The stories humanitarians tell (and why they need to change) | Rethinking Humanitarianism

When crises hit, a host of questions arise, among them: Who needs humanitarian aid? How much? Who delivers it? And who has the power to make all of those decisions?

How aid agencies and the media choose to frame this information doesn’t always help.

For the last year, researchers at ODI’s Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) have been trying to understand narratives and the role they play in humanitarian response and policy. What they’re finding so far is that human stories are more powerful than data when it comes to influencing change in the sector, and yet humanitarians don’t take their role as storytellers seriously enough.

In this bonus episode, we get a snapshot of HPG’s ongoing exploration of humanitarian narratives from one of its main researchers, and we bring together a local organisation founder, a researcher, and a journalist to discuss the power humanitarians have to shape the stories that affect crisis response.

Guests: John Bryant, research fellow at ODI’s Humanitarian Policy Group; Leen Fouad, research officer at ODI’s Humanitarian Policy Group; Mohamed Ali Diini, founder of Iftiin Foundation and chair of the Shaqo Platform; Patrick Gathara, senior editor for inclusive storytelling at The New Humanitarian.

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SHOW NOTES

• Understanding the role of narratives in humanitarian policy change | ODI
• Change without transformation: how narratives influenced the humanitarian cash agenda | ODI
• What is a humanitarian crisis, really? | Rethinking Humanitarianism
• Gaza: a litmus test for the humanitarian sector’s commitment to decolonisation? | ODI
• How do you break the mould around international aid? Try genuine trust

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