Archives for October 2020

Introducing: “Rethinking Humanitarianism”

Rethinking Humanitarianism is a new podcast for anyone with an interest in the future of humanitarianism, from donors to NGO executives,  frontline responders to policy wonks —  if you’ve got an eye on the aid sector, this podcast is for you.   

The podcast is co-hosted by Heba Aly, director of the independent newsroom The New Humanitarian, and Jeremy  Konyndyk, senior policy fellow at the non-profit think tank the Center for Global Development.  Today’s episode features the debut of “Rethinking Humanitarianism” 

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https://tnh.news/podcast

Why Biological Weapons are Still a Huge Global Threat

It’s the late summer, and an unexplained influenza virus is killing international travelers. Researchers quickly identify the virus as a genetically engineered flu-strain. Intelligence agencies find irrefutable evidence that the virus was created in a secret bioweapons laboratory in a middle income country.  It was accidentally released.  By the end 50 million people are killed by this pathogen. 

This was the scenario presented to a group of experts at the Munich Security Conference in February who participated in what is known as a “tabletop exercise” to understand how key international players might respond to a situation like this–and identify ways that such a scenario might be prevented from unfolding in the first place. 

My guest today, Jaime Yassif, helped to design and implement this table top exercise. She is a senior fellow at NTI for Global Biological policy and programs. And in our conversation we discuss what this fictional scenario reveals about very real gaps in international policies to prevent a catastrophic biological weapons event. 

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The Link Between Climate Change and Inequality in Indonesia — Taped Live

Today’s episode was taped live in front a virtual audience as part of a series of a series of episodes examining the relationship between climate and security, produced in partnership with CGIAR, the world’s largest global agricultural innovation network.

The episode today, which is the eighth and final in our series, examines the relationship between climate security and inequality in Indonesia.

In Indonesia, most farming households live below the poverty line and rely on agriculture for their subsistence. Therefore, climate induced losses on crop and livestock productivity are inherently regressive in nature  — they can severely worsen the life of the poorest, further increasing economic inequality. 

New research finds that climate variability reduces household income, and communities experiencing extreme temperatures see their income affected the most. The impact of climate variability on income is also most acutely felt by  female-headed households and older populations. 

These are  just some key findings that we will be discussing today. 

And with that, let’s get into a discussion about the intersection of Climate Variability and inequality in Indonesia.  It is my pleasure to introduce our panelists. 

Athia Yumna, Deputy Director of Research and Outreach, The SMERU Research Institute

Mubariq Ahmad, Country Director, Conservation Strategy Fund (CSF) Indonesia

Maliki, Director for Poverty Alleviation and Community Empowerment, Ministry of National Development Planning- National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas)

Henriette Faergemann, First Counsellor, Environment, Climate Action and ICT, Delegation of the European Union to Indonesia

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This episode is a dissemination event that is part of the research project “Climate variability in Indonesia and Vietnam” from the EU-AFD Research Facility on inequalities, developed with the financial support of the European Commission and the coordination of the French Development Agency (AFD). The research initiative presented today is a complement to other climate initiatives in Indonesia that AFD supports, such as a non-sovereign loan to strengthen the capacities of the Meteorological, climatological and geophysical agency (BMKG) for marine meteorology data acquisition and modeling;  and two credit lines to PTSMI dedicated to adaptation and mitigation of climate change with some allocations to health and social projects.

Police Brutality in Nigeria Spark Protests and Ignites a Movement

Protesters hold up their placards in front of the Lagos State House, October 11, Photo by TobiJamesCandid via Wikimedia CC BY 4.0.

In early October a video began to circulate on social media in Nigeria depicting a gruesome act of police brutality. The perpetrators of the police violence were from a notorious police unit called the Special Robbery Squad, or SARS.

As this video went viral, Nigerians voiced their own stories of being victimized by this police unit. The hashtag #ENDSARS was born.

But the story does not end there. 

Olorunrinu Oduala, helped to transform this hashtag into a massive youth-led protest movement against police brutality in Nigeria. What started as a hashtag has become a concrete set of demands for police reform and accountability, around which millions of young people in Nigeria have mobilized. 

This episode is supported in part from a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to showcase African voices in peace and security issues. 

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The Link Between Climate Change and Inequality in Vietnam — Taped Live

Vietnam has been deeply impacted by climate change over the last 20 years. With more than 70% of its population living in coastal areas and low-lying deltas, Vietnam is highly vulnerable to riverine and coastal flooding. Meanwhile, El Nino events have caused droughts and water shortages in many provinces. 

Vietnam is also a country that has experienced rapid economic growth over the past several decades. Still, that growth has not been equitably experienced by all. Rural and agrarian communities and members of ethnic minority groups have not seen their livelihoods increase at the same pace. 

Today’s conversation will explore the linkages between climate variability and inequality in Vietnam. Our conversation is informed by a report by the EU-AFD Research Facility on Inequalities, titled “Who bears the burden of climate variability? Unpacking the impact of weather conditions on inequality in Vietnam.” As in our conversation today, this paper explores various ways that climate variability impacts poorer populations in Vietnam.

Our conversation today is a dissemination event that is part of the research project called “Climate variability in Indonesia and Vietnam” from the EU-AFD Research Facility on inequalities, developed with the financial support of the European Commission and the coordination of the French Development Agency (AFD). The research project presented today is a complement to other climate research initiatives in Vietnam that AFD supports, such as the GEMMES project Vietnam, modeling the socio-economic impacts of climate change in Vietnam as well as adaptation strategies up to 2050.

Cecile Leroy –  EU Programme Manager, European Union Development Cooperation in Vietnam

Hai-Anh Dang – Senior Economist, World Bank

Phuong Vu, Senior  Officer at the International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam

Janto Hess,  Climate Change Adaptation Technical Specialist, UN Development Program

Nguyen Ngoc Huy | Senior Climate Change Advisor, Oxfam in Vietnam

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How COVID-19 is Changing Humanitarian Aid

In the short history of modern humanitarianism, great crises have often inspired reform in how the international community approaches emergency situations.  

Jessica Alexander wrote a sweeping review of how big crises over the last thirty years have compelled the humanitarian aid sector to change how it operates. Her article culminates with a discussion of how the current COVID crisis is forcing a new kind of reckoning in the aid sector.

Jessica Alexander is a longtime humanitarian worker and editor of The New Humanitarian’s Rethinking Humanitarian Series, which is where her article appears. She is also the author of Chasing Chaos: My Decade in and Out of Humanitarian Aid

We kick off our conversation discussing how the aftermath of the Rwanda genocide in the mid 1990s gave rise to a more formalized humanitarian aid sector. We then discuss how big crises like the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and the 2010 Haiti Earthquake forced changes to how international humanitarian relief operates, before having a conversation about how COVID might force some fundamental changes in the aid sector.

Rethinking Humanitarianism 

Chasing Chaos, My Decade in and Out of Humanitarian Aid

World Food Program podcast episodes 

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How Unconventional Partnerships Can Advance Climate Security — Taped Live

Today’s episode was taped live in front a virtual audience as part of a series of a series of episodes examining the relationship between climate and security, produced in partnership with CGIAR, the world’s largest global agricultural innovation network.

The episode today, which is the sixth in our series, examines how to achieve climate security through strengthening partnerships across sectors, disciplines and geographies.

Panelists: 

Robert Malley, President & CEO, International Crisis Group

Claudia Sadoff, Executive Management Team Convener and Managing Director, Research Delivery and Impact, CGIAR

Hans Olav Ibrekk, Policy Director – Section for Energy, Climate and Food Security, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Franck Bousquet, Senior Director, Fragility Conflict and Violence Group at the World Bank

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A Major Political Crisis in Cote d’Ivoire

Cote d’Ivoire president Alassane Ouattara is seeking a constitutionally dubious third term in office in elections scheduled for October 31. Opposition supporters have taken to the streets, and several people have been killed in clashes. Cote d’Ivoire has a history of election-related violence and a chaotic situation in the run-up to these elections suggests that the country may erupt in violent conflict. 

Mohammad Diatta, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, explains the high-risk political crisis unfolding in the Ivory Coast.

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This episode is supported in part from a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to showcase African voices in peace and security issues.