The New Humanitarian

What's Unsaid is our new bi-weekly podcast exploring the open secrets and uncomfortable truths that often surround the world's conflicts and disasters, hosted by staff editors Irwin Loy and Ali Latifi. A podcast by The New Humanitarian.

Menaal Munshey shares how dubious blasphemy accusations in Pakistan make people feel unsafe and lead to vigilante violence. Today's First Person essay is written and read out by Menaal Munshey. The New Humanitarian aims to amplify the voices of refugees, asylum seekers, and people affected by conflict and disaster - placing them at the centre of the conversations about the policies and events that shape their lives. Find more first-person stories on TheNewHumanitarian.org

Aid worker and psychologist Imogen Wall joins host Ali Latifi to discuss how the way humanitarian organisations are run can do as much damage to aid workers' mental health as being confronted with war, hunger, and rights abuses. What's Unsaid is a bi-weekly podcast by The New Humanitarian, where we explore open secrets and uncomfortable truths around the world's conflicts and disasters.

What is a humanitarian crisis, as it's commonly understood? What's the historical weight of that term? What happens if we change our common understanding of it? It may seem like a game of semantics, but the answers to those questions are more consequential than we may realise, because they reveal something deeper about who we believe will perpetually be an underclass, what's deserving of an urgent reaction, and who we see as capable of providing humanitarian assistance. These are questions Patrick Gathara has been contending with as The New Humanitarian's first Senior Editor for Inclusive Storytelling. On the season 4 premiere of Rethinking Humanitarianism, co-hosts Heba Aly and Melissa Fundira speak to Gathara about the colonial weight of the term 'humanitarian crisis'; why events in the Global North are rarely described as such; and how the definition of a crisis can mask – or perpetuate – the deeper systemic injustices that lead to crises in the first place. Got a question or feedback? Email podcast@thenewhumanitarian.org or have your say on Twitter using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism. Guest: Patrick Gathara, The New Humanitarian's Senior Editor for Inclusive Storytelling

The UN overstates its claims of climate neutrality and purchases junk carbon credits that do little to cut emissions. This is revealed in a new investigation by The New Humanitarian and Mongabay. Investigations reporter Jacob Goldberg explains why the UN's climate neutrality claims are problematic, how the investigation evolved, and what the next steps for the UN may be. What's Unsaid is a bi-weekly podcast that explores the open secrets and uncomfortable truths that surround the world's conflicts and disasters, hosted by staff editors Irwin Loy and Ali Latifi.

If the aim is to see real change in Afghanistan, shouldn't the Taliban be included in the conversation? In this first episode of What's Unsaid, we speak to Afghan human rights defender Madina Mahbobi, who says it's time for the international community to start listening to local voices like hers that are calling for increased engagement with the Taliban. Despite being roundly condemned after making this unpopular case on a recent UN panel, Mahbobi is adamant that people like her must not be deterred: "We should speak about things that are controversial but still a solution to the situation." Guest: Madina Mahbobi, Afghan human rights defender, and founder of the women-led Vision Development Organization NGO in Afghanistan. What's Unsaid is a bi-weekly podcast that explores the open secrets and uncomfortable truths that surround the world's conflicts and disasters, hosted by staff editors Irwin Loy and Ali Latifi.

Laura, a Colombian refugee living in Ecuador explains why narratives around migration in Latin America need to change. In her essay, Laura shares her experience of how people displaced within Latin America are overlooked as the dominant media narrative is about those heading north for the United States. In order to protect their security, the author uses a pseudonym, Laura, and her essay is read out by The New Humanitarian's Sofia Kuan. The New Humanitarian aims to amplify the voices of refugees, asylum seekers, and people affected by conflict and disaster – placing them at the centre of the conversations about the policies and events that shape their lives. To read more first-person stories, go to TheNewHumanitarian.org

A refugee in Malawi shares how their treatment makes them worry about their security and feel like they don't belong. Today's essay was written by a refugee living in Malawi. In order to protect their security, the author's name is not public. Therefore, their essay is read out by The New Humanitarian's Senior Editor for Inclusive Storytelling, Patrick Gathara. The New Humanitarian aims to amplify the voices of refugees, asylum seekers, and people affected by conflict and disaster - placing them at the centre of the conversations about the policies and events that shape their lives. To read more first-person stories, go to TheNewHumanitarian.org

Matai Muon shares how policies suppress the economic potential of refugees, which forces many into a situation of dependency instead of allowing them to contribute to the societies they're currently living in. Today's essay was written and read out by Matai Muon. He is a South Sudanese refugee. Although he is currently studying in the United Kingdom, this essay was recorded from his home country of South Sudan where he is conducting research. The New Humanitarian aims to amplify the voices of refugees, asylum seekers, and people affected by conflict and disaster - placing them at the centre of the conversations about the policies and events that shape their lives. Read more first-person stories on TheNewHumanitarian.org

San Thai Shin is a Rohingya researcher and volunteer teacher in a refugee camp in Bangladesh. In his essay, San looks at how restrictive policies suppress refugees' economic potential, forcing many into a situation of dependency rather than allowing them to contribute to the societies they live in. The New Humanitarian aims to amplify the voices of refugees, asylum seekers, and people affected by conflict and disaster - placing them at the centre of the conversations about the policies and events that shape their lives.