Why emergency education saves lives | Rethinking Humanitarianism
The New Humanitarian
When aid funding is tight, education is often cut first. But schools offer more than just learning, and communities say education is their priority. “We have to believe that survival means more than just breathing,” says emergency education expert Faiza Hassan. On this episode: Why disrupted schooling is the norm as climate change worsens, and the argument for prioritising education in an era of aid cuts. Guests: Faiza Hassan, director of the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies Got a question or feedback? Email podcast@thenewhumanitarian.org or post on social...
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What’s behind the COP climate circus | Rethinking Humanitarianism
The New Humanitarian
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...
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How to make people care? Emergency aid’s marketing problem | Rethinking Humanitarianism
The New Humanitarian
Global polls show citizens in many countries want their governments to fund humanitarian aid. But the US and other nations have gutted aid departments or shrunk budgets – with little public pushback. Has the aid sector gotten too wonky to connect with the public? On the podcast: Emergency aid’s marketing problem, and ideas to win the battle for attention. Guests: Sana Bég, executive director, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Canada Dr. Polly Pallister-Wilkins, political geographer and associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the...
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The global backlash on gender rights | Rethinking Humanitarianism
The New Humanitarian
The backlash against women’s and LGBTIQI+ rights is growing – part of an organised movement that goes beyond one country or one president. But as Saskia Brechenmacher says on the latest episode of Rethinking Humanitarianism, concerned people – including civil society and non-governmental organisations – can take steps to counter the threats. Guests: Saskia Brechenmacher, senior fellow in the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. ____ Got a question or feedback? Email podcast@thenewhumanitarian.org or post on social media...
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The aid sector’s LGBTQI+ blindspot | Rethinking Humanitarianism
The New Humanitarian
Global funding cuts are worsening emergency aid’s weaknesses when it comes to the LGBTQI+ community. The Trump administration is explicitly targeting trans people. And gender-related programming is among the first to be cut as humanitarian groups scale back. But there are steps humanitarians can take today – even amid widespread budget cuts – to better respond to the needs of LGBTQI+ people in emergencies. Guests: Emily Dwyer, co-founder of the humanitarian and development organisation, Edge Effect. Jasmin Lilian Diab, director of the Institute for Migration Studies at the...
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UNGA Event | Dispatches from the future
The New Humanitarian
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...
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Bonus: Rethinking UNGA | Rethinking Humanitarianism
The New Humanitarian
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...
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The UN’s 20th-century diplomacy for 21st-century problems | Rethinking Humanitarianism
The New Humanitarian
As world leaders gather for the 80th UN General Assembly, we’re digging into the past to illuminate the present. What UN reforms are needed? Historian Thant Myint-U talks about how the UN became sidetracked from genuine multilateralism, where it should focus, and why the selection of the next secretary-general in 2026 is crucial. Guest: Thant Myint-U, historian and author of “Peacemaker: U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World.” ____ Got a question or feedback? Email podcast@thenewhumanitarian.org or post on social media using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism. ____ SHOW...
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Event | What should humanitarian actors do to stop the genocide in Gaza?
The New Humanitarian
As the genocide in Gaza continues, humanitarian organisations face mounting pressure and unprecedented constraints. Famine has been declared, access remains heavily restricted, and international mechanisms have failed to prevent mass civilian suffering. Frustration is growing across the sector – with some questioning whether traditional humanitarian approaches are fit for purpose in the face of atrocity crimes. This event brought together humanitarian leaders, legal experts, and Palestinian voices to reflect on the urgent question: What should humanitarian actors do to stop the genocide in...
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The UN and the crisis of liberalism | Rethinking Humanitarianism
The New Humanitarian
When is the UN a force for good, and when is it a fig leaf? CEO Tammam Aloudat speaks with Mark Leon Goldberg and Anjali Dayal – hosts of the podcast To Save Us From Hell – about the global rise in illiberalism. They discuss the crisis of how liberalism is practiced, what it means for the future of humanitarianism, and what a better way forward might look like. Guests: Mark Leon Goldberg, editor-in-chief of UN Dispatch, host of Global Dispatches and co-host of To Save Us From Hell Anjali Dayal, author, assistant professor of international politics at Fordham University, and co-host...
info_outline“We constantly urge each other to remain tender toward one another”.
Our First Person narratives dig into the humanity of humanitarian challenges. In this episode, Nour ElAssy, a poet and writer, reflects on a year since Israel began a total war against the entirety of the Gaza Strip and its population. From Deir al-Balah, where she now lives with 27 other family members after fleeing her home on 7 October last year, she contemplates “what it means to have a family, to be a human, and to support each other selflessly”.
Read Nour’s story: Amid all the darkness: How kindness helped me survive one year of Israel’s genocide in Gaza
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.