Talking Humanitarianism

How can we best provide education to children and young people displaced by conflict and natural disasters around the world? In what ways can education be tailored to meet unique needs? How can educational approaches be adapted to foster resilience?  In this episode, Dr. Ritesh Shah (Senior Lecturer, University of Auckland) joins Işınsu Acar for a thought-provoking conversation on the emergence of the education in emergencies community. Employing an interdisciplinary and critical lens to analyse prevailing norms and key players orchestrating educational response, Dr. Shah discusses alternative epistemologies and ontologies that disrupt mainstream discourses and practices reproducing ‘Othering’. The episode also takes a look behind the scenes of curriculum design and reform in peace education, providing a nuanced understanding of the complexities involved in striking a delicate balance between immediate needs and sustainable, long-term solutions. The discussion concludes with an emphasis on the principles of independence, inclusivity and accountability as pathways to building a resilient and inclusive educational landscape. Find more resources on this topic on our website here.

Localisation of humanitarian action calls for better inclusion of local actors and affected populations in all phases of the humanitarian response. In this episode, Arbie Baguios, a researcher and the founder of Aid Re-imagined shares his insights on the challenges and ethics associated with the localisation agenda. This is the second in a two-part series on this topic. Listen to the first part here. The discussion is part of a series on ethics in humanitarian action initiated by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and the Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies (NCHS), in collaboration with the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) and the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict (ELAC). It relates to the project Red Lines and Grey Zones: Exploring the Ethics of Humanitarian Negotiations, led by Kristoffer Lidén.

Since the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, localisation, in the form of engaging or empowering local responders to deliver humanitarian assistance, has been firmly on the agenda. To gain a better understanding of the challenges and ethics of localisation, this discussion explores the dynamics that unfold between local and international actors of humanitarian response. Can humanitarian action remain impartial and neutral when it is localised? Is localisation primarily a moral issue or a political or economic one? How ethically do international donor governments and international humanitarian organisations behave in their relationships with local partner organisations and communities? Held in September 2023, this is the first in a two-part series on this topic. The speakers involved in the discussion are Kristina Roepstorff (Peace Research Institute Oslo, PRIO), John Ede (Ohaha Family Foundation), Sulagna Maitra (University College Dublin) and Ed Schenkenberg (HERE-Geneva). The roundtable was organised by Kristoffer Lidén (PRIO) and Dennis Dijkzeul (Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict, IFHV). This discussion is part of a series on the ethics of humanitarian action initiated by PRIO and the Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies in collaboration with IFHV and the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict. It relates to the project Red Lines and Grey Zones: Exploring the Ethics of Humanitarian Negotiations, led by Kristoffer Lidén at PRIO.

Please be aware this episode discusses the topics of suicide and sexual abuse. Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesvos has come to symbolise the failure of modern European refugee policy. After the notorious camp burned to the ground in September 2020, a new and supposedly safer and temporary camp was built to house refugees seeking asylum in Europe. Three years on, how is life in the ‘new Moria’? In this episode, Heidi Mogstad talks to psychologist for Doctors Without Borders, Katrin Glatz Brubakk, about her recent mission to Lesvos and impressions from assisting children and adults in the so-called Moria 2.0. Katrin describes the increasing isolation and surveillance experienced by people living in the camp and examines the gendered harms and short- and long-term psychological impact of being contained, constantly on alert and feeling unwanted. Together Heidi and Katrin also discuss the increasing criminalisation of humanitarian work, European exceptionalism and humanitarian racism. Katrin Glatz Brubakk is a child psychologist specialising in trauma and Assistant Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Katrin is an experienced field worker with Doctors Without Borders, where she has worked with refugees in Greece and Egypt. Katrin teaches externally about experiences of working in the field, mental health in refugee populations, cultural differences in psychological work and trauma-based care. Together with journalist and author Guro Kulset Mekerås, Katrin has written the book Moria 2015-2022: Inside Europe's largest refugee camp (Press, 2023). Heidi Mogstad is a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway, where her research explores people’s lived experiences and contestations of border policies, humanitarianism and war. Heidi has a PhD in social anthropology from the University of Cambridge. Her doctoral fieldwork followed a Norwegian volunteer organisation's humanitarian and political work at home and abroad in Moria and other refugee camps in Greece for 18 months. Her forthcoming book builds on this research and is titled Humanitarian Shame and Redemption: Norwegian Citizens Helping Refugees in Greece (Berghahn Books 2023).

Reflections from outgoing Permanent Representative of the IFRC to the African Union, Mr. Itonde Kakoma, in conversation with Dr. Salla Turunen, International Relations specialist. In this episode Dr. Salla Turunen and Itonde Kakoma reflect on how the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is situated within the humanitarian landscape, particularly with regards to humanitarian diplomacy. They also discuss multilateral engagement in the context of the establishment of the new African Humanitarian Agency and what this means for the future of humanitarian diplomacy. As Itonde prepares to leave his role with the IFRC and take up the presidency of Interpeace, their conversation then explores the synergies and differences between humanitarian diplomacy and peace diplomacy and mediation. Itonde Kakoma is a highly experienced practitioner in peace mediation, conflict resolution and humanitarian diplomacy. At the time of recording in September 2023, Itonde was the outgoing Permanent Representative of the IFRC to the African Union and International Organisations, where he also served as the focal point and coordinator for global humanitarian diplomacy at IFRC. From 2 October 2023, Itonde took up the role of President at Interpeace. Prior to the IFRC he has also had roles with CMI — Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, including as its Director for Global Strategy, and with The Carter Center in its Conflict Resolution Program. Dr. Salla Turunen is an International Relations specialist with a combined practitioner and researcher background with the United Nations. As social science researcher, Salla has published a number of articles on humanitarian diplomacy, which have been widely accessed across scholarly, practitioner and policy audiences. Currently, she is the Manager at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) at its Centre for Women, Peace and Security, and the UKRI GCRF Gender, Justice and Security Hub.

In this episode, Amali Tower, Executive Director and Founder of Climate Refugees, delivers her keynote address titled ‘Living in a changing climate: Dynamics of forced migration and displacement’ to open the NCHS Humanitarian Futures conference held in Oslo on 7 June 2023. In her address, Amali provides a landscape view of forced displacement today and the role climate change plays in driving migration and displacement. She discusses how and where climate in some of the world's poorest places intersects with underlying vulnerabilities to increase climate-driven displacement and leads to loss and damage for frontline communities. Amali provides case study examples to demonstrate why solutions require a climate justice approach to support populations disproportionately at-risk. The “Climate Change is Controlling Everything, Let Them Compensate Us”: Stories of Loss and Damage in Kenya report by Climate Refugees is based on site visits conducted by Amali in 10 distinct locations in the Great Rift Valley late last year as well as discussions with nearly 100 affected people. Prolonged drought and major flooding of lakes are causing displacement, human rights losses, and development setbacks for some of Kenya’s most marginalised and climate-vulnerable communities, who are often overlooked by existing policies, funding arrangements, and humanitarian interventions.

In this episode, humanitarian practitioner and researcher Simon Robins joins Işınsu Acar for a conversation on the shortcomings, boundaries, trends and evolution in the operationalisation of justice within humanitarianism. Based on his broad experience in Africa and Asia relating to humanitarian protection, human rights and transitional justice, Simon provides a detailed account of engagement strategies with traditional actors and offers an interrogation of the tension between local dynamics and global politics over accountability and respect. The episode concludes with a special focus on the case of missing migrants in the Mediterranean. Simon Robins has spent 15 years as a consultant to United Nations agencies and international NGOs, including UNHCR, UNRWA, UN Women, Save the Children UK, International Committee of the Red Cross, Norwegian Refugee Council, International Organisation for Migration, International Coalition for Sites of Conscience, and International Center for Transitional Justice. Beyond his consultative role in monitoring and evaluation of policy and programs regarding protection and rule of law, Simon researches legacies of violence after conflict and emancipatory approaches driven by victims. Simon is a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Applied Human Rights at the University of York and a Research Advisor to the Red Cross/Red Crescent Missing Persons Centre.

Digital technologies like mobiles, biometric devices, wearables, drones, big data and AI carry significant potential for enhancing the capacity of humanitarian agencies and the efficacy of humanitarian assistance. Yet, the reliance on digital systems and data in humanitarian crises also involves substantial risks. What are the risks of digital technologies in humanitarian action and what responsibilities are attached? How do humanitarian agencies and donors manage these risks? These questions were explored by a range of researchers involved in the “Do no harm: Ethical humanitarian innovation and digital bodies” research project at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). Held on 19 June 2023, this is the fifth in a series of discussions on the ethics of humanitarian action. The series is initiated by PRIO and the Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies in collaboration with the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) and the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict (ELAC). It relates to the project “Red lines and grey zones: Exploring the ethics of humanitarian negotiations,” led by Kristoffer Lidén at PRIO.

This episode features a conversation between Kristoffer Lidén (Senior Researcher, Peace Research Institute Oslo) and Jan Egeland (Secretary-General, Norwegian Refugee Council, NRC) on the topic of humanitarian negotiations. Egeland has longstanding experience with humanitarian negotiations - both as Secretary-General of the NRC and from work on humanitarian issues at the UN and other humanitarian agencies. The conversation starts with the recent negotiations of the NRC regarding women aid workers in Afghanistan (see also episodes 18 and 16 on this topic). The discussion then turns to the history of humanitarian negotiations in general and Egeland’s role in promoting this agenda as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator in the early 2000s. Finally, Egeland shares more about his role as Special Adviser to the UN Special Envoy for Syria on humanitarian affairs, leading high-level negotiations on multiple fronts. This episode is part of a series of discussions on ethics in humanitarian action, relating to the research project “Red lines and grey zones: Exploring the ethics of humanitarian negotiations”, led by Kristoffer Lidén.

What was the role of moral duties in Western responses to Covid-19? How were vaccines distributed globally by states and pharmaceutical companies? And which lessons can be drawn for the ethics of humanitarian action? These are questions that were discussed in this conversation between Simon Reid-Henry and Jonathan Wolff, with comments by Antoine de Bengy Puyvallée and Kristoffer Lidén. The conversation is an output from the research project ⁠Co-duties: Democratic duties, collective action, and the greater good after Covid-19⁠. Held on 28 April 2023, this is the fourth in a series of discussions on the ethics of humanitarian action. The series is initiated by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and the Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies in collaboration with the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) and the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict (ELAC). It relates to the project Red Lines and Grey Zones: Exploring the Ethics of Humanitarian Negotiations, led by Kristoffer Lidén at PRIO.