In the third and final episode on ACAPS‘ participation in the AI for Changemakers Bootcamp Ali, Yevhen and Lars Peter are joined by Konrad Pabianczyk who ran the Bootcamp for Tech to the Rescue (TTTR).
The Bootcamp is over and ACAPS has been matched with a tech company in order to develop an AI that can strengthen forecasting of crises.
Welcome to a candid convo from March 2024 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 humanitarian action. When does collaboration become complicity, and how do you avoid barking yourself out of the conversation altogether?
This episode is more than a call to listen – it’s a call to ACTION, to expose the nonsense, to challenge the norms, and dare to envision a humanitarian practice where independence isn’t just a strategic ideal; it’s a vital, lived experience.
In this 2020 episode, Mabala Nyaluwge, a Research Designer at the British Red Cross, joins her father, host Lars Peter Nissen, for a heart to heart conversation on racism and colonialism in aid. Following global outcry at George Floyd’s murder, Mabala and Lars Peter explore whether the humanitarian space is free from colonial legacy.
Mabala speaks about how the aid sector, while well-intentioned, often perpetuates colonial dynamics and racism. She discuss cultural communication styles and workplace hierarchies between local staff and expatriates, saying it’s almost like experts are viewed as more delicate. Is your presence in crisis affected areas truly meaningful if you simply go there, hang out with expat friends in expat bars, but neglect to learn from and mentor your local colleagues?
As they navigate these complex issues, they ask: are Western humanitarianism truly prepared to hand over power and break colonial cycles of dependency?
In this episode from Summer 2023, Stephen “Steve” Webster, a veteran of UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination and IFRC’s Field Assessment and Coordination Team, discusses the essential qualities of effective disaster managers. He emphasizes the power of mutual aid and love-driven leadership and reveals what he says is the single most important quality for elevating the human condition.
Reflecting on his experiences, Steve tells host Lars Peter why he values individuals over institutions and how innovation requires psychological safety within teams. He also shares insights on the evolution of disaster management practices, the challenges of decolonizing the field, and why ‘synergy’ isn’t such an embarrassing word after all.
Meg Sattler sits down with Beth Eagleston and Kate Sutton, the co-founders of the Humanitarian Advisory Group (HAG), a Melbourne based social enterprise that seeks to use research to challenge the status quo of humanitarian aid. It’s a discussion steeped in reflection; Who owns the knowledge? What does it mean to listen, trust and truly aim to make difference?
The privilege of knowledge meets the urgency of lived experience. For Beth and Kate, it’s not just about the research they produce, but about the change it has to inspire, it’s about impact, placing knowledge back into the hands of those who need it most, and staying conscious to avoid harmful habits in humanitarian dynamics.
This episode was first published in 2021. You can read more about HAGs work on their website: https://humanitarianadvisorygroup.org/
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:
Clionadh Raleigh is not only an accomplished academic, she is also founder of ACLED – delivering the most comprehensive and timely datasets on armed conflict, registering over 300,000 events annually.
Tune in and hear why Clionadh couldn’t care much about AI and why it triggers Lars Peter – who spent the past five weeks in Bob-the-AI-Builder mode (check episodes 84 and 87). You will also hear why Clionadh is considering sending her husband to an ISIS controlled area to study climate adaptation!
On a more serious note, the conversation debunks the humanitarian business myths on climate change and conflict. And explores how thinking about yourself as “the good guys” is harmful.
Check out ACLEDs great work here and enjoy the conversation !!!
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 significantly over the course of the bootcamp, but they don’t agree on what they want to do or whether ACAPS is in good shape or not when it comes to AI.
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 can be learned from the cultural contrasts between humanitarian and intelligence communities, and the new chaos paradigm. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in Cassandra’s predictions for the future of humanitarian analysis.
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.