The ethos of 'move fast and break things' doesn't work for humanitarians. If we break things, we break people.

But technology is changing the nature of conflict. International Humanitarian Law cannot evolve to meet these challenges without input from the private tech actors shaping the battlefield.

This week's guest, Philippe Stoll, Senior Techplomacy Delegate at the ICRC, works to connect humanitarians to tech entrepreneurs and other relevant minds over the dilemmas presented by new technologies in conflict.

From biometric systems to the ethical risks of data misuse, Philippe shares how the ICRC is developing cautious, problem-driven tech policies aimed at protecting vulnerable populations. He also discusses his obsession with giving concrete meaning to abstract ideas and how immersive “Digital Dilemmas” installations can help tech developers and humanitarians understand each other's worlds.

Questions about how to handle tech in conflict zones aren't going anywhere. For anyone interested in the future of humanitarianism, this conversation is essential.

In this episode, Tamam Aloudat and Richard Blewett join Lars Peter Nissen to ask the hard questions: What’s worth saving? What needs to go? Who gets to decide?

...And are we the right guys to discuss this?

Tammam argues that tinkering with the system isn’t enough - we need a “non-reformist reform,” a radical reimagining of what humanitarianism even is. Richard reflects on decades of failing attempts to change from the inside and whether this crisis is the moment to go back to the basics of principled humanitarian action, led by local actors, cutting the expensive middlemen.

They wrap up by tackling the question: What is each of us going to do differently in the next few months?

As the sector scrambles, priorities are being set. The decisions being made right now will define the future of humanitarianism. So what comes next? Who will (and should) take the lead?

Listen in. The system is shaking. Let's make sure it doesn’t just settle back into place.

Humanitarian tech initiatives fail when they start with a "shiny object" rather than a defined problem. Solutions are imposed rather than developed based on actual needs. A ‘graveyard of bad tech’ is expanding. Should humanitarians just admit they’re bad with technology?

During the International Red Cross Movement Conference in Geneva in October 2024, Host Lars Peter Nissen found a quiet corner to discuss pitfalls and opportunities in humanitarian tech with Heather Leson (Digital Innovation Lead at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) and Omar Abou Samra (Director of the Global Disaster Preparedness Center at the American Red Cross). Heather and Omar believe in technology’s usefulness to the industry, but stress that it must be integrated into humanitarian work with the same rigor applied to non-digital interventions.

This conversation is a call for better co-design between humanitarians and technologists to ensure impact measurement goes beyond vanity metrics like downloads. Heather and Omar pitch an approach similar to venture capital, where ineffective projects are shut down rather than endlessly sustained, and where human-centered design and cross-disciplinary collaboration are embraced. They discuss the secret sauce for better humanitarian tech, and that maybe it's time humanitarians to rethink their role—not as central actors, but as collaborators in a larger system.

Over the past week, the 90-day freeze of US foreign assistance has sent a shockwave through the humanitarian and development communities.

If you ask this weeks guests on Trumanitarian the crisis will not be over in three months - Harpinder Collacott, Michael Barnett, and Meg Sattler come to the conclusion that the consequences of the aid freeze will last for years. The real question is: as the old system fractures, what new models of humanitarian action will emerge?

Meanwhile, communities are not idly waiting for external interventions. Can aid evolve to truly support them in building stronger institutions that can withstand the shocks to come?

No grand narratives. No easy solutions. Listen in for a clear-eyed, smart and honest perspective on the disruption of the humanitarian sector.

Dr. Rola Hallam - a doctor, humanitarian, and Syrian advocate - joins host Lars Peter Nissen for a personal conversation on the resilience of humanity amidst chaos. Against the backdrop of Syria’s profound suffering and the fall of the Assad regime, Dr. Rola shares her journey of healing, hope, and service.

She dismantles the idea of the untouchable hero humanitarian, laying bare the fragility and vulnerability of frontline workers. She recounts her burnout and her path to rebuilding through healing, spirituality, and psychedelics - moving from clever to wise.

Dr. Rola envisions a healing-centred approach for Syria (and beyond), one that empowers its people to dream and rebuild. And she calls for all of us to help make such futures realities. It's about embodying the change we want to see. Listen in – its deeply vulnerable and we hope you will love it as much as we do.

What happens when you mix cyber warfare, climate collapse, and humanitarian action with a dash of whiskey? You get Emerson Tan - a man who started as a hacker, turned humanitarian, and now designs fintech for the apocalypse.

Dive into chaos: how disasters, misinformation, and the climate crisis are forcing us to rethink everything from technology to social systems. Emerson explains why the difference between a war zone and a flood is six feet of water and how mutual aid and grassroots are bubbling up as antidotes to our crumbling centralised structures.

Along the way, we explore the dark and occasionally hopeful lessons learned from decades of edge-case disasters. What can the humanitarian sector learn from Bellingcat or AA meetings? Lots, Emerson thinks.

Grab a whiskey and join us for a convo that’s terrifying, fascinating, and oddly uplifting.

Listen now. Share widely. Embrace the chaos. Brace yourself for our dear friend, Emerson, just don’t expect him to sugarcoat the challenges ahead.

In an early episode this year, Dr. Hugo Slim warned that he would challenge the most fundamental humanitarian principle: humanity. This week, he does just that. As a Senior Research Fellow at Oxford and a policy advisor specializing in the ethics of war and humanitarian aid, Hugo brings a unique philosophical lens to the conversation, drawing on his doctorate in theology.

In this conversation, host Lars Peter challenges Hugo to assess the practicality and effectiveness of his landscape-based approach. Could it disrupt the established Western liberal framework of human rights—and might that disruption be exactly what we need to confront impending climate-related humanitarian crises?

Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at trumanitarianpod@gmail.com

This episode discusses 'community engagement': recent wins, as well as the continued struggle to move beyond tokenism to achieve meaningful change – and whether 'bureaucracy engagement' might better reflect the complexities of the engagement.

In this episode, Kristin Vestrheim (Moderator), Eminenur Çınar (Board Member), and Yakzan Shishakly (Board Member) discuss their network – the Interagency Community of Practice on Community Engagement in Displacement Response. They explore the consequences of treating community engagement as a narrow, technical problem –rather than a political one — and suggest more radical and integrative solutions to help shift power back to the people.

The forum is part of the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) cluster and you can check it out here.