Shows
Trumanitarian114. The Humanitarian ApeThis weeks guest is Gareth Owen OBE — Former Humanitarian Director at Save the Children UK (2007-2024). Gareth spent over three decades in the humanitarian sector, beginning his career in Somalia in 1993. He co-founded the START Network and served as Chair of the Humanitarian Leadership Academy. Awarded an OBE in 2013 for services to emergency crisis response abroad and holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Bath.The End of an Era The conversation explores what Gareth calls the "post-industrial phase" of humanitarianism—a sector that expanded dramatically in the first decades of the 21st century (peaking at $43 bill...
2026-01-1943 min
Trumanitarian113. The Fear FactorAs 2025 draws to a close, Trumanitarian host Lars Peter Nissen invites Meg Sattler, Adelina Kamal, and Thomas Byrnes to the Trumanitarian studio to reckon with a year that seems to have defied comprehension.The numbers tell one story: humanitarian funding has collapsed to 2016 levels, projected below $22.7 billion. This isn't a funding cycle dip but the structural unwinding of the post-Cold War peace dividend. As Western governments pivot from solidarity back to defence spending, a system built over decades is contracting in months—while the UN's humanitarian reset unfolds behind closed doors without clarity on what we're actually re...
2025-12-271h 09
Trumanitarian112. MathemagicianWigdan Seedahmed joins host Lars Peter Nissen for a conversation that drifts between code and Sudanese music, and into the quiet art of translating magic into data - without letting magic slip.Wigdan is not on autopilot. In a sector often dominated by compliance and performative intellect, she carries a rare kind of mind - one that doesn’t just react or repackage, but thinks. Her intelligence is quiet, original, and layered - the kind that allows her to interact within the wild, magical, messy reality without flattening it or abstracting herself from it. We ta...
2025-07-1159 min
Trumanitarian109. Decolini…what?In this special crossover episode, Lars Peter Nissen (Trumanitarian) and Carla Vitantonio (Living Decoloniality) sit down in Doha to explore the deep fault lines in humanitarian work — and why they’ve both turned to podcasting as a space for honest conversation.Carla unpacks the concept of decoloniality — the lingering structures, mindsets, and behaviors that survive long after formal colonialism ends. Together, they explore how power, bureaucracy, and hero narratives shape the humanitarian sector — and why we’re so often stuck tweaking language while avoiding the hard work of dismantling systems.They discuss the limits of reform, th...
2025-05-0950 min
Trumanitarian108. Elephant in the roomIn this episode of Trumanitarian, recorded on the sidelines of the Center for Humanitarian Leadership Conference in Doha, host Lars Peter Nissen sits down with two sector heavyweights: Sofía Sprechmann, former Secretary General of CARE International, and Amitabh Behar, Executive Director of Oxfam International. Together, they confront some of the humanitarian sector’s most uncomfortable truths.The aid sector is full of elephants—entrenched power dynamics, outdated models of partnership, performative reform, and organizations that may simply be too big to change. This conversation takes those challenges head by examining the Pledge for Change, a joint commi...
2025-04-2543 min
Trumanitarian105. PivotWe are at a pivotal moment for the humanitarian sector. The freeze of US foreign aid, the dismantling of USAID and aid cuts from a number of the major donors has sent shockwaves through the system.But how do we move forward and strike the balance between ensuring continuity of lifesaving humanitarian assistance while addressing serious and well-known issues with the existing humanitarian system – do we opt for reform or disruption?Dominik Stillhart is the the Head of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit and the Deputy Director of Swiss Development Cooperation and in this conversation wi...
2025-03-2835 min
Trumanitarian100. The Big ChillOver the past week, the 90-day freeze of US foreign assistance has sent a shockwave through the humanitarian and development communities.If you ask this weeks guests on Trumanitarian the crisis will not be over in three months - Harpinder Collacott, Michael Barnett, and Meg Sattler come to the conclusion that the consequences of the aid freeze will last for years. The real question is: as the old system fractures, what new models of humanitarian action will emerge?Meanwhile, communities are not idly waiting for external interventions. Can aid evolve to truly support them in...
2025-02-031h 04
Trumanitarian94. Members OnlyThe Humanitarian Club - members only!Is the humanitarian sector run by an elite network that controls the vast majority of resources and power within the sector, a closed circle that excludes outsiders? This week Trumanitarian welcomes Michael N. Barnett, Professor of international affairs and a leading scholar on humanitarianism. In one of his pieces ‘The Humanitarian Club’ (we love it), Barnett uses sociological and economic theory to describe humanitarianism as a club where the few hold the economic, symbolic, social, and cultural capital. It leaves outsiders in the cold and permits members to control pooled funds, infl...
2024-10-1247 min
Trumanitarian90. Edge Case WisdomDavid Galbraith and Trumanitarian's host Lars Peter Nissen's parenting skills declined the moment they met and tuned their attention from their kids' soccer practice to geeky tech conversations. David is the founder of a number of startups and claims he knows nothing about the humanitarian sector. He is, however, well-versed in how technology has transformed the world and this makes for a truly interesting conversation about the link between technology and crises and how technology can both create and alleviate crises, from environmental degradation to societal issues.David has a deep dislike for bureaucracy as illustrated in...
2024-09-1339 min
Trumanitarian80. CiviliansNick Parker and Paul Taylor from REACT has shown up in their civilian outfits to discuss how they have repurposed themselves from soldiers to humanitarians. REACT leverages discipline, structure, and skills of volunteering veterans and civilians to respond rapidly to crises. In the second part of the conversation Nick Paul and Lars Peter discuss their experience of humanitarian - military coexistence in Afghanistan. They discuss how past encounters might not have been as cordial as this week’s Trumanitarian chat and reflect on the issue of whether humanitarian and military actors should be better at talking? Listen in...
2024-05-241h 01
Trumanitarian76. The TechnophobeThis 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 te...
2024-04-191h 03
Trumanitarian75. FOMOIn 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.List...
2024-04-1244 min
Trumanitarian74. Africa is a CountryWilliam 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.
2024-04-0536 min
Trumanitarian73. Poetic UnityDiscover 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.
2024-03-2917 minTrumanitarian73. Poetic UnityPoetic Unity is a platform for spoken word artists. this episode is onPoetic Unity is a platform for spoken word artists. this episode is onPoetic Unity is a platform for spoken word artists. this episode is onPoetic Unity is a platform for spoken word artists. this episode is onPoetic Unity is a platform for spoken word artists. this episode is onPoetic Unity is a platform for spoken word artists. this episode is onPoetic Unity is a platform for spoken word artists. this episode is on
2024-03-2917 min
Trumanitarian72. Can of WormsHugo 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...
2024-03-2240 min
Trumanitarian71. Swipe RightTech 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 nonp...
2024-03-1538 min
Trumanitarian70. Edgy DiplomacySarah 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...
2024-03-0839 min
Trumanitarian70. Edgy DiplomacySarah 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 Khat important? These are the some of the questions Sarah covers in this powerful conversation with Lars...
2024-03-0840 min
Trumanitarian69. Stuck?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 .
2024-03-0154 min
Trumanitarian68. Someone Else's Problem Part 2This 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 –...
2024-02-2351 min
Trumanitarian67. Somebody Else's Problem Part 1This 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 Crisi...
2024-02-0935 min
Trumanitarian66. The MidwifeJeremy Konyndyk is the President of Refugees International. In this conversation with Lars Peter Nissen he discusses how we can reform the humanitarian sector and how far we have come.
2024-01-2652 min
Trumanitarian65. HugenessBrendan Lawson is a Lecturer in Media and Communication at Loughborough University. In this conversation with Lars Peter Nissen he discusses his recent book: The Life of a Number - Measurement, Meaning and the Media. The conversation also covers the article by Ten Things We Know about Humanitarian Numbers which was published in Journal of Humanitarian Affairs and that Brendan has written with with Joel Glassman (our guest on episode 8: Needology).If you are have any comments or questions Brendan would love to hear from you. He can be reached on email b.b.lawson@lboro.ac.uk.
2024-01-121h 03
Trumanitarian64. The PercolatorHumanitarian Xchange is a new conference organised by the Humanitarian Leadership Academy (HLA). In this conversation Dominic Courage from HLA and Francis Iwa from the Ugandan NGO Care and Assistance For Forced Migrants (CAFOMI) discuss Hx with Lars Peter Nissen.
2023-12-0640 min
Trumanitarian64. The PercolatorHumanitarian Xchange (Hx) is a new conference organised by the Humanitarian Leadership Academy (HLA). In this conversation Dominic Courage from HLA and Francis Iwa from the Ugandan NGO Care and Assistance For Forced Migrants (CAFOMI) discuss Hx with Lars Peter Nissen.
2023-12-0640 minTrumanitarian63. SpelunkingRaphael Gorges has spent the past couple of years analysing the work of the Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) over past 30 years. I this episode Raphael discusses his findings with Lars Peter Nissen.You can find Raphael's report here: https://here-geneva.org/evolution-of-the-humanitarian-sector/
2023-07-1744 min
Trumanitarian63. SpelunkingRaphael Gorgeu, Senior Research Associate at the Geneva based think tank HERE-Geneva, has spent the past couple of years looking at how change unfolds in the humanitarian sector.In this episode Raphael presents his approach and discuss his findings with Lars Peter Nissen.You can find Raphael’s report here.
2023-07-1744 min
Trumanitarian63. SpelunkingRaphael Gorges from the Geneva based think tank HERE-Geneva has spent the past couple of years analysing the work of the Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) over past 30 years. I this episode Raphael discusses his findings with Lars Peter Nissen.You can find Raphael's report here.
2023-07-1744 min2023-07-0749 min
Trumanitarian61. Mercy TriumphsStephen Webster is one of the architects behind first response mechanisms such as the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team and the IFRCs Field Assessment and Coordination Team (FACT).In this conversation with Lars Peter Nissen he shares his experience from close to 40 years of disaster management and comes to the conclusion that in the end mercy triumphs!
2023-06-2332 min
Trumanitarian61. Small Fish...This weeks episode is the recording of a panel discussion on Ukrainian organiations access to international funding. The discussion was held on 14 March 2023 with the title: Small fish in a big pond: Ukrainian organisations’ (lack of) access to international funding. The panel is a co-production by HERE Geneva and Trumanitairan.Val Hambye-Verbrugghen from HERE-Geneva moderated the discussion between the three panellists:Yuliia Chykolba the co-host of the Trumanitarian podcast series on Ukraine. Yuliia was born in Dnipro, Ukraine and first became involved with humanitarian action when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014. And has since then worked wi...
2023-06-161h 26
Trumanitarian60. LoopAccountability to crisis affected populations is high on the humanitarian policy agenda. Alex Ross, Avianto Amri and Robert Wambu work with a new accountability project called Talk to Loop. In this conversation with Lars Peter Nissen they explain how their tech platform improves the way the humanitarian sector works with feed back mechanisms and accountability, the disruptive potential of the project and how to position it vis-à-vis the existing humanitarian architecture.
2023-06-1050 min
Trumanitarian59. On purposeCan the humanitarian sector be fit for todays challenges without revisiting its purpose? And are the humanitarian principles an obstacle for this important conversation to take place? These are two of the central issues that Paul Skinner and Lars Peter Nissen discuss in this episode.Paul is the founder of the Agency of the Future, which helps clients drive purpose-led change and better mobilise stakeholders for lasting success. He advises global businesses and pioneering charities and social enterprises as well as institutions of international and global governance. He is also the founder of MarketingKind, a membership community...
2023-03-3152 min
Trumanitarian58. Purpose and PowerIn the fourth episode of the Ukraine series Yuliia and Lars Peter take stock of the discussions so far and agree that the two main themes emerging from the conversations are around purpose - the role that humanitarian action plays in Ukraine - and Power - the relationship between and relative power of the national and international actors. To explore these issues, and to round off the series they speak to Frederic Larsson from the NGOResource Center in Ukraine and Ewa Wieliczko the ACAPS team lead in Ukraine.
2023-03-2438 min
Trumanitarian57. PivotIn episode three Yuliia and Lars Peter explore the relationship between civil society and government in Ukraine and asks the question: How does a vibrant civil society, which in normal time advocate and challenge the government, pivot to adapt its role when war breaks out? The hosts speak to Yuliya Sporych, CEO of the national Ukrainian NGO Divchata and with Oleksandr Riabtsev, Head of Demining in the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporary Occupied Territories.
2023-03-1054 min
Trumanitarian56. Like MagicThe first Russian invasion in 2014 led to a nation-wide grassroots mobilization of Ukrainians to support military effort and provide humanitarian aid. The 2022 invasion propelled these efforts to new heights and mobilized overwelming levels of international support for humanitarian action.In the second episode on Ukraine Yuliia Chykolba and Lars Peter Nissen explore how the organic, agile and evolving Ukrainian civil society response and how it interacts with the international humanitarian sector. They talk to actors from very different ends of the humanitarian sphere: Anastacia Teplyakova, a Ukrainian teacher who has risked everything to support her fellow Ukrainians s...
2023-03-0347 min
Trumanitarian55. Principled?In this first episode out of four on humanitarian action in Ukraine the hosts Yuliia Chykolba and Lars Peter Nissen explore what the humanitarian principles mean in Ukraine today. They agree that the principles of humanity and impartiality are the foundations of humanitarian action but have different position on neutrality. Yuliia argues that the principle is outdated and does not work in Ukraine. Lars Peter worry that letting go of the neutrality will erode the core of humanitarian action.They speak to Marc Dubois an independent consultant and Fiona Terry from ICRC about the principles for humanitarian...
2023-02-2438 min
Trumanitarian54. Out of ControlPaula Gil Baizan, Meg Sattler and Lars Peter Nissen struggle to make sense out of the humanitarian chaos of 2022 and try to figure out how 2023 might be different.
2022-12-2449 min
TrumanitarianA Humanitarian IrritantDominic Naish has worked for various humanitarian agencies as a contextual analysts. The contexts were different, the organisations were different, but he always had the feeling of being more of an irritant than a help to the people he worked for. In the end he decided to leave the humanitarian sector. He has described his experience in a blogpost “Not a priority” for the Humanitarian Practice Network. You can find the blogpost here: https://odihpn.org/blog/not-a-priority-the-lack-of-contextual-understanding-in-humanitarian-missions/You can read more aobut Dominic on his linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominic-naish-a1524387/
2022-11-2641 minTrumanitarianBest Of: NeedologyIn this episode Lars Peter Nissen - a practitioner - gets stuck into a discussion surrounding the use of data in humanitarian aid with Joël Glasman, an academic. Joel is a historian and author of the book Humanitarianism and the Quantification of Human Needs: Minimal Humanity. Joel poses a strong and uncomfortable argument in his book, and in the conversation; humanitarian statistics is flawed and data of poor quality, and for some reason we hype our need (and our ability) for evidence-based decision making and the importance of statistical data.The conversation is essentially ab...
2022-11-1854 min
Trumanitarian53. Shiny ThingsThis weeks episode is a recording of a keynote given by Benjamin Lang and Lars Peter Nissen at CartONGs GeOnG conference in Chambery on 24 October, 2022. The debate is moderated by Sandra Sudhoff, the technical director of CartONG.You can watch the entire opening ceremony on CartONGs YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QteGAp8gD7Y
2022-11-1340 min
Trumanitarian52. Stepping StonesSiri Melchior Tellier had a long and varied career in international development cooperation, humanitarian action and teaching. She passed away in October 2022 and this conversation with Lars Peter Nissen was recorded in August 2020 during the Pandemic.It is a conversation about public health, data, standards, trust, learning and failing and having the courage to make yourself part of the mess and make a difference in the world.
2022-11-0445 min2022-10-2831 min
Trumanitarian51. PanopticonGareth Owen is the humanitarian Director of Save the Children UK. In this conversation with Lars Peter Nissen he discusses the trade-offs between quality and scale, between his humanitarian heart and his humanitarian realist.The fundamental question posed by the conversation is whether you “Can you change the master’s house with the master’s tools?” Gareth is in his own words “an establishment guy” who sits the “at the apex of the problem” but he still believes that is the right thing to do and that it is possible to achieve change from within the system.
2022-10-2156 min
Trumanitarian50. OutsideThemrise Khan and Mabala Nyaluwge both work in the aid industry Themrise for more than 30 years in South Asia and Mabala for seven years in East Africa. Together with Lars Peter Nissen they explore the state of aid, the change that is needed and whether it is possible to achieve this change from inside the system, or whether it has to be done from the outside
2022-10-141h 23
Trumanitarian49. Honest CompetitionRaj Kumar is the co-founder, President and Editor-in-Chief at Devex, the media platform for the global development community to discuss international development and humanitarian action. Together with Trumanitarian host Lars Peter Nissen he explores the current state of play in the development and humanitarian industries.Raj brings a fresh perspective to the conversations engulfing the humanitarian ecosystem: localisation, the nexus, accountability, risk, and financing. Inspired by the disruption and innovation that has occurred in the Development sector over the past decades he asks for more risk taking and bolder leadership, and using technology smartly to drive a...
2022-09-3040 min
Trumanitarian48. Dancer on the HillThe recent decisions regarding changes to cash coordination are ground breaking and they not not come out of nowhere.In this week episode Paula Gil Baizan explores how change happens together with Isabelle Pelly, Juliet Lang and Sophie Tholstrup. All of the guests played a key role in brining about the change in cash coordination, and together they explore the challenges associated with making change happen in highly change-resistant systems, why change is worth fighting for in spite of the obstacles, and how best to bring about change.
2022-07-011h 02
Trumanitarian47. Evaluation Kung FuEvaluations are an essential part of human sharing accountability. And working with a good evaluator is a fantastic opportunity for learning and improving. However, often evaluations turned into painful confrontational accountability exercises, that leaves nobody satisfied and changes nothing. This week's guest on communitarian is Michael Patton who together with Lars Peter Nissen discusses what evaluations can do for the humanitarian sector, what they are and what they are not (an audit) and how to build trust with your clients while at the same time satisfying the need for accountability.
2022-06-2432 min
Trumanitarian46. Blue LamborghiniProcurement and logistics remain the backbone of humanitarian operations. But this crucial aspect of humanitarian action doesn't always get the attention it deserves. We spend a lot of time in the humanitarian sector speaking about issues like localization, decolonizing, aid, how to engage with the diaspora, how to change the coordination system, protection. All of these are really important and valuable discussions. But 65% of the humanitarian budget, namely on procurement and the implications of how procurement is done.This weeks guest is Claire Barnhoorn who is the founder of Solvoz a new project that is focused on...
2022-06-1028 min
Trumanitarian45. I Wish You FailureSerious games and simulations can help us train and prepare for difficult and some times dangerous situations. Crisis are different from everyday life. Different rules apply, and you have to think and walk and talk differently. When you're in a teaching or training situation and you sit comfortably in your chair behind your desk. It's very easy to agree on policies and procedures, the way we behave when we're in the middle of a stressful situation is very different. Games can help us bridge the gap between how we think we work, how we actually work, and it can...
2022-05-1343 min
Trumanitarian44. RogueHumanitarian Action in Ukraine today is a mix between Government-led operations, international humanitarian action and a myriad of grassroots initiative providing essential support to vulnerable populations. But how do these very different types of aid come together? Can "Big Aid" connect with "Little Aid" and can the grassroots initiatives be scaled to become "Little Big Aid?"Lewis Sida has worked in the humanitarian sector for decades. In Ukraine he has gone rogue, become a "nutter" and is supporting a guy called Vlad who has some medical supplies and a couple of trucks.Lewis and Lars...
2022-05-0641 min
Trumanitarian43. The Cost of SilencePhilanthropy is an important source of funding for humanitarian action, but how is it different from the money that comes from governments? Is it a drop in the bucket or a different kind of money? And have we been too silent as a humanitarian community when it comes to challenging and shaping our donors, and what is the cost of our silence?These and many other questions is the topic of this weeks conversation with Patricia (Patty) McIlreavy, the President and CEO of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (https://disasterphilanthropy.org/)
2022-03-2539 min
Trumanitarian42. IPP Who?The International Planned Parenthood Federation may be the largest NGO you have never heard about. IPPF brings together more than 150 different organisations in a network promoting better access to sexual reproductive health services both within the development and humanitarian sphere.This weeks guest is Robyn Drysdale, the deputy director of IPPF in charge of humanitarian programs. It is a conversation about the challenges IPPF and its members meet in humanitarian settings, what has been achieved over the past decades and what the challenges are for the future.You can read more about IPPFs work on...
2022-03-1834 min
Trumanitarian41. The Committed CapitalistHomeboy Industries is the largest gang rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world. It works with formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated people, enabling them to redirect their lives.This weeks guest on Trumanitarian is Thomas Vozzo, who has written a book about his experience as the CEO of Homeboys industriesIn this conversation Lars Peter Nissen and Thomas discuss leadership and management, how to balance profit and purpose, the role of spirituality in the workplace and how joy and focus on the individual should drive your work as a leader.
2022-03-0445 min
Trumanitarian40. Be Well, Serve WellMental health and humanitarians is an issue which has been surrounded by stigma. The fear of being seen as weak or not suited for humanitarian work has made many humanitarians reluctant to seek help. Some argue that speaking of our own mental health will detract attention from the people we serve. The issue has been receiving increasing attention in recent years, but it has been and continues to be difficult issue to get on the agenda.Imogen Wall is a humanitarian and an advocate for mental health. She is also the founder of the facebook group “50 shades of...
2022-02-2547 min
Trumanitarian39. Double AgentsDisasters are not natural, far from it! The impact of a crisis is shaped by a wide range of societal factors and disasters replicate and amplify the inequalities that exist in society so that it is the marginalized communities tare hit the hardest. The Covid pandemic has once again taught us that lesson. Yet, we continue to refer to sudden onset crisis as “natural disasters” and that is not just a question of semantics, it is an indication of how we tell the wrong story of crisis and very often therefore also seek the wrong solutions.This week...
2022-02-111h 08
Trumanitarian38. Happy ClappingAre Humanitarian Organizations doing an amazing job with scare resources under impossible circumstances, or has international humanitarian assistance turned into a colonial, un-accountable, technocracy – disaster capitalism at its worst? And should we be more careful when criticizing this sector not to undermine morale and give the opponents of aid ammunition? This and many other questions is what Gareth Price-Jones, the Executive Secretary of SCHR and Marie-Rose Romain Murphy, the co-founder and Board President of Haitian Community Foundation discuss with Lars Peter Nissen in this episode.
2022-02-041h 03
TrumanitarianBest Of: Six Years and a FloodThe travel industry, just like the humanitarian industry, provides everything a person on the move needs. It is also one of the largest industries in the world with a turnover many thousand times that of the humanitarian industry. Gopinath Parayil wants to dual-purpose the assets of the travel industry for humanitarian response during climate-related disasters, thereby contributing towards creating more resilient communities.
2022-01-2839 min
TrumanitarianBest of: The Great Leap SidewaysThis episode was first published in February 2021. It is with Fergus Thomas from the FCDO and deals with two important and very different issues: humanitarian reform and mental health. Together with Lars Peter Nissen, Fergus explores the development of the Humanitarian to Humanitarian (H2H) network and its potential as a change agent in the humanitarian sector.In the second half of the conversation Fergus talks about what it is like to live with bipolar disorder and how that fits with a hectic life as a humanitarian.
2022-01-2142 min
TrumanitarianBest of: Arms Race for DataAI is transforming the world and will have profound implications for humanitarian action. But how? Will it lend itself to authoritarian regimes controlling their populations and will humanitarian organisations be complicit in this and create additional vulnerabilities for the populations we serve? Will be help us create a better user experience for "consumers" of humanitarian aid and will it help us ensure that we get spare parts for the generator just in time?Listen in as Sarah Spencer from humanitarianai.org and Lars Peter Nissen discuss these and many more questions.The episode was originally...
2022-01-141h 10
Trumanitarian37. A Brutal YearPaula Gil Baizan, Meg Sattler and Lars Peter Nissen review 2021 and look forward towards 2022 in the humanitarian world.
2022-01-071h 06
Trumanitarian36. Dull DisastersTimely, flexible funding is a bottleneck is most if not all humanitarian operations. Daniel Clarke has a solution to that problem. He is the co-author of the book Dull Disasters, and the director of the Center for Disaster Protection. In this conversation with Lars Peter Nissen he discusses how risk based financing and smarter financial instruments such as parametric insurance can enable us to fundamentally change the way in which crises are managed.You can learn more about the Center for Disaster Protection their website and find Dull Disasters by Daniel Clarke and Stefan Dercon here.
2021-12-1050 min
Trumanitarian35. The Principled DinosaurPhilippe Besson worked with the Swiss Development Cooperation for more than 30 years before he earlier this year retired from the position as head of the multilateral humanitarian division. In this conversation he provides a unique perspective on humanitarian action and how to be a "principled dinosaur" and a civil servant at the same time.
2021-12-0547 min
Trumanitarian34. A Lonely PlaceThe Global Executive Leadership Initiative (GELI) is a new flagship initiative from the UN to promote leadership throughout the development and humanitarian sector. GELI is led by Assistant Secretary General Panos Moumtzis who in this weeks episode together with Lars Peter Nissen discusses the challenges of leadership, how being a leader at times can be a very lonely, and how GELI seeks to strengthen leadership.You can read more about GELI on their website www.geli.org and their twitter handle is @the_geli.
2021-11-1247 min
Trumanitarian33. Un-MuskedThe weirdest humanitarian twitter conversation has just taken place between WFPs Executive Director David Beasley and the world's richest man Elon Musk. WFP is trying to get some money, Musk is not sure that humanitarian know how to solve problems, and David Beasley has offered to meet up in space. Hunter Thompson used to say "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro" so that is exactly what Meg Sattler, Paula Gil Baizan and Lars Peter Nissen did in this episode.
2021-11-0439 min
Trumanitarian32. Left Boots and SextoysUnsolicited in-kind donations is a major issues in many sudden onset crisis. Whether due to a genuine outpouring of solidarity or to get a tax write-off the volume and nature of stuff that are donated defies any logic. Ice-skates for a flooding in Bangladesh, sextoys donated after a storm in Vanuatu. A container full of old croissants for Kosovo or a 40ft container full of only left boots.The donations are not just ridiculous they are also an environmental problem and Travis Opocensky has found a solution. He has founded RightBoot, a humanitarian startup that applies the...
2021-10-2940 min
Trumanitarian31. Field ReadyField Ready is based on the simple idea that supplies needed in a crisis area should be made as locally as possible. The organisation works with empowering local production capacity across the world, and in this episode Field Ready's co-founder Eric James explains the approach the organisation applies and the impact it has.You can find the books Eric has written on his website www.ericbooks.com and read more about Field Ready on the organisations website www.fieldready.org.
2021-10-2252 min
Trumanitarian30. Inclusion RiderTina Tinde has worked in international organisations since she was in her mid twenties. Throughout her career she has fought for gender equality, inclusion and safeguarding against sexual exploitation and abuse and Sexual Harassment her entire career. In this conversation with Lars Peter Nissen she provides her perspective on how we can address these issues and the progress we have made over the past decades.
2021-10-0842 min
Trumanitarian29. A Humanitarian IrritantDominic Naish has worked for various humanitarian agencies as a contextual analysts. The contexts were different, the organisations were different, but he always had the feeling of being more of an irritant than a help to the people he worked for. In the end he decided to leave the humanitarian sector. He has described his experience in a blogpost “Not a priority” for the Humanitarian Practice Network. You can find the blogpost here: https://odihpn.org/blog/not-a-priority-the-lack-of-contextual-understanding-in-humanitarian-missions/You can read more aobut Dominic on his linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominic-naish-a1524387/
2021-10-0141 min2021-09-2456 min
Trumanitarian28. TrumanitopiaThis weeks episode is a thought experiment. What would we do if we had to begin building the humanitarian sector from scratch? One of my ongoing frustrations have been that many of the reform attempt we have had in the sector are defined more by what is already there than by the problems we are trying to solve – so I thought it would be interesting to build from scratch.Arbie Bagois is the founder of Aid Re-imagined and is currently doing his PhD at London School of Economics. Arbie is a fresh and radical thinking and exactly th...
2021-09-2457 min
Trumanitarian27. Hearts on VenezuelaHearts on Venezuela is a civil society organisation trying to bring more attention to the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. This episode features Daniel Cooper Bermudez, the Director of Hearts of Venezuela talks about the crisis facing his country, how civil society learned to become humanitarian and how to use TikTok. Host: Lars Peter Nissen.You can read more about Hearts on Venezuela on their website: http://www.heartsonvenezuela.comand about their Director here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-cooper-bermúdez/
2021-09-1750 min
Trumanitarian26. A Grander BargainMeg Sattler sits down with Beth Eagleston and Kate Sutton the co-founders of the Humanitarian Advisory Group (HAG), a Melbourne based social enterprise that seeks to use research to challenge the status quo of humanitarian aid.You can read more about HAGs work on their website: https://humanitarianadvisorygroup.org/
2021-09-1048 min
Trumanitarian25. Gotta Feed the MonkeyPaul Knox Clarke and Lars Peter Nissen discuss the implications of climate change for humanitarian action and the new initiative PREPARE, that Paul has launched on this issue.You can read more about Paul on his LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-knox-clarke-0489905/You will find information on PREPARE here: http://www.chcinitiative.orgThe work Paul did for ALNAP on change is available here: https://www.alnap.org/help-library/transforming-changeDuncan Greens book on Change is available here: https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/how-change-happens-consultation-draft-581366/
2021-09-031h 00
Trumanitarian24. Clash CoordinationDistribution of cash instead of commodities is transforming humanitarian action. Cash distribution has grown quickly in past years and today represents roughly 20% of assistance is given.Cash gives crisis affected populations choices and agency but it also places the sector based humanitarian architecture under stress. There is clearly a need to review the current coordination arrangements for cash assistance, but this has profound implications for the most powerful agencies in the sector.To get things moving 95 organisations have sent a letter to the outgoing and the incoming Emergency Relief Coordinator to move the issue of...
2021-06-141h 03
Trumanitarian23. Prisoners of HopeThe ecumenical movement has played a key role in shaping in the fight for a more just world. Christian Balslev-Olesen and Karsten Nissen have been at the forefront of the movement since the late 1960s. But what drove two young theology students to become activists? Where is the ecumenical movement today? What would they do today if they were just starting out?Listen as two (self-declared) boomers give a master class in how to stay committed for the long haul!
2021-04-3045 min
Trumanitarian22. The Collaborative ContrarianThe traditional humanitarian architecture is centred around OCHA, the IASC and the clusters. But what is the complementarity between this setup and regional bodies with similar functions such as for example the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre).Adelina Kamal is the Executive Director of the AHA Centre. Together with Lars Peter Nissen she explores the ins and outs of humanitarian architecture, and we get the answer to what would be different if Adelina was working in the UN!
2021-04-2350 min
Trumanitarian21. An Ageing IndustryThe idea of developing a humanitarian version of the tech platforms we have seen disrupt one industry after another is appealing. But is it realistic and possible to create the humanitarian Airbnb and can we deliver principled outcomes through an app? Is it possible to cut out the humanitarian middle man.These are some of the questions Natasha Freidus and Amanda Levinson explore together with Lars Peter Nissen in this episode.Check needslist.co to learn more and enjoy the conversation.
2021-04-0955 min
Trumanitarian20. The Blind SpotTranslators Without Border work with enhancing the humanitarian sectors capacity to operate in the languages spoken by crisis affected populations.In this episode Ellie Kemp (twitter handle @EllKemp) from and Lars Peter Nissen explore the way in which the power of language fundamentally shapes humanitarian action.You can learn more about TWBs work on their website translatorswithoutborders.org.
2021-04-0237 min
Trumanitarian19. William Who?The search for a new Emergency Relief Coordinator is on! There is a strong expectation that the UK again will get to fill the post, but not if William Chemaly, the Global Protection Cluster Coordinator has a say. He has decided to go for the post in spite of. being a somewhat different candidate. Learn more about him, why he is applying and whether he thinks he has a chance.
2021-03-2911 min
Trumanitarian18. Not Just an IndustryFor more than a decade Yves Daccord was the face of ICRC. As Director General he held one of the most influencial positions in the humanitarian sector. Then he left and started doing something with pop-ups and the social contract at Harvard. In this conversation we touch on issues from art, security, the social contract and knowing when it is time to leave.
2021-03-2652 min
Trumanitarian17. Arms Race for DataAI is transforming the world and will have profound implications for humanitarian action. But how? Will it lend itself to authoritarian regimes controlling their populations and will humanitarian organisations be complicit in this and create additional vulnerabilities for the populations we serve? Will be help us create a better user experience for "consumers" of humanitarian aid and will it help us ensure that we get spare parts for the generator just in time?Listen in as Sarah Spencer from humanitarianai.org and Lars Peter Nissen discuss these and many more questions.
2021-03-191h 06
Trumanitarian16. Mr. FleetFleet Management may seem like a marginal, technical issue for humanitarians, But not only is fleet a key enabler for operations, the way we manage fleet tells us a lot about the issues facing the humanitarian industry.Rob McConnell has worked with most of the major humanitarian players advising them on how to manage their fleet of vehicles. In this conversation Rob and Lars Peter explore the way humanitarians manage fleet and also try to figure out how and why a huge number of new, yet 40 years old trucks, made it from Norway to Southern Africa in 2003...
2021-03-1239 min
Trumanitarian15. Humanitarian Sci-FiHow do we create change within in the humantiarian ecosystem? Paula Gil Baizan works with humanitarian innovation and she has got a few interesting ideas. in this wide-ranging conversation with Meg Sattler.
2021-03-0536 min
Trumanitarian14. The Great Leap SidewaysThere is no simple answer to the question of how to achieve sustainable systemic change of the current humanitarian system. In this episode of Trumanitarian Fergus Thomas from FCDO and Lars Peter Nissen explore the potential of the H2H network (www.h2hnetwork.org) as a change agent. They also talk about being bipolar, dyslexic and a humanitarian.
2021-02-2641 min
Trumanitarian13. 42 DegreesLana Woolf from Edgeeffect.org joins Lars Peter Nissen to discuss how to create a more inclusive humanitarian sector for LGTBQI+ people affected by crisis.
2021-02-1938 min
Trumanitarian12. Humanitarian GoldfishJacob Kurtzer, the Interim Director and Senior Fellow, Humanitarian Agenda at the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS) on the humanitarian policy of the Biden administration.
2021-02-1240 min
Trumanitarian11. Cycles of OutsidersThe Zimbabwean rapper Sibo made the theme song for Trumanitarian. In this episode we talk about growing up inside and outside Zimbabwe, being privileged in a struggling country, freedom of expression, the role of the aid industrial complex and much more.You can find Sibo on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/58pKTxUMVHOHmpIQQ8hrgH?si=ErvymC84QjOR6MoViXCM3g
2020-12-3123 min
TrumanitarianEnd of season 1We have come to the end of Season 1 of Trumanitarian. It has been an interesting experiment, a safari in the humanitarian ecosystem. Thank you for listening in. Please take five minutes to fill out the Trumanitarian user survey: https://bit.ly/2LrkNOu
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2020-12-1103 min
Trumanitarian10. Trust MeAcademics know a lot about the things we always get wrong when facing a crisis. However, we seem to be incapable of solving these problems. Why is that and is there nothing we can do? Christian Uhr is an associate professor at Lund University and studies emergency and disaster management.
2020-11-1345 min
Trumanitarian9. Against the StreamThe START network is one of the most ambitious and interesting attempts at changing the system in recent times. The Network strives to positively disrupt humanitarian action by developing a new humanitarian economy, shifting power to the edges of the system, and by convening a broad coalition of humanitarian actors from across the worldThis week's guest on Trumanitarian is Sean Lowrie the founder of the network. He tells the story of how the idea was conceived, what it took to get it off the ground and to what extend he feels like START has achieved sustainable...
2020-10-3046 minTrumanitarian8. NeedologyHumanitarians say that they will base their interventions on needs. But how do you define needs? And how do standards and methodologies influence the way we think about humanitarian action?These are some of issues Joël Glasman and Lars Peter Nissen unpack in this episode. Joël is a historian and has written the book Humanitarianism and the Quantification of Human Needs: Minimal Humanity.
2020-10-2353 min
Trumanitarian7. Worldwide TribeRefugees and immigrants are confronted with prejudism and negative publicity. The Worldwide Tribe has set out to count this by telling positive and personal stories about people on the move. The Tribe is a fascinating new type of humanitarian organisation that brings a different and powerful skillset to the table.Jasmin (Jaz) O'Hara is the founder of the tribe and in this episode she tells a powerful story about how she came up with the idea and how it is to be humanitarian influencer.You can find the tribe on www.worldwidetribe.com and follow...
2020-10-1640 min
Trumanitarian6. Six Years and a FloodThe travel industry, just like the humanitarian industry, provides everything a person on the move needs. It is also one of the largest industries in the world with a turnover many thousand times that of the humanitarian industry. Gopinath Parayil wants to dual-purpose the assets of the travel industry for humanitarian response during climate-related disasters, thereby contributing towards creating more resilient communities.
2020-10-0939 min
Trumanitarian5. Ask the CrowdCrowdsourcing can play a powerful role during assessment of crisis. During the 2015 Kathmandu Earthquake www.kathmandulivinglabs.org (KLL) played a pivotal role in collecting data from across the affected area and making it available to decision-makers.In this episode Nama Budhathoki, the founder and Executive Chairman of KLL, discusses the role that information and technology can play in shaping the humanitarian narrative and about the business model underpinning a small innovative organization such as KLL.
2020-10-0234 min
Trumanitarian4. Precisely WrongThis is a conversation about data. How we use and misuse it. How we often make decisions without it. What you do when you don't have data but need to make a decision. It is also a conversation about standards and whether they make us less brave.
2020-09-2529 min
Trumanitarian3. The Customer is KingStrengthening accountability to affected populations is a priority for the humanitarian sector. Since the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit the Grand Bargain has energized the accountability to affected populations (AAP) agenda and led to significant investments in strengthened accountability frameworks.The key question is to what extent this has changed the situation of crisis affected populations. In this episode Nick van Praag, the founder of Ground Truth Solutions gives his take on how much progress has been made and what is next.
2020-09-1839 min
Trumanitarian2. HumaniwokeMabala Nyaluwge and Lars Peter Nissen talk about racism and colonialism in aid. Mabala is young, African and female. Lars Peter is middle-aged, Danish and male and Mabala's dad!The conversation pivots around the closeness and distance between their perspectives as colleagues and as family.
2020-09-1138 min
Trumanitarian1. Clear the ForestThe challenges of the humanitarian sector have been identified over and over again but some problems seem to be unsolvable. In this first episode Marc DuBois and Lars Peter Nissen discuss whether there is a need to disrupt the sector and how to "clear the forest" so new solutions can be grown.
2020-09-0351 min