The New Humanitarian

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 complexity of the humanitarian system and what makes it shift.
His conclusion? It changes the wrong way around.
"We've tended to evolve not through trial and error, but through error and trial. So we respond to what goes wrong, we absorb the shock through processes which are often very painful, and then we return to something that's not too far removed from what we had before."
In this first collaborative episode between Rethinking Humanitarianism and Start Network, hosts Tammam Aloudat and Christina Bennett set the stage for a series that explores how the humanitarian system can change for the better as it faces a crisis of legitimacy and funding.
Guests
Ben Ramalingam, author of Aid on the Edge of Chaos
Nadine Saba, president of the Akkar Network for Development
Key moments
07:11 – "Error and trial" and doing the right thing too late
11:18 – Was the Grand Bargain ever really "grand"? 
21:13 – Reforming policies vs changing mindsets 
23:30 – Cash as a disruptive force 
36:06 – How systemic change actually happens (in three steps)
43:23 – "People don't care about our jargon" 
50:18 – Fear, funding, and the myth of neutrality 
53:13 – If the system is so misaligned, why keep it? 
59:31 – Tammam and Christina discuss why this podcast collaboration came to be
Got a question or feedback? Email podcast@thenewhumanitarian.org 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.

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 critic Sana Saeed, digs into the framing of the genocide and wars in the Middle East with the goal of drawing lessons that could be applicable to a wide range of crises.
Decolonise How? is a new podcast by The New Humanitarian that examines the stories we tell about humanitarian crises.

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 Crombie and journalist Chika Oduah encourage "uncomfortable conversations" to confront colonial legacies. 
"Really, what we're talking about is about acknowledging power and making efforts to undermine existing power structures," Crombie says. 
Decolonise How? is a new podcast by The New Humanitarian that examines the stories we tell about humanitarian crises.

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 the people at the heart of these crises tell their own stories, and could it influence the systems that shape their lives? The New Humanitarian hosted a night of film and conversation with journalists, artists, and cultural funders to explore these very questions.
This event was moderated by Eric Reidy, Migration and Special Coverage Editor at The New Humanitarian, and featured:
Bridgit Antoinette Evans | Artist, culture change strategist, and CEO of the Pop Culture Collaborative
Arian Moayed | Actor, writer, director, and co-Founder of Waterwell
Mazin Sidahmed | Co-Founder and Executive Director, Documented
Annie Slemrod | Journalist, storyteller, and Middle East Editor at The New Humanitarian
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This event was presented in partnership with the New York Office of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

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 better for the communities they serve, with Levis Nderitu, a Kenyan DEI specialist, and Marie-Rose Romain Murphy, a Haitian-American community development expert. 
"At the core of your communication should be people, should be dignity, should be: how would I want to be portrayed myself?"
Decolonise How? is a new podcast by The New Humanitarian that examines the stories we tell about humanitarian crises.