The Good Humanitarian
The Good Humanitarian
Podcast Description
Have you ever sat and wondered how disasters like floods and earthquakes intersect with conflicts, or how climate change will influence the disasters and responses of tomorrow? Humanitarianism is often thought to be about heroes and victims. But really, it's about people, just like you and I, living through and dealing with extreme situations in their own ways. The humanitarian system is itself a patchwork of people and organisations. And, like all systems, the people who work within it can make mistakes or bad decisions. Join us as we delve into all of this and more with experts from the HSC.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast examines the intersections of disaster response, humanitarian ethics, and climate change, exploring themes such as how climate change affects migration, the principles of effective humanitarian work, and the challenges of bespoke responses to crises, with episodes discussing disaster recovery ethics and the impact of humanitarian actions.
Have you ever wondered what it really costs to do good in a world where crises are cascading and growing faster than the resources to respond to them? Humanitarian work is often seen as selfless and heroic, but behind every response are complex choices about money, safety, power and whose needs are met first. And the system itself? Still a patchwork of organisations, people, policies and pressures, where even the best intentions can collide with reality. In Season 2 of ‘The Good Humanitarian’, we’re exploring The Cost of Doing Good.
What happens when a humanitarian organisation does not simply respond to a crisis, but becomes embedded in everyday life? And what does it mean when that organisation is politically targeted, defunded and presented as replaceable? This episode looks at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the consequences of attempts to actively dismantle it in Palestine.
Guest Roland Friedrich, Director of UNRWA in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, joins us for this season's final episode where we look at the cost of Palestine – the cost of doing good when responsibility is endlessly postponed.
In the podcast we also question: What makes a ”good” humanitarian? We would like to hear from you. Leave a comment here or via social media.
The Good Humanitarian is a podcast by The Hague Humanitarian Studies Centre (HSC), based at the International Institute of Social Studies, part of Erasmus University Rotterdam. Stay up to date by following the HSC on LinkedIn and check out our website.
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