The New Humanitarian

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. 

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 aid in high‑conflict contexts like South Sudan and Gaza. In this follow‑up discussion, Beatrice Lindstrom – co‑author of a recent policy brief on the rise of privatised, militarised, and politicised aid actors – puts Fogbow in the larger context of these emerging actors, and examines why their growing "subsumption" of humanitarian roles is worth paying attention to. Guests Beatrice Lindstrom, senior clinical instructor at Harvard Law School's International Human Rights Clinic; co-author of "The New Humanitarian Actors: Politicization, Corporatization, and Militarization in the Aid Sector" Key moments [04:54] – Private companies taking over core humanitarian roles [07:08] – Profit motive, militarisation, and neutrality concerns [10:41] – "Grey zone of accountability" [13:05] – Access vs. impact [18:31] – Efficiency is not enough [23:58] – Legal guardrails and accountability gaps [32:57] – At the cusp of an "aid for profit" trend 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. 

When private companies employ former military personnel and work with controversial political actors in the name of humanitarian aid, should they still follow humanitarian principles? And who holds them accountable? This episode tackles the rise of privatised, militarised, and politicised players in the humanitarian landscape. Guests Brook Jerue, CEO of Fogbow Key moments [06:31] – What makes Fogbow different from traditional humanitarian actors? [15:09] – The Gaza maritime corridor and US backing. [18:47] – "I don't think you can operate in a vacuum without political or economic pressure on any aid" [38:41] – "We're a private company . We're not an NGO." [45:57] – Fogbow's finances [51:06] – Did people refuse aid airdropped by Fogbow in South Sudan? [56:50] – "Why is everybody so infatuated with Fogbow?" 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.