Humanitarian Fault Lines

Host Jamie McGoldrick speaks with Ross Mountain, a senior United Nations official who was a former emergency relief coordinator and a humanitarian coordinator in the Middle East. They discuss the difficult situation in Gaza, with humanitarians working to get life saving services to people in the area. Jamie and Ross also talk about the criticism directed towards the UN, including backlash from Israeli officials following a speech from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Ross emphasizes the need for humanitarian and international law to be maintained, and he says the failure to upload these rules is leading to a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Jamie and Ross get into other topics as well, including Ukraine and Sudan.

Host Jamie McGoldrick speaks with Reena Ghelani, the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, Famine Prevention and Response Coordinator. She has over two decades of experience in the humanitarian sector, spanning across Africa and the Middle East. Jamie asks Reena about the work being done to combat global hunger. Reena explains the main causes for food insecurity, with conflict and climate disasters being two of the primary reasons. She argues that there needs to be better collaboration between corporations, governments, and humanitarian organizations to make meaningful inroads on feeding the hungry. Jamie brings up the budget shortfall at the World Food Programme, and he asks Reena how the UN and other groups can step up. She also addresses the UN goal to end hunger by 2030 and lays out what the progress is there.

Host Jamie McGoldrick speaks with Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive at ODI. The organization has their own podcast, Think Change, which discusses global issues fortnightly with leading experts. Sara is the Chair of the UN Secretary-General’s Seventh Advisory Group of the UN Peacebuilding Fund and a member of UNFPA’s ICPD25 High-Level Commission. She also serves on the High-Level Group on Humanitarian Resilience and Investing and the Digital Currency Governance Consortium Steering Committee of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Jamie and Sara discuss the work ODI is currently involved in, and she gives her perspective on crises happening around the globe. She explains that there are people losing faith in humanitarian systems, and she highlights Niger and Sudan as areas where political and humanitarian leaders have struggled. Jamie and Sara talk about reforms needed in humanitarian systems. They also discuss neutrality, with Sara calling neutrality a fallacy, arguing local aid groups do not operate from a stance of pure neutrality.

Host Jamie McGoldrick speaks with Ugochi Daniels, Deputy Director General for Operations at the International Organization for Migration in the UN. They discuss a wide variety of topics related to migration. Jamie asks her about the impact the invasion of Ukraine is having as people are pushed into different parts of Europe. There is a conversation about political difficulties, as countries change policies to restrict or even ban migrants. Ugochi details working with governments to try and establish safe and orderly migration. They also talk about how rhetoric in the media can negatively influence the perception people have of migrants coming into their countries.

Host Jamie McGoldrick speaks with Hannah Rae Armstrong, a writer and policy advisor with over a decade of field based experience in North Africa and the Sahel. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Le Monde. Jamie and Hannah spoke in late August about the coup in Niger and its impact on the region. Hannah does a great job of explaining the different parties involved in the coup, and she details what makes this coup different from other ones in west Africa. She’s critical of the role France has played, saying they’ve made the situation worse with their rhetoric. There’s also a discussion about the impact new sanctions will have on people in Niger, a country which the United Nations Human Index Development ranks as one of the poorest in the world. Finally, Hannah gives her perspective on what could come next in Niger with tension high in the region.

Host Jamie McGoldrick speaks with Dr. Jemilah Mahmood, Executive Director of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health. She’s also had an extensive career in crisis management, which includes time at the United Nations and as an advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Jamie and Jemilah discussed crises in southeast Asia and the responses to those crises. He asked her about the situation in Myanmar, and she gave her opinion on the ASEAN response to that humanitarian crisis. Jemilah provided her perspective on the non-interference framework of ASEAN which has been criticized by some. Other topics of conversation include China’s influence and relationship with ASEAN, and the impact climate change is having in that part of the world. She was critical of the global response to climate challenges and emphasized that more needs to be done there.

David Beasley, former Executive Director of the World Food Programme and U.S. politician, discusses the challenges in getting food to hungry people. They talk about the impact of conflicts, like the war in Ukraine, on food supply and the catastrophic effects of the suspension of the Black Sea grain deal. David emphasizes the need for governments and large corporations to take action to stop world hunger, highlighting the role of the private sector in global food security.

Host Jamie McGoldrick speaks with Afghan journalist Zahra Joya, who was named one of Time’s Women of the Year in 2022. She created Rukhshana Media in November 2020, the publication covers women’s issues in Afghanistan including reproductive health, sexual violence, and gender discrimination. Jamie speaks with her about the humanitarian crisis in the nation as the Taliban places restrictions on what women can do. Zahra describes a difficult situation, with hunger and high levels of poverty. She explains how the situation is especially challenging for women who were breadwinners in their families. They are struggling to bring home income with restrictions on women’s ability to get jobs or even leave the home without a male escort. Jamie also asks Zahra about the obstacles with humanitarian assistance as the Taliban has banned Afghan women aid workers. Zahra says there are certain issues better suited for a woman aid worker than a man, especially when it comes to healthcare.

Host Jamie McGoldrick speaks with Arjun Jain, UN Principle Coordinator for the Rohingya Refugee Response, about conditions in Cox’s Bazar. The location is the site of the largest refugee camp in the world with more than 1 million Rohingya refugees. Arjun provides an overview of the situation. He gives honest answers about what’s gone right in the aid response and what needs to be better. Jamie asks Arjun about funding, and Arjun says it’s been a challenge getting the dollars to provide comprehensive support for the refugees. He explains that some services have already been cut back due to a lack of funding. Arjun also talks about the future for these refugees. He raises concerns for children, some of whom have spent their entire lives in the camps.

Host Jamie McGoldrick speaks with Louise Aubin, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Niger. She gives an outlook on the humanitarian crisis in the country. Aubin tells Jamie that violence and displacement are two of the main challenges, with those displaced heavily reliant on assistance. She says education is a top priority, and she discusses working with the government to build out resources for citizens. Jamie asks Aubin about the prospects going forward and what is needed to improve the aid response. The crisis in Niger is complex, and Aubin provides a good overview of the situation.