In the second episode on ACAPS ' participation in the Tech to the Rescue AI Bootcamp for Changemakers (aka from ACAPS to AICAPS) Chiara, Ali and Lars Peter discuss the progress made over the past couple of weeks. Since the first episode focus has been on using design methods to come up with a clearer approach to AI. This part of the bootcamp has been facilitated by the legendary design company IDEO . Ali, Chiara and Lars Peter agree that they have learned and that their thinking has shifted sign...
Jul 19, 2024•29 min
Cassandra was the Trojan priestess described in Homer's Iliad condemned to have prophecies that are never believed. Dennis King, a veteran analyst with over 30 years of experience in the Humanitarian Information Unit of the US State Department, USAID, and OCHA, is in a sense a modern day Cassandra. Together with host Lars Peter Nissen, they unravel the transformation of information management in the humanitarian sector. They discuss the gains and losses brought by technological advances, what ca...
Jul 12, 2024•35 min
Goma Karki is on a mission to bridge the gap between science and public policy. At the Youth Innovation Lab in Nepal, she mobilises passionate youth to work in municipalities, tackling climate change by closing technical and knowledge gaps and promoting data-driven decision-making. Learn about the challenges and successes of integrating young leaders into local systems and the importance of local context in climate action.
Jul 05, 2024•29 min
In this first episode of the mini-series on ACAPS' journey in the Tech to the Rescue AI bootcamp, Chiara Rizza, Ali Arbia and Lars Peter Nissen discuss what to do with AI. It is early days in the bootcamp and Ali and Lars Peter are quite confused, but Chiara seems to know what she is doing so everything will be OK.
Jun 28, 2024•25 min
The hero humanitarian is dead. And Joël Glasman is glad. In his new book “Humanitarian Humanities”, Glasman advocates for a more reflective and empirically informed approach to humanitarian action, emphasizing the importance of social sciences, local ties and contextual knowledge in the field. Listen in to Joël discussing his findings, callling for a shift from the heroic era of humanitarianism to a more scrutinized and regulated approach. The book: “Petit Manuel d’Autodéfense à l'Usage des Volo...
Jun 21, 2024•49 min
Kuldeep Bandhu Ayral, co-lead of BRAC's Social Innovation Lab wants humanitarian innovators to hurry, slowly, to reap the benefits of co-designing interventions with end users. He and host Lars Peter Nissen discuss the journey and impact of the BRAC, one of the world's largest NGOs originating from the Global South, and the design-based thinking of its Social Innovation Lab. They examine the limits of most localization practices and the challenges of integrating innovation in humanitarian aid. K...
Jun 14, 2024•44 min
Meet Sean Lowrie and Christina Bennett – the dynamic former and current CEOs of the START Network, which unites over 90 different-sized NGOs globally for local-led humanitarian action. With host Lars Peter Nissen, they explore how Sean and Christina's leadership styles influence growth and the transition from a startup to a larger organisation. They debate whether creation of a change organisation is done best by allying with system incumbents or by working stealthily, and whether a vision of sy...
Jun 07, 2024•43 min
Nick Parker and Paul Taylor from REACT has shown up in their civilian outfits to discuss how they’ve repurposed from military careers to humanitarian action. REACT leverages discipline, structure, and skills of volunteering veterans and civilians to respond rapidly to crises. In the second part of the conversation, Nick, Paul and host Lars Peter Nissen discuss their experience from Afghanistan and try to figure out how humanitarians and the military interact when they are present in the same the...
May 24, 2024•1 hr 3 min
Colin Rogers is the CEO of MapAction. MapAction is a lean, mean, mapping machine that turns complex data into clear, actionable maps to support frontline workers and decision-makers during crises. With about 100 volunteers, some of whom have been with the organisation for two decades, MapAction shows a unique, geeky charm. They work closely with partners like the UNDAC to alleviate the pressure on those calling the shots in crisis situations. Tune in to hear how MapAction translates complex huma...
May 17, 2024•41 min
The challenges of the humanitarian sector have been identified over and over again but some problems seem to be unsolvable. In this first episode Marc DuBois and Lars Peter Nissen discuss whether there is a need to disrupt the sector and how to "clear the forest" so new solutions can be grown. This episode was first published in September 2020.
May 10, 2024•53 min
EqualReach connects displaced individuals on the move to tech gigs. In this conversation with host Lars Peter Nissen, the founder Giselle Gonzales uncovers the invisible barriers for that prevent skilled individuals on the move from working and accessing freelance opportunities. And how Equal Reach is breaking them down one project at a time. Just like hiding your kid’s broccoli in a brownie, Giselle kickstarted Equal Reach by using her corporate wisdom to align her social impact project with th...
May 03, 2024•33 min
Welcome to a candid convo exploring the complexities of being independent . Lars Peter Nissen hosts Meg Sattler , Ed Schenkenberg , and Adelina Kamal in the studio. When can you truly claim to be independent and what does it really mean when you’re submerged into a world full of political shenanigans and blurred ethical lines? Listen in as the guests struggle to find the right balance between standing firm in their resolve for change and getting entangled in the day to day business of humanitari...
Apr 26, 2024•55 min
This conversation between host, Lars Peter Nissen and Pierrick Devidal, Senior Policy Adviser at the Law, Policy and Humanitarian Diplomacy Division at ICRC debates on whether the sector’s excitement about AI is a progressive step or a dangerous diversion. We discuss ethical considerations and the potential for tech to overshadow fundamental humanitarian principles. How do we distinguish meaningful innovation from harmful overreliance? What are the pitfalls of datafication and AI fixation in hum...
Apr 19, 2024•1 hr 3 min
In this thought-provoking episode, host Lars Peter Nissen and guest Sarah Spencer, Consultant specialized in AI explore the complex relationship between AI and humanitarian aid. They discuss the critical issues of transparency in AI-driven decision-making, the management of digital identities of aid recipients, and the ethical aspects of using AI to find ‘legitimate’ targets in conflict zones. The conversation wraps up with Spencer’s brighter and grimmer envisioned scenarios of how the digital i...
Apr 12, 2024•44 min
William Shoki is the Chief Editor of Africa is a Country . In this conversation with Lars Peter Nissen he discusses the western media's narratives of Africa and the political impact of such. A key point of the discussion is South Africa's groundbreaking case filed against Israel to the ICC. William reflects how it relates to South African history and stance of doing the right thing over economic interest.
Apr 05, 2024•37 min
Discover how Poetic Unity is transforming norms with healing and powerful poetry. Poetic Unity addresses mental health, community cohesion, and challenges traditional societal expectations of masculinity. Join us as we dive into a refreshing conversation about the potential for creativity and vulnerability to revolutionize humanitarian work and leadership. Don't miss your opportunity to dream into this episode and reflect if these unconventional approaches can lead to profound changes in the int...
Mar 29, 2024•18 min
Hugo Slim is one of the best known and most interesting thinkers in the humanitarian space. He works at Univeristy of Oxford on the ethics and practice of humanitarian action and currently focus on answering the question “What is Climate Humanitarianism?” In this conversation with Lars Peter Nissen , Hugo discusses how we should define and prioritise humanitarian needs. The two papers that form the basis of the conversation can be found here: How should we define and prioritise humanitarian need...
Mar 22, 2024•41 min
Tech to the rescue (TTTR) is based on the simple idea, that the tech sector, just like most law firms, should do pro-bono work. So they have built a platform where non-profits and tech companies can be matched - a Tinder platform for social impact, where non-profits and tech companies can swipe right. In this frank conversations TTTR CEO Jacek Siadkowski and Trumanitarian host Lars Peter Nissen explore: How to connect tech companies with nonprofits to innovate together and bridge the technologic...
Mar 15, 2024•38 min
Sarah Boukhary works with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue on the peace process in Yemen. Yemen is not only one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world, it is also at the very bottom of statistics on gender equality. So what is it like to be a woman, speaking up for peace, in the midst of a very male dominated world? How do we decolonize the aid sector, what's the problem with traffic culture in Sanaa, and why is chewing qat important? These are the some of the questions Sarah co...
Mar 08, 2024•40 min
This episode is a recording of the closing panel of the Humanitarian Xchange (Hx) conference which took place in London on 20 February 2024. The panel participants are: Harpinder Athwal Collacott , CEO of Mercy Corps Europe, Francis Iwa , Co-founder and Executive Director of CAFOMI, Jacek Siadkowski , CEO of Tech to the Rescue (TTTR) and Andrew Jackson, professor of Global and Imperial History, University of Oxford. The panel was moderated by Lars Peter Nissen , Director of ACAPS and host of Tru...
Mar 01, 2024•55 min
This is the second episode of two on the issue of Housing, Land and Property (HLP) in a humanitarian context. The Episodes are co-hosted by: Alexandre Corriveau-Bourque , Co-Founder of Verent Solutions . and Trumanitarian's usual host Lars Peter Nissen. This weeks guests are: For Puerto Rico: Dr. Ana Christina Gomez Perez , a professor at the School of Law at the University of Puerto Rico and an advisor to Habitat for Humanity in Puerto Rico.Community Land Trusts featured by: Habitat for Humanit...
Feb 23, 2024•52 min
This is the first of two episodes on the issue of Housing, Land and Property (HLP) in a humanitarian context. The Episodes are co-hosted by: Alexandre Corriveau-Bourque , Co-Founder of Verent Solutions . and Trumanitarians usual host Lars Peter Nissen. The guests in Part 1 are: Irantzu Serra Lasa, the Senior Director for Disaster Risk Reduction and Response from Habitat for Humanity International, Ibere Lopes the Housing land and Property Advisor for the Global Shelter Cluster and Shezane Kirubi...
Feb 09, 2024•35 min
Jeremy Konyndyk is the President of Refugees International. In this conversation with Lars Peter Nissen he discusses how we can reform the humanitarian sector and how far we have come.
Jan 26, 2024•53 min
Brendan Lawson is a Lecturer in Media and Communication at Loughborough University. In this conversation with Lars Peter Nissen he discusses his recent book: The Life of a Number - Measurement, Meaning and the Media. The conversation also covers the article by Ten Things We Know about Humanitarian Numbers which was published in Journal of Humanitarian Affairs and that Brendan has written with with Joel Glassman (our guest on episode 8: Needology). If you are have any comments or questions Brenda...
Jan 12, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Humanitarian Xchange is a new conference organised by the Humanitarian Leadership Academy (HLA). In this conversation Dominic Courage from HLA and Francis Iwa from the Ugandan NGO Care and Assistance For Forced Migrants (CAFOMI) discuss Hx with Lars Peter Nissen....
Dec 06, 2023•40 min
Raphael Gorgeu, Senior Research Associate at the Geneva based think tank HERE-Geneva , has spent the past couple of years looking at how change unfolds in the humanitarian sector. In this episode Raphael presents his approach and discuss his findings with Lars Peter Nissen. You can find Raphael’s report here ....
Jul 17, 2023•45 min
Stephen Webster is one of the architects behind first response mechanisms such as the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team and the IFRCs Field Assessment and Coordination Team (FACT). In this conversation with Lars Peter Nissen he shares his experience from close to 40 years of disaster management and comes to the conclusion that in the end mercy triumphs!
Jun 23, 2023•33 min
This weeks episode is the recording of a panel discussion on Ukrainian organiations access to international funding. The discussion was held on 14 March 2023 with the title: Small fish in a big pond: Ukrainian organisations’ (lack of) access to international funding. The panel is a co-production by HERE Geneva and Trumanitairan. Val Hambye-Verbrugghen from HERE-Geneva moderated the discussion between the three panellists: Yuliia Chykolba the co-host of the Trumanitarian podcast series on Ukraine...
Jun 16, 2023•1 hr 27 min
Accountability to crisis affected populations is high on the humanitarian policy agenda. Alex Ross, Avianto Amri and Robert Wambu work with a new accountability project called Talk to Loop. In this conversation with Lars Peter Nissen they explain how their tech platform improves the way the humanitarian sector works with feed back mechanisms and accountability, the disruptive potential of the project and how to position it vis-à-vis the existing humanitarian architecture.
Jun 10, 2023•50 min
Can the humanitarian sector be fit for todays challenges without revisiting its purpose? And are the humanitarian principles an obstacle for this important conversation to take place? These are two of the central issues that Paul Skinner and Lars Peter Nissen discuss in this episode. Paul is the founder of the Agency of the Future, which helps clients drive purpose-led change and better mobilise stakeholders for lasting success. He advises global businesses and pioneering charities and social en...
Mar 31, 2023•53 min
