, to hear directly about the innovations they think could make things bette...
An interview with the UN’s humanitarian chief | Rethinking Humanitarianism
January 26, 2022 17:05 - 50 minutes - 69.8 MBIn the final episode of Season 2 of the Rethinking Humanitarianism podcast, host Heba Aly sits down with UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths to discuss his priorities in the role, how he intends to address unequal power dynamics in the aid sector, the increasing influence of donors, and why humanitarians should push back against an ever-expanding scope of activity.
An interview with the UN’s humanitarian chief | RH S2E10
January 26, 2022 17:05 - 50 minutes - 69.8 MBIn the final episode of Season 2 of the Rethinking Humanitarianism podcast, host Heba Aly sits down with UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths to discuss his priorities in the role, how he intends to address unequal power dynamics in the aid sector, the increasing influence of donors, and why humanitarians should push back against an ever-expanding scope of activity.
What happens when the middle class falls into poverty? | RH S2E9
January 12, 2022 15:30 - 34 minutes - 32.3 MBAn economic crisis, compounded by COVID-19 and the 2020 Beirut port explosion, has left middle-class families in Lebanon without food, medicine, and fuel. They are now depending on NGOs to get by. In this episode, host Heba Aly looks at how humanitarians are being confronted with a new category of needs, and how it’s changing the way they have to respond. Guests: Maya Terro of FoodBlessed, Nana Ndeda of Save the Children
What happens when the middle class falls into poverty? | Rethinking Humanitarianism
January 12, 2022 15:30 - 34 minutes - 32.3 MBAn economic crisis, compounded by COVID-19 and the 2020 Beirut port explosion, has left middle-class families in Lebanon without food, medicine, and fuel. They are now depending on NGOs to get by. In this episode, host Heba Aly looks at how humanitarians are being confronted with a new category of needs, and how it’s changing the way they have to respond. Guests: Maya Terro of FoodBlessed, Nana Ndeda of Save the Children
Are volunteers the new face of humanitarian border aid response? | RH S2E8
December 22, 2021 13:24 - 35 minutes - 49.5 MBThe major part of the humanitarian response at the Poland-Belarus border is provided by volunteers. In this episode, host Heba Aly speaks to a Polish activist leading the voluntary humanitarians, and the UN Refugee Agency on their role when it comes to providing humanitarian assistance in Europe. Guests: Anna Alboth, Polish activist with Grupa Granica and the Minority Rights Group; Christine Goyer, Poland representative of UNHCR.
Are volunteers the new face of humanitarian border aid response? | Rethinking Humanitarianism
December 22, 2021 13:24 - 35 minutes - 49.5 MBThe major part of the humanitarian response at the Poland-Belarus border is provided by volunteers. In this episode, host Heba Aly speaks to a Polish activist leading the voluntary humanitarians, and the UN Refugee Agency on their role when it comes to providing humanitarian assistance in Europe. Guests: Anna Alboth, Polish activist with Grupa Granica and the Minority Rights Group; Christine Goyer, Poland representative of UNHCR.
Who will finance growing humanitarian needs? | Rethinking Humanitarianism
December 08, 2021 17:04 - 39 minutes - 54.6 MBTraditional funding can’t keep up with the growing amounts of humanitarian aid dollars needed to help people in crises around the world. In this episode, host Heba Aly speaks to three organisations who are meeting the funding crunch head-on by actively experimenting with different ways of financing their humanitarian programmes. Guests: Jahin Shams Sakkhar of Uttaran, Juan Coderque of the ICRC, John Kluge of Refugee Investment Network.
Who will finance growing humanitarian needs? | RH S2E7
December 08, 2021 17:04 - 39 minutes - 54.6 MBTraditional funding can’t keep up with the growing amounts of humanitarian aid dollars needed to help people in crises around the world. In this episode, host Heba Aly speaks to three organisations who are meeting the funding crunch head-on by actively experimenting with different ways of financing their humanitarian programmes. Guests: Jahin Shams Sakkhar of Uttaran, Juan Coderque of the ICRC, John Kluge of Refugee Investment Network.
Does peacebuilding need a rethink? | RH S2E6
November 24, 2021 13:39 - 35 minutes - 48.9 MBBig UN-led peace processes are struggling to address today’s more fragmented conflicts. In this episode, host Heba Aly explores whether hyper-local peace deals can be a viable alternative. Guests: Danjuma Dawop, local peacebuilder at Mercy Corps in Nigeria. Obi Anyadike, senior Africa editor at The New Humanitarian.
Does peacebuilding need a rethink? | Rethinking Humanitarianism
November 24, 2021 13:39 - 35 minutes - 48.9 MBBig UN-led peace processes are struggling to address today’s more fragmented conflicts. In this episode, host Heba Aly explores whether hyper-local peace deals can be a viable alternative. Guests: Danjuma Dawop, local peacebuilder at Mercy Corps in Nigeria. Obi Anyadike, senior Africa editor at The New Humanitarian.
The politicisation of aid in Ethiopia | Rethinking Humanitarianism
November 10, 2021 19:55 - 37 minutes - 51.4 MBIn this episode, TNH CEO and podcast host Heba Aly discusses the difficult balancing act for aid agencies that want to speak out against government abuses in Ethiopia but are worried about the consequences of doing so on their perceived neutrality and their ability to continue delivering assistance to those who need it. Guests: Addis Ababa-based journalist Samuel Getachew; Laura Hammond, professor of Development Studies at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), University of Londo...
The politicisation of aid in Ethiopia | RH S2E5
November 10, 2021 19:55 - 37 minutes - 51.4 MBIn this episode, TNH CEO and podcast host Heba Aly discusses the difficult balancing act for aid agencies that want to speak out against government abuses in Ethiopia but are worried about the consequences of doing so on their perceived neutrality and their ability to continue delivering assistance to those who need it. Guests: Addis Ababa-based journalist Samuel Getachew; Laura Hammond, professor of Development Studies at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), University of Londo...
NGO emissions: Greening the aid sector | RH SE4
October 27, 2021 15:13 - 42 minutes - 59.3 MBTo what extent are massive relief operations contributing to climate-related crises? In this episode, TNH CEO and podcast host Heba Aly discusses the findings of The New Humanitarian’s eight-month investigation into the size of the aid industry’s carbon footprint. We also hear from two aid organisations trying to green their operations. Guests: Journalist Léopold Salzenstein explains the TNH investigation. Kathrine Vad, climate change adviser at the ICRC, and André Krummacher, vice CEO ...
Reducing emissions in the aid sector | Rethinking Humanitarianism
October 27, 2021 15:13 - 42 minutes - 59.3 MBTo what extent are massive relief operations contributing to climate-related crises? In this episode, TNH CEO and podcast host Heba Aly discusses the findings of The New Humanitarian’s eight-month investigation into the size of the aid industry’s carbon footprint. We also hear from two aid organisations trying to green their operations. Guests: Journalist Léopold Salzenstein explains the TNH investigation. Kathrine Vad, climate change adviser at the ICRC, and André Krummacher, vice CEO ...
Reducing emissions in the aid sector | RH SE4
October 27, 2021 15:13 - 42 minutes - 59.3 MBTo what extent are massive relief operations contributing to climate-related crises? In this episode, TNH CEO and podcast host Heba Aly discusses the findings of The New Humanitarian’s eight-month investigation into the size of the aid industry’s carbon footprint. We also hear from two aid organisations trying to green their operations. Guests: Journalist Léopold Salzenstein explains the TNH investigation. Kathrine Vad, climate change adviser at the ICRC, and André Krummacher, vice CEO ...
Diversity in the aid sector | RH S2E3
October 13, 2021 15:50 - 49 minutes - 68.9 MBMore than a year after the renewed push for racial justice, what progress has the humanitarian aid sector made? Amid the 2020 global movement for racial justice, aid organisations were criticised for their lack of diversity and colonial structures. Many published statements promising to do better. What tangible progress has the humanitarian aid sector made more than a year after the push for racial justice? In this episode, TNH CEO and podcast host Heba Aly shares the outcomes of TNH q...
Diversity in the aid sector | Rethinking Humanitarianism
October 13, 2021 15:50 - 49 minutes - 68.9 MBMore than a year after the renewed push for racial justice, what progress has the humanitarian aid sector made? Amid the 2020 global movement for racial justice, aid organisations were criticised for their lack of diversity and colonial structures. Many published statements promising to do better. What tangible progress has the humanitarian aid sector made more than a year after the push for racial justice? In this episode, TNH CEO and podcast host Heba Aly shares the outcomes of TNH q...
RH S2E3 | Diversity in the aid sector
October 13, 2021 15:50 - 49 minutes - 68.9 MBMore than a year after the renewed push for racial justice, what progress has the humanitarian aid sector made? Amid the 2020 global movement for racial justice, aid organisations were criticised for their lack of diversity and colonial structures. Many published statements promising to do better. What tangible progress has the humanitarian aid sector made more than a year after the push for racial justice? In this episode, TNH CEO and podcast host Heba Aly shares the outcomes of TNH q...
TNH Special | Reflections of a humanitarian reporter
October 08, 2021 16:44 - 34 minutes - 47.6 MBCo-founder, former CEO and long-time editor Ben Parker is leaving The New Humanitarian after more than 25 years. In this special episode, host Heba Aly asks him to reflect on his years of humanitarian reporting.
A new approach to aid reform? | RH S2E2
September 29, 2021 15:51 - 54 minutes - 74.5 MBDespite many years of reforms, progress towards more inclusive, efficient, and accountable humanitarian aid has been slow. But new recommendations, based on three years of research by the Centre for Global Development, propose four ways to more fundamentally reform the underlying architecture of the aid system. In this episode of the Rethinking Humanitarianism podcast, host Heba Aly digs into proposed reforms to humanitarian accountability, coordination, financing, and governance. G...
RH S2E2 | A new approach to aid reform?
September 29, 2021 15:51 - 54 minutes - 74.5 MBDespite many years of reforms, progress towards more inclusive, efficient, and accountable humanitarian aid has been slow. But new recommendations, based on three years of research by the Centre for Global Development, propose four ways to more fundamentally reform the underlying architecture of the aid system. In this episode of the Rethinking Humanitarianism podcast, host Heba Aly digs into proposed reforms to humanitarian accountability, coordination, financing, and governance. G...
A new approach to aid reform? | Rethinking Humanitarianism
September 29, 2021 15:51 - 54 minutes - 74.5 MBDespite many years of reforms, progress towards more inclusive, efficient, and accountable humanitarian aid has been slow. But new recommendations, based on three years of research by the Centre for Global Development, propose four ways to more fundamentally reform the underlying architecture of the aid system. In this episode of the Rethinking Humanitarianism podcast, host Heba Aly digs into proposed reforms to humanitarian accountability, coordination, financing, and governance. G...
RH S2E1 | NGOs and counter-insurgency: The case of Afghanistan
September 15, 2021 11:57 - 47 minutes - 66.7 MBThe so-called war on terror has forever changed how aid is delivered in conflict zones, and Afghanistan is the perfect case study. In the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the withdrawal of US and NATO forces, many aid organisations have temporarily halted their operations or withdrawn non-essential international staff, just as Afghanistan’s many pre-existing crises are gearing up to become a humanitarian catastrophe. In the season two premiere of the Rethinking Humanitari...
NGOs and counter-insurgency: The case of Afghanistan | RH S2E1
September 15, 2021 11:57 - 47 minutes - 66.7 MBThe so-called war on terror has forever changed how aid is delivered in conflict zones, and Afghanistan is the perfect case study. In the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the withdrawal of US and NATO forces, many aid organisations have temporarily halted their operations or withdrawn non-essential international staff, just as Afghanistan’s many pre-existing crises are gearing up to become a humanitarian catastrophe. In the season two premiere of the Rethinking Humanitari...
NGOs and counter-insurgency: The case of Afghanistan | Rethinking Humanitarianism
September 15, 2021 11:57 - 47 minutes - 66.7 MBThe so-called war on terror has forever changed how aid is delivered in conflict zones, and Afghanistan is the perfect case study. In the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the withdrawal of US and NATO forces, many aid organisations have temporarily halted their operations or withdrawn non-essential international staff, just as Afghanistan’s many pre-existing crises are gearing up to become a humanitarian catastrophe. In the season two premiere of the Rethinking Humanitari...
TNH Special | Earthquake relief. Mexico. 2051
September 10, 2021 11:30 - 27 minutes - 39.1 MBA fictional take on tomorrow's disaster response - when cluster approaches, donor-funded appeals, and foreign-led responses are no longer part of humanitarian assistance. As read by the author, Malka Older. Produced by The New Humanitarian.
TNH Special: Earthquake relief. Mexico. 2051
September 10, 2021 11:30 - 27 minutes - 39.1 MBA fictional take on tomorrow's disaster response - when cluster approaches, donor-funded appeals, and foreign-led responses are no longer part of humanitarian assistance. As read by the author, Malka Older. Produced by The New Humanitarian.
Season 2 of Rethinking Humanitarianism
September 06, 2021 16:54 - 1 minute - 3.16 MBStarting September 15th, Rethinking Humanitarianism is back with new episodes exploring the future of aid.
Myanmar’s post-coup healthcare breakdown
March 25, 2021 21:00 - 8 minutes - 3.15 MBHIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, COVID-19, emergency care: Public health system ‘breakdown’ could cascade into a wider emergency, aid groups warn.
As trust fades, Indigenous groups in the Amazon race against time on vaccines
March 25, 2021 17:59 - 14 minutes - 5.28 MBVaccine doses are trickling in to the region’s COVID-19 hotspots, but there is deep mistrust of rollout efforts and worries over new variants.
RH Episode 10 | The magic wand episode
February 19, 2021 06:14 - 52 minutes - 98.9 MBIn every episode of the Rethinking Humanitarianism podcast, we ask our guests what they would do if they had millions of dollars – or perhaps a magic wand – to transform the way the world responds to people in need. We’ve heard a panoply of pitches: from politicians sleeping in refugee camps to a global fund for social protection, from networked humanitarianism to the merger of UN agencies. Now, as a wrap-up to our first season (don’t fret, we’ll be back), host Heba Aly puts these ideas ...
The magic wand episode | RH S1E10
February 19, 2021 06:14 - 52 minutes - 98.9 MBIn every episode of the Rethinking Humanitarianism podcast, we ask our guests what they would do if they had millions of dollars – or perhaps a magic wand – to transform the way the world responds to people in need. We’ve heard a panoply of pitches: from politicians sleeping in refugee camps to a global fund for social protection, from networked humanitarianism to the merger of UN agencies. Now, as a wrap-up to our first season (don’t fret, we’ll be back), host Heba Aly puts these ideas ...
The magic wand episode | Rethinking Humanitarianism
February 19, 2021 06:14 - 52 minutes - 98.9 MBIn every episode of the Rethinking Humanitarianism podcast, we ask our guests what they would do if they had millions of dollars – or perhaps a magic wand – to transform the way the world responds to people in need. We’ve heard a panoply of pitches: from politicians sleeping in refugee camps to a global fund for social protection, from networked humanitarianism to the merger of UN agencies. Now, as a wrap-up to our first season (don’t fret, we’ll be back), host Heba Aly puts these ideas ...
EVENT | Crises to Watch 2021
February 11, 2021 12:05 - 1 hour - 138 MBCOVID-19 dominated headlines in 2020. The pandemic shocked the world, exacerbating existing crises, overshadowing new ones, and creating all kinds of knock-on health, economic and social effects. Against the backdrop of 2020, what can we expect in the year ahead? What will be the continued fallout from COVID-19? What other crises and trends are on the horizon? For this online conversation, explored our annual Crises to Watch list and asked leading thinkers in the humanitarian space what ...
TNH Events | Crises to Watch 2021
February 11, 2021 12:05 - 1 hour - 138 MBCOVID-19 dominated headlines in 2020. The pandemic shocked the world, exacerbating existing crises, overshadowing new ones, and creating all kinds of knock-on health, economic and social effects. Against the backdrop of 2020, what can we expect in the year ahead? What will be the continued fallout from COVID-19? What other crises and trends are on the horizon? For this online conversation, explored our annual Crises to Watch list and asked leading thinkers in the humanitarian space what ...
RH Episode 9 | Inside the donor mindset
February 03, 2021 14:25 - 1 hour - 116 MBSo in this episode of Rethinking Humanitarianism, host Heba Aly sits down with donors to talk about humanitarian reform priorities from their vantage point – and how funding policies can be part of the problem. Aly, director of The New Humanitarian, talks with Michael Koehler, deputy director general of the European Commission’s humanitarian aid arm ECHO, and Ruairí De Búrca, director general of Irish Aid, to find out what it’s like to be in their shoes: what does the political econom...
Inside the donor mindset | RH S1E9
February 03, 2021 14:25 - 1 hour - 116 MBSo in this episode of Rethinking Humanitarianism, host Heba Aly sits down with donors to talk about humanitarian reform priorities from their vantage point – and how funding policies can be part of the problem. Aly, director of The New Humanitarian, talks with Michael Koehler, deputy director general of the European Commission’s humanitarian aid arm ECHO, and Ruairí De Búrca, director general of Irish Aid, to find out what it’s like to be in their shoes: what does the political econom...
Inside the donor mindset | Rethinking Humanitarianism
February 03, 2021 14:25 - 1 hour - 116 MBSo in this episode of Rethinking Humanitarianism, host Heba Aly sits down with donors to talk about humanitarian reform priorities from their vantage point – and how funding policies can be part of the problem. Aly, director of The New Humanitarian, talks with Michael Koehler, deputy director general of the European Commission’s humanitarian aid arm ECHO, and Ruairí De Búrca, director general of Irish Aid, to find out what it’s like to be in their shoes: what does the political econom...
Aid’s climate challenge | Rethinking Humanitarianism
January 20, 2021 16:02 - 48 minutes - 33.7 MBWhat is the role of a $25 billion humanitarian aid industry in a trillion dollar problem? The size of the challenge is well beyond the humanitarian system. So what kind of rethink is necessary for the way aid agencies work in the face of this impending threat? To answer that question, TNH Director Heba Aly is joined by Paul Knox Clarke, the former head of research at the humanitarian network ALNAP who is now heading up the Complex Humanitarian Crises initiative, and Donna Lagdameo, the s...
Aid’s climate challenge | RH S1E8
January 20, 2021 16:02 - 48 minutes - 33.7 MBWhat is the role of a $25 billion humanitarian aid industry in a trillion dollar problem? The size of the challenge is well beyond the humanitarian system. So what kind of rethink is necessary for the way aid agencies work in the face of this impending threat? To answer that question, TNH Director Heba Aly is joined by Paul Knox Clarke, the former head of research at the humanitarian network ALNAP who is now heading up the Complex Humanitarian Crises initiative, and Donna Lagdameo, the s...
RH Episode 8 | Aid’s climate challenge
January 20, 2021 16:02 - 48 minutes - 33.7 MBWhat is the role of a $25 billion humanitarian aid industry in a trillion dollar problem? The size of the challenge is well beyond the humanitarian system. So what kind of rethink is necessary for the way aid agencies work in the face of this impending threat? To answer that question, TNH Director Heba Aly is joined by Paul Knox Clarke, the former head of research at the humanitarian network ALNAP who is now heading up the Complex Humanitarian Crises initiative, and Donna Lagdameo, the s...
RH Episode 7 | Decolonising aid
January 06, 2021 17:36 - 49 minutes - 67.7 MBThe police killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and several other Black Americans forced many around the world to look introspectively and critically at systemic power imbalances. The aid sector was no exception, with growing calls for it to be decolonised. But movements often falter when it comes time for policy change. Now comes the hard part for both the humanitarian sector and for its critics. How does this dialogue begin to move from slogans to actual change?
Decolonising aid | Rethinking Humanitarianism
January 06, 2021 17:36 - 49 minutes - 67.7 MBThe police killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and several other Black Americans forced many around the world to look introspectively and critically at systemic power imbalances. The aid sector was no exception, with growing calls for it to be decolonised. But movements often falter when it comes time for policy change. Now comes the hard part for both the humanitarian sector and for its critics. How does this dialogue begin to move from slogans to actual change?
Decolonising aid | RH S1E7
January 06, 2021 17:36 - 49 minutes - 67.7 MBThe police killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and several other Black Americans forced many around the world to look introspectively and critically at systemic power imbalances. The aid sector was no exception, with growing calls for it to be decolonised. But movements often falter when it comes time for policy change. Now comes the hard part for both the humanitarian sector and for its critics. How does this dialogue begin to move from slogans to actual change?
RH Episode 6 | Multilateral reform
December 23, 2020 12:59 - 59 minutes - 81.2 MBAs we close out a year in which the UN marked its 75th anniversary, we’re taking a hard look at whether reform of multilateral agencies has a chance. Two guests with extensive backgrounds in diplomacy and international service are joining co-hosts Heba Aly and Jeremy Konyndyk on this sixth episode of Rethinking Humanitarianism, the podcast series exploring the future of aid. Fabrizio Hochschild-Drummond, UN under secretary general and special advisor on the UN 75th anniversary, looks at ...
Multilateral reform | RH S1E6
December 23, 2020 12:59 - 59 minutes - 81.2 MBAs we close out a year in which the UN marked its 75th anniversary, we’re taking a hard look at whether reform of multilateral agencies has a chance. Two guests with extensive backgrounds in diplomacy and international service are joining co-hosts Heba Aly and Jeremy Konyndyk on this sixth episode of Rethinking Humanitarianism, the podcast series exploring the future of aid. Fabrizio Hochschild-Drummond, UN under secretary general and special advisor on the UN 75th anniversary, looks at ...