The New Humanitarian

Why the WFP cyber-attack matters | Rethinking Humanitarianism

The cyber-attack on the World Food Programme that exposed the sensitive information of nearly all of Gaza's population has implications far beyond one breach. "We're ta

What Palestinians want for Gaza's future | Rethinking Humanitarianism

Three years into Israel's genocide in Gaza, the US-led Board of Peace is already trying to determine the strip's future reconstruction plans. But what about the more than

What we've learned about how change happens | Rethinking Humanitarianism

The humanitarian system isn't short on identity crises, soul-searching, and reform promises. So why does a system so good at diagnosing its problems struggle to change?

Should humanitarianism return to its activist roots? | Rethinking Humanitarianism

Can embracing activism inspire public support for aid, and rejuvenate humanitarianism itself? Today's guests explain why – and how – humanitarians should go from advocacy

Will aid-for-hire become the new normal? | Rethinking Humanitarianism

In the previous episode, Fogbow CEO Brook Jerue questioned why the aid sector was so "infatuated" and critical of his company – a small private American firm delivering a

The rise of privatised aid: A conversation with Fogbow | Rethinking Humanitarianism

When private companies employ former military personnel and work with controversial political actors in the name of humanitarian aid, should they still follow humanitaria

Grassroots aid is here to disturb the system | Rethinking Humanitarianism

For Fanta Toure, community-led crisis response efforts like mutual aid are not an emergent movement as some in the international aid system see it, but rather a return "t

Somalia's plan to break free from aid dependence | Rethinking Humanitarianism

For Abdihakim Ainte, a senior Somali government official, the international humanitarian system's sudden contraction has been both a "cataclysmic" shock – with devastatin

Will big donors "smell the coffee" or get left behind? | Rethinking Humanitarianism

Less than a year ago, Colum Wilson left his position at the helm of the humanitarian department in one of the world's largest donor governments. After more than two dec

Error and trial: What really makes the humanitarian system change? | Rethinking Humanitarianism

Humanitarianism evolves, whether the system is ready or not. This six-episode series explores how. Ben Ramalingam has spent 20 years thinking and writing about the comp

Lessons on media ethics from the Middle East | Decolonise How?

What are we getting right, what are we getting wrong, and how could we do better? A recent live webinar hosted by Patrick Gathara, with historian Assal Rad and media crit

How to change reporting | Decolonise How?

We've diagnosed the problem. What comes next? On the podcast: what it takes to change how crises are spoken about in newsrooms and aid organisations. Researcher Jess Cr

Event | Who owns the narrative?

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

Crisis comms: donations vs. dignity | Decolonise How?

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 b

Event | Humanitarianism in the West Bank

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 sufferi

Decolonising the newsroom | Decolonise How?

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 exper

Diaspora aid: the lifeline we don't talk about enough | Rethinking Humanitarianism

Every year, people in the diaspora send hundreds of billions of dollars home. It is one of the single most important streams of assistance, far outweighing all official f

Who gets to tell the story? | Decolonise How?

Does it really matter whether a journalist is a local or a foreigner? The distinction between "local" or "international" journalists raises questions about trust, credibi

What it means for humanitarians to be political | Rethinking Humanitarianism

Saving lives is a choice, and that makes it hard for humanitarianism to be completely apolitical despite long-running debates about neutrality and impartiality. But what

Ethical principles vs institutional realities | Decolonise How?

In the latest Decolonise How? podcast, we ask whether ethical journalism is possible when individual ideals collide with institutional realities. "In school, we are taugh