The New Humanitarian

For Benjamin Davis, the senior FAO official who lost his job recently for speaking up about famine and genocide in Gaza, the last three years have been exhausting. "We were constantly on the edge, trying to figure out what we could say and what we couldn't say. How far could we push, and how far couldn't we push," says Davis, "and as a result, we did self-censor ourselves." In this episode, Davis reflects on the professional cost of speaking up about Gaza, the pressures driving self-censorship in the UN, and how aid workers can stand by their principles. Guest: Benjamin Davis, former head of FAO's Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division Key moments [05:53] — Why the FAO ousted Benjamin Davis [15:57] — The FAO Director-General's threat to fire more staff [20:14] — The quiet creep of self-censorship [31:39] — The contradiction of being apolitical in a political world [41:52] — Speak up or stay silent?  [44:08] — "I would absolutely do it again" ____ Got a question or feedback? Email [email protected] or post on social media using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism.

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 talking about a huge honeypot that can be exploited, hacked, and used potentially even to kill people," says Marwa Fatafta of the digital rights group Access Now. She points to Israel's previous use of data to target and kill Palestinians using AI targeting systems. In this episode, we do a deep dive into what may be the world's largest breach of humanitarian data to date and connect the dots to bigger picture trends: state surveillance, the rush for AI solutions, the pursuit of people's data, and corporate tech partnerships with Palantir and other companies. Guests:  Marwa Fatafta, MENA policy and advocacy director at Access Now Irwin Loy, senior policy editor at The New Humanitarian Key moments [02:28] – The breach timeline [14:50] – The wider context of Israeli surveillance [36:25] – Why the stakes are high [43:47] – What WFP should have done [46:27] – Palantir and the growing tech-humanitarian partnership  [55:01] – Is the tech worth the risk? [1:03:27] – Accountability: a key role for donors ____ Got a question or feedback? Email [email protected] or post on social media using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism.

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 two million Palestinians who call the Gaza Strip home? And the many more Palestinians living in the West Bank or exiled in the diaspora? Our editor Eric Reidy sets the scene for what's been happening since last year's so-called ceasefire, and then we hear a collage of Palestinian voices. They discuss the reconstruction conversations happening without them, what they want for the future of Gaza, and what the humanitarian system should do to support that vision. Guests: Rasha Abou Jalal, author and journalist  Amir Abu Qasim, student Nour ElAssy, poet and writer Shahed ElAssy, law student  Shahd Hammouri, lecturer at the University of Kent Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam's Global Humanitarian Policy Lead Eric Reidy, The New Humanitarian's Migration & Special Coverage Editor ____ Got a question or feedback? Email [email protected] or post on social media using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism.

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? This final episode of Rethinking Humanitarianism and Start Network's collaborative series examines the financial and political roadblocks preventing change, why diversifying who humanitarians feel accountable to could lead to progress, the reality that change is already happening in myriad ways outside the sector's reform attempts, and what humanitarians might learn from activist movements. Guests Kia Howson, researcher at Start Network Irwin Loy, senior policy editor at The New Humanitarian Key moments [04:40] – Why keep diagnosing the system if nothing changes?  [16:01] – "Aid is not a cause" – survival and dignity are [17:26] – From a humanitarian system to an ecosystem [22:43] – Diversify who humanitarians feel accountable to [32:11] – Who's filling the void? Local groups, private actors, and competing narratives [41:01] – What should be supported as the formal system recedes?  [55:44] – Listening and finding common ground in a polarised sector  [1:08:11] – "Change is an action," not just a commitment Got a question or feedback? Email [email protected] or post on social media using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism.  This episode was made in collaboration with Start Network as part of a series that explores what really drives change in the humanitarian system, and what it tells us about future efforts to transform the system for the better. 

Can embracing activism inspire public support for aid, and rejuvenate humanitarianism itself? Today's guests explain why – and how – humanitarians should go from advocacy to activism. Chloé Fiona Ludden resigned from a United Nations job and joined activists aboard The Handala, one of the dozens of vessels that tried to break Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip.  "When we think about activism, it's usually something that is depicted at the fringes, when for me, the flotilla is… actually enacting international humanitarian law," she says. Ludden and research fellow Philip Proudfoot join hosts Tammam Aloudat and Christina Bennett to examine the humanitarian system's activist roots and whether it should return to them. Guests Chloé Fiona Ludden, scientist and former United Nations staff; international coordinator for the Global Sumud flotilla Philip Proudfoot, Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies and the co-founder of the Accountability Archive Key moments [10:12] – Activism vs. advocacy  [15:15] – Leaving the UN to join the Gaza flotilla [28:43] – Why the system won't change  [35:40] – Is it humanitarianism or a protest? [51:30] – Solidarity and the need to redistribute sacrifice [1:01:30] – Is this the end of humanitarianism, or the beginning of a new one? Got a question or feedback? Email [email protected] or post on social media using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism. This episode was made in collaboration with Start Network as part of a series that explores what really drives change in the humanitarian system, and what it tells us about future efforts to transform the system for the better.