25. Gotta Feed the Monkey

This conversation between host, Lars Peter Nissen and Pierrick Devidal, Senior Policy Adviser at the Law, Policy and Humanitarian Diplomacy Division at ICRC debates on whether the sector’s excitement about AI is a progressive step or a dangerous diversion.We discuss ethical considerations and the potential for tech to overshadow fundamental humanitarian principles. How do we distinguish meaningful innovation from harmful overreliance? What are the pitfalls of datafication and AI fixation in humanitarian efforts, and when should we not take part in the race? Join this conversation that  seeks to navigate strategies for evaluating AI technologies for real added value in humanitarian efforts. 

In this thought-provoking episode, host Lars Peter Nissen and guest Sarah Spencer, Consultant specialized in AI explore the complex relationship between AI and humanitarian aid. They discuss the critical issues of transparency in AI-driven decision-making, the management of digital identities of aid recipients, and the ethical aspects of using AI to find ‘legitimate’ targets in conflict zones.The conversation wraps up with Spencer’s brighter and grimmer envisioned scenarios of how the digital integration in humanitarian work could look two years from now, emphasizing the need for technology to serve humanity in ethical and empowering ways.Listen in and check the pulse of the evolving role of technology in humanitarian efforts.Also check out the last episode with Sarah and Lars Peter from 2021. Listen here: https://trumanitarian.org/episodes/arms-race-for-data/

William Shoki is the Chief Editor of Africa is a Country. In this conversation with Lars Peter Nissen he discusses the western media's narratives of Africa and the political impact of such.A key point of the discussion is South Africa's groundbreaking case filed against Israel to the ICC. William reflects how it relates to South African history and stance of doing the right thing over economic interest.

Discover how Poetic Unity is transforming norms with healing and powerful poetry. Poetic Unity addresses mental health, community cohesion, and challenges traditional societal expectations of masculinity. Join us as we dive into a refreshing conversation about the potential for creativity and vulnerability to revolutionize humanitarian work and leadership.Don't miss your opportunity to dream into this episode and reflect if these unconventional approaches can lead to profound changes in the international humanitarian sector.

Hugo Slim is one of the best known and most interesting thinkers in the humanitarian space. He works at Univeristy of Oxford on the ethics and practice of humanitarian action and currently focus on answering the question “What is Climate Humanitarianism?” In this conversation with Lars Peter Nissen, Hugo discusses how we should define and prioritise humanitarian needs. The two papers that form the basis of the conversation can be found here:How should we define and prioritise humanitarian need?Painful Choices: How Humanitarians Can Prioritize in a World of Rising Need - A Conversation Starter for the Climate Emergency

Tech to the rescue (TTTR) is based on the simple idea, that the tech sector, just like most law firms, should do pro-bono work. So they have built a platform where non-profits and tech companies can be matched - a Tinder platform for social impact, where non-profits and tech companies can swipe right.In this frank conversations TTTR CEO Jacek Siadkowski and Trumanitarian host Lars Peter Nissen explore:How to connect tech companies with nonprofits to innovate together and bridge the technological gap for good, emphasizing the potential for technology to scale up the impact of nonprofit organizations.The frustrations and limitations within the humanitarian sector, particularly around funding, engagement, and the scalability of interventions. The potential impact of SMEs in the tech and nonprofit sectors and how large organizations often receive the majority of resources and attention, while SME and mid-sized NGOs has an undervalued role to play in responding to crises and implementing innovative solutions.The importance of digital preparedness for crisis response and the transformative power of technology in addressing urgent humanitarian needs.

Sarah Boukhary works with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue on the peace process in Yemen. Yemen is not only one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world, it is also at the very bottom of statistics on gender equality. So what is it like to be a woman, speaking up for peace, in the midst of a very male dominated world? How do we decolonize the aid sector, what's the problem with traffic culture in Sanaa, and why is chewing qat important? These are the some of the questions Sarah covers in this powerful conversation with Lars Peter Nissen.

This episode is a recording of the closing panel of the Humanitarian Xchange (Hx) conference which took place in London on 20 February 2024. The panel participants are: Harpinder Athwal Collacott, CEO of Mercy Corps Europe, Francis Iwa, Co-founder and Executive Director of CAFOMI, Jacek Siadkowski, CEO of Tech to the Rescue (TTTR) and Andrew Jackson, professor of Global and Imperial History, University of Oxford. The panel was moderated by Lars Peter Nissen, Director of ACAPS and host of Trumanitarian . 

This is the second episode of two on the issue of Housing, Land and Property (HLP) in a humanitarian context. The Episodes are co-hosted by: Alexandre Corriveau-Bourque, Co-Founder of Verent Solutions. and Trumanitarian's usual host Lars Peter Nissen.This weeks guests are:For Puerto Rico: Dr. Ana Christina Gomez Perez, a professor at the School of Law at the University of Puerto Rico and an advisor to Habitat for Humanity in Puerto Rico.Community Land Trusts featured by: Habitat for Humanity Puerto Rico, the Land Trust Alliance, and World Habitat.For Ukraine: Yuliya Panfil – Director of the Future of Land and Housing Program at the New America Foundation. Their report : Can Ukraine Transform Post-Crisis Property Compensation and Reconstruction? Other relevant articles in Foreign Policy, and Slate.Global Progress on the recognition of Indigenous and Local Community Land RightsConference on Housing Land and Property in Crises: A Dialogue on Community and Collective Land – April 02-04, 2024, University of San Juan, Puerto Rico 

This is the first of two episodes on the issue of Housing, Land and Property (HLP) in a humanitarian context. The Episodes are co-hosted by: Alexandre Corriveau-Bourque, Co-Founder of Verent Solutions. and Trumanitarians usual host Lars Peter Nissen.The guests in Part 1 are: Irantzu Serra Lasa, the Senior Director for Disaster Risk Reduction and Response from Habitat for Humanity International, Ibere Lopes the Housing land and Property Advisor for the Global Shelter Cluster and Shezane Kirubi, a Housing land and Property specialist with IOM Somalia.For more information on the Conference Series on HLP in Crisis Contexts which is discussed in the episode see Outcomes from Inaugural Global Conference in 2023.  The next conference will be the Dialogue on Community Land Trusts for Disaster Resilience and Humanitarian Responses - April 2-4 2024, in Puerto Rico. Second Global Conference on HLP in Crisis Contexts - May 15-17, 2024, in Washington DC. For information about any of these conferences contact Juli King – [email protected] learn more about the work in Somalia see The Danwadaag Initiative.