*This episode originally aired in October 2023, and includes new interviews recorded days before the first anniversary of the war in Sudan. Hajooj Kuka, external communications officer for the Khartoum State Emergency Response Rooms, updates host Melissa Fundira on how mutual aid groups are scrambling to avert a famine, how badly needed funding continues to be bogged down by bureaucracy, and why he believes Sudan’s emergency response rooms should inspire a change in how humanitarian aid is delivered worldwide. We also get an update from Francesco Bonanome, humanitarian affairs officer with OCH ..read more

Today’s First Person story comes from Fatma Jaffar, a Yemeni humanitarian worker and the policy and advocacy lead for Oxfam Yemen. Fatma describes the dire humanitarian situation in her country and how Yemenis have kept each other alive throughout nine years of war. The ongoing conflict in Yemen is featured in The New Humanitarian’s annual list of ten crises that demand your attention now, which highlights places in the world where needs are rising, aid budgets are cut or insufficient, and where people feel forgotten by the international community. Over the coming months, our First Person seri ..read more

Crises are mounting, and their impacts are overlapping and rippling across the globe. Emergency response has grown more complicated, and more costly. What’s the way forward? Each year, The New Humanitarian publishes our list of trends driving humanitarian needs and shaping crisis response. From military sieges and water scarcity to ‘deterrence’ migration policies and governments’ refusal to deal with ‘pariah’ states, we unpack some of the key factors that will see an estimated 300 million people need emergency aid this year. On 31 January, we brought together a range of voices from across the ..read more

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 Stor ..read more

Journalist and filmmaker Abdirahman Ahmed Aden is a Somali refugee who left the camp in Kenya where he had lived most of his life to go back home to Somalia. In his essay, he shares what he experienced after returning made him reconsider his decision. Due to a lack of internet access, the author is not able to read the essay himself. Instead, you’ll hear the voice of The New Humanitarian’s senior Africa editor, Obi Anyadike.  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 convers ..read more

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 situati ..read more

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 c ..read more

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 r ..read more

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 cen ..read more

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 ..read more