Intercross the Podcast: Recent Episodes
Intercross the Podcast
The official podcast of the ICRC in the US & Canada. Podcasting to you from Washington, DC. We aim to highlight the human element behind the consequences of conflict. Humanitarian profiles, operational updates, legal debates and discussions.
OUR MISSION: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance. The ICRC also endeavors to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles.
In 2017, a battle raged in Mosul, as Iraqi armed forces and their international supporters fought to dislodge Islamic State fighters from the city. Almost 2 million people—half of Mosul’s population--fled from the fighting. During the battle, over 9000 civilians were killed and more than 130,000 homes were destroyed or damaged. In the latest episode, we hear from the staff at one of the hospitals decimated by the fighting. Then we turn to our team in Mosul and ask: How do largely populated cities like Mosul, after so much destruction and human tragedy, carry on after the conflict ends?
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Following the end of the Islamic State Group’s caliphate in Mosul, Iraq in 2017, hundreds of women and children were detained in facilities throughout Iraq and Syria, and left in a state of limbo, not knowing when or if they would be released and repatriated into third-party countries. In this episode, we meet one family that has at least partly managed to leave detention and the war behind them to find a home in the Kyrgyz Republic with the help of their host community. We then speak to Elena Esanu, the ICRC’s deputy protection coordinator in Kyrgyzstan, to talk about how the ICRC is working in these host communities to build acceptance and help this family and others reintegrate into society. We ask Elena whether this family’s reintegration experience is a blueprint for other countries of origin to follow for families who remain stranded and separated.
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While media images showed the initial destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam leaving thousands of homes underwater and civilians without electricity or clean drinking water, it wasn’t able to show the unexploded ordnances lurking under the surface, affecting untold numbers of people. Today go to the Kherson Region, which has been heavily impacted unexploded ordnances, and hear from civilians and a Ukrainian Red Cross worker on the ground about how the contamination of landmines has frozen every day life. Then we turn to an interview with the Head of Weapons Contamination in Kyiv, Andy Duncan, to explain how this work is the very core of the ICRC’s mandate.
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Follow us on Twitter @ICRC_dc. You can also follow our team in Ukraine on X.com, formerly known as Twitter, @ICRC_UA to learn more about our work there.
Today, we have an archived episode for you from last year called “Inside the Central Tracing Agency.” It’s a 150-year-old division of the ICRC that today is a crucial resource for families searching for loved ones gone missing due to conflict, violence, natural disasters, or along the migration route.
We hope to be back in the New Year with all new episodes for you. So stayed tuned and enjoy!
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The level of armed violence in Haiti—akin to what we see in areas of conflict around the world—has had a direct and devastating impact on the population living in and around the capital of Port-au-Prince. For about the last two years, these neighborhoods have been living under protracted armed violence and suffer from the absence of basic services like safe drinking water, and emergency healthcare. In this episode, we hear from a Haitian Red Cross volunteer about their work on an ambulance service despite the violence and lack of medical infrastructure. And then we turn to an interview with Mickael Payet, the former ICRC health coordinator in Haiti, to talk about how we work with HRC volunteers in communities to ensure access to emergency health service when people need it most.
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TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains sounds of an explosion and may be disturbing to some listeners.
Digital dilemmas surrounding internet connectivity, artificial intelligence, and data surveillance are becoming more ubiquitous in our everyday lives as technology advances. It’s difficult to keep pace with those changes. But now picture yourself with one of these digital dilemmas in the midst of an armed conflict or other situation of violence anywhere in the world. This week on the podcast, how do technologies affect our choices and options in a crisis? And, what is the International Committee of the Red Cross doing to alleviate some of these issues? We walk through a hypothetical scenario based on real-life stories with our senior advisor on digital technology and data protection, Laura Walker McDonald, and then interview Philippe Marc Stoll, ICRC’s senior techplomacy delegate in Geneva.
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Welcome to the 2022 season of the International Committee of the Red Cross’s Intercross: The Podcast. If you’re new to the podcast, our goal is to delve into the rules of war and takes you to the frontlines of some of the most inaccessible conflicts in the world, where the ICRC and the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement work to neutrally and independently respond to emergencies.
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In this episode, we learn about the Ubumwe Community Center in Gisenyi, Rwanda, their motto, “disability is not inability,” and the importance of inclusion, especially in communities affected by violence. We first hear from one of the center’s student musicians about how the center’s music program has given him opportunities to perform for others. We then turn to Subhash Sinha, the ICRC’s Physical Rehabilitation Program Manager for east Africa to hear about our work providing prosthetics and orthotics and supporting inclusionary sports programs.
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Intense hostilities in Yemen have raged for more than seven years. The needs are severe and deepen by the minute with more than two-thirds of Yemen’s people in need of humanitarian assistance. All, while essential services are on the brink of collapse and people are losing hope as the conflict appears to drag endlessly. In these past decades, the ICRC has been providing a wide array of humanitarian assistance including support to hospitals, improving access to clean water, and food parcels and relief items to people who have been displaced. However, one of the more challenging activities the ICRC facilitates in Yemen is monitoring the treatment and living conditions of tens of thousands of people—mostly men and some as young as 13--detained due to the prolonged conflict. We also work to facilitate the release and reunification of the detainees with their families when agreed upon by parties to the conflict.
In this episode, we speak with Fabrizio Carboni, ICRC’s head of the Middle East region, who tells the story of the organization’s largest wartime transfer operation of detainees in the past 70 years and reflects on what it means for the future of Yemen.
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Following the change of government in August 2021, most of the health workers in Afghanistan were no longer getting paid. Medicines were no longer available, and many health professionals deserted the country’s hospitals in search of incomes. As a result, patients were sometimes refused access to treatment and the overall healthcare system in the country was on the verge of coming to a full stop. In this episode, we ask, what does the future of sustainable healthcare look like for millions of Afghans in need of lifesaving healthcare?
We speak with Dr. Mariam Moksudi, a gynecologist at Rabia Balkhi Hospital in Kabul and one of the 10,500 health care staff the ICRC is supporting through the Hospital Resilience Project.
Then we turn to Ana Lucia Bueno, ICRC’s health coordinator in Kabul, who explains how the ICRC has been supporting hospitals for decades and began the project after the change of government in August last year.
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Prolonged drought, conflict, global inflation, and now a shortage of grain due to the Ukraine conflict. Somalia is particularly hard hit. Over 7 million people are in urgent need of food and water—that’s half the country’s population and equal to the populations of Los Angeles and Chicago, combined. The numbers are unfathomable. They represent millions of human stories and life experiences that don’t make headlines.
Despite all of this, the ICRC has been addressing food insecurity for decades in Somalia, offering emergency assistance in places where armed conflict and violence is an everyday reality. But there’s an increasing need for alternative solutions, to improve people’s resilience over the longer term. In this episode we speak with Alyona Synenko, an ICRC spokesperson for east Africa, explains the current situation on our show today. And then, we’ll hear from our colleague Mohamud Abdille Abdi, to learn about one emergency assistance program—and how it works on the ground.
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Almost 40 years after the Falkland Islands/Malvinas conflict, we look back on the ICRC’s efforts to identify unknown soldiers. Figuring who these unknown soldiers were took decades to resolve. But in 2012, the ICRC received a request from the Argentine government to help identify their remains. Then in 2016 with the ICRC as a neutral intermediary, Argentina and the UK negotiated and signed an agreement known as the Humanitarian Project Plan. The crucial work of exhuming the graves and identifying remains fell to Luis Bernardo Fondebrider, co-founder of the Argentinian Forensic Anthropology Team. He worked with a multidisciplinary team of scientists from around the world, who began the exhumations at the Argentine Cemetery at Darwin--on the central eastern side of the islands.
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In this episode, we tell the story of the more than 150-year-old Central Tracing Agency, a division of the ICRC that today is a crucial resource for families searching for loved ones gone missing due to conflict, violence, natural disasters, or along the migration route. We take you for a trip back in time to the foundations of the CTA in 1860 to understand how this history has made it what it is today. You’ll hear from Geneva Tour Guide Catherine Hubert Girod and ICRC Historian Daniel Palmieri recount the history.
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In this episode, we’re going to learn about how the ICRC works with what are known in Mexico as, colectivos, or groups of families and friends who unite to search for their missing loved ones and defend their rights. We speak with Beatriz Adriana Martinez about her husband, Juan Alvarez Gil’s disappearance in 2013, to understand what a family goes through when a loved one goes missing and how these colectivos support Beatriz and the hundreds of thousands of other families. We also speak with Marlene Herbig, an ICRC delegate with the Missing Persons Program in Mexico, who works to help those who are searching for their missing loved ones know their rights, and how and when to seek mental health counseling.
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This mini episode kick starts the 2022 season of Intercross: The Podcast.
In this episode, we rewind the tape and listen to an interview with Florence Anselmo, Head of the Central Tracing Agency, a division of the ICRC that's been a crucial resource for families affected by conflict, disaster, and other situations of violence to restore contact with their loved ones. Florence helps break down what the agency does and why it's crucial to the work of the ICRC.
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More than 10 years of brutal conflict in Syria has left most of the population in need of assistance and without access to basic services in places all over the country. In part one of our special series on Syria, Intercross heard the stories of two Syrians living in Aleppo, Mouna Shawakh and Rami Asfar, in their own words.
In part two, we zoom into Northeast Syria, in a camp called Al Hol. Today Al Hol houses around 58,000 people -- two thirds of whom are children, and most under the age of 5. Tens of thousands of children are spending their childhoods in appalling harsh conditions no child should experience. For the young people now growing up in camps like Al Hol, living conditions are far below international standards in terms of access to food, water, health care and education.
We talk about the seemingly insurmountable challenges of those who remain stranded living in the camp, and what the Red Cross Red Crescent movement is doing about them, such as operating a field hospital to provide emergency life-saving surgical care and medical consultations. In November 2020, the first mental health and psychosocial services tent was set up inside the field hospital to provide psycho-social support, including educational activities for the children.
What could be done to try and solve what the ICRC calls one of the most complex child protection crises of our time? Featuring ICRC’s Near and Middle East Regional Director Fabrizio Carboni and ICRC psychotherapist Alessandra Lennar. Hosted by ICRC spokesperson Sara Al-Zawqari.
After 10 years of conflict in Syria, thousands of people are missing, hundreds of thousands are dead, and millions of people are displaced. In the past 12 months, millions more Syrians have been pushed into deeper hunger and poverty. In Northeast Syria, we’re seeing the world’s most complex child protection crisis unfolding in front of us.
In two special episodes, Intercross shares stories of those affected by a decade of brutal and unrelenting conflict, and the efforts made by the ICRC and our partners to assist them.
In Aleppo, we hear from young Syrians Mouna Shawakh and Rami Asfar, telling us in their own words about how their lives have changed due to conflict.
We interview ICRC’s NAME Regional Director Fabrizio Carboni and ICRC psychotherapist Alessandra Lennar about the severe humanitarian consequences for thousands of stranded women and children living in Al Hol camp.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
After 10 years of conflict in Syria, thousands of people are missing, hundreds of thousands are dead, and millions of people are displaced. The past 12 months has seen millions more Syrians pushed into deeper hunger and poverty.
For young people especially, this has been a decade of savage loss, marked by missed milestones, stolen futures, immense economic hardship and a profound psychological toll.
In this episode, Intercross brings you part one of a special two-part series, hearing directly from those affected by a decade of brutal and unrelenting conflict, and about the efforts made by the ICRC and our partners over the past decade.
We are introduced to two young Syrians living in Aleppo, Mouna Shawakh and Rami Asfar, who we met when the ICRC surveyed thousands of young Syrians earlier this year, to ask how their lives changed trajectories. What are their most pressing needs? And, crucially, what are their hopes for a more normal future?
Long after returning home to the US, a staggering number of veterans suffer from untreated depression, PTSD, trauma and other mental health conditions, which in some cases, run deep.
A connection is unclear, but some of these veterans also become incarcerated and must learn to cope with these issues behind bars.
The American Red Cross is seeking to help them through a resiliency program that sends trained facilitators into prisons to provide mental health support to incarcerated veterans.
For this episode, we’ll learn how the American Red Cross supports some of the 180,000 incarcerated military veterans in the US today, building new skills for life in — and outside — of prison.
World leaders have converged on the Scottish city of Glasgow for COP26—the United Nations climate change conference.
The stakes could not be higher.
Sea levels are rising. Heatwaves, droughts, floods, and wildfires are more frequent, more intense, and threatening the survival of humanity.
In a brand-new episode of Intercross, we hear from our communications colleague in London, Sam Smith, who’s been closely following this story for the past year, writing about the very real human impacts of climate change in a conflict zone.
He starts in Somalia with ICRC’s Abdikarim Abdullahi. Three decades of conflict have weakened the country’s institutions and left some 2.9 million people internally displaced. Somalia is ranked as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change when it comes to its ability to improve resilience. The recurrent nature of climatic shocks, such as droughts and floods, and the instability created by conflict, meaning herders and pastoralists—several of which share their stories—have little chance to recover and build resilience.
Sam then turns to Mali. Since 2012, armed conflict has profoundly disrupted the lives of Malians, spreading from the north to central regions, causing death, displacement and economic failure. At the same time, Mali is becoming hotter and drier, while the Sahara Desert, which already makes up two thirds of the country, is expanding. He speaks with Dr. Catherine-Lune Grayson, ICRC’s Policy Advisor and author of the recent report, When Rain turns to Dust, to learn why the countries affected by conflict are among those deemed to be the most vulnerable to climate change. They discuss what exactly about insecurity that undermines states ability to help their communities adapt to climate and the main commitments ICRC is hoping to come out of COP26.
Digital technologies – both their presence and absence during crises – are impacting humanitarian action and civilians’ lives. They are also impacting the means and method of warfare - leading to a “digitalization of armed conflicts”.
In this podcast, Intercross host Elizabeth Rushing speaks with Saman Rejali, ICRC Law and Policy Advisor based in Geneva, and Yannick Heiniger, Deputy CEO of swissnex San Francisco, on their views about digital technologies and humanitarianism, exiting the echo-chambers of both the public and private sector to exchange views on using “tech for good”, balancing risks and opportunities brought forth by digitalization, the relevance of international humanitarian law in the digital age, and establishing bonds of trust – with affected people and across sectors - amidst the COVID-19 pandemic through digital diplomacy and more.
The average time that the ICRC has been present in its ten largest operations is 42 years. With these seemingly endless wars come layers of humanitarian consequences, including the cumulative effects of hostilities on infrastructure and healthcare systems, prolonged displacement, increased barriers to accessing essential services, and interruptions to education. The duration of humanitarian operations in protracted conflict settings has caused organizations like the ICRC to re-think their way of working.
In light of the humanitarian imperative to respond to the needs of people affected, the International Review of the Red Cross recently dedicated an edition to protracted conflict. In this podcast, Intercross host Elizabeth Rushing speaks with ICRC’s Policy Advisor Filipa Schmitz Guinote and ICRC’s Special Envoy on Humanitarian and Development Affairs Colin Bruce about the stress points and blind spots of the so-called ‘humanitarian-development divide’ in protracted conflict settings.
Contemporary crises and armed conflicts are increasingly complex, with humanitarian needs made even more acute by the protracted and urban nature of conflicts, the challenges of influencing the behavior of warring parties, and the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. With 20,000 staff present in 104 countries, the ICRC is mandated by the international community, through the Geneva Conventions and its Additional Protocols, to assist and protect people affected by armed conflict and violence, including through the promotion of respect for humanitarian law.
In this special edition of the podcast, two ICRC Directors – Helen Durham, Director of International Law and Policy, and Dominik Stillhart, Director of Operations – discuss today’s operational and legal challenges and how to overcome them to reach the people affected.
The COVID-19 pandemic has turned nearly every aspect of society on its head. Law enforcement agencies and services play a crucial role in their countries and communities supporting national authorities in various ways, including to control the disease alongside their normal daily duties of serving and protecting their communities.
In this podcast, Intercross host Elizabeth Rushing speaks with Calum McDonald, ICRC’s Regional Delegate for Relations with Police and Security Forces, and Maciej Polkowski, Head of the Health Care in Danger initiative at the ICRC, to unpack and examine the challenges of policing during a pandemic, the legal framework and tools that could help police officers navigate the humanitarian consequences, and the lessons learnt from other contexts such as the Ebola epidemic
What are the humanitarian consequences of urban warfare, and how can international humanitarian law (IHL) reduce them? The conversation continues with ICRC advisors Caroline Baudot, Stephen Kilpatrick and Abby Zeith. Hosted by Elizabeth Rushing.
What are the humanitarian consequences of urban warfare, and how can IHL reduce them? A conversation with Cordula Droege, ICRC's Chief Legal Officer. Hosted by Elizabeth Rushing.
COVID has turned our world upside down and amplified challenges on a global scale. Issues like the spread of disinformation and the role of behavioral change to create real impact in humanitarian situations were significant before the pandemic but in today’s reality, they have become nothing short of critical.
In this episode of the podcast, we have several guests to discuss the role and influence of information and community engagement in instilling tangible behavioral change in humanitarian settings, particularly in a time of COVID. Joining us are Pradmudith Rupasinghe, (Head of Operations- Sri Lanka Red Cross Society), Indu Nepal (Community Engagement Advisor, ICRC), and Syed Masood (Freelance Behavioral Design Strategist. We discuss the challenges of change in times of pandemics and disinformation, how earlier experiences with other pandemics such as Ebola helped feed into current COVID responses, and how we can be better prepared in the future. Hosted by Niki Clark.
This week, Intercross the Podcast has a special Audio Diary from Yemen. It features Tobias Ehret, ICRC’s Field Team Leader, and Samar Al-Aghbari, ICRC’s Protection Field Officer as they travel from Aden to the Ad Durayhimi district, a remote area very close to the frontlines for a distribution. The trip took some ten days, and their diaries give insight into the intense work and collaboration needed in providing humanitarian aid in a time of COVID.
With over 24 million in need of aid and only half of its health facilities functioning, Yemen is the world's single largest humanitarian crisis. In this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Franz Rauchenstein, the outgoing head of ICRC in Sana’a. He has served in South Sudan, Afghanistan and the DRC over the course of his 25 years with the organization but recently called Yemen ‘the worst crisis he had ever seen.’ We discuss the devastating impact of COVID, why adhering to a ceasefire has been so difficult, and the future of a country in conflict. Hosted by Trevor Keck.
What is acceptable and what is prohibited in armed conflict? The four Geneva Conventions of 1949 form the foundation of international humanitarian law and provide a framework setting out the answers to that question.
In the 1950s, the ICRC published a set of commentaries on these Conventions, giving practical guidance on their implementation. But to reflect the developments in law and practice since then, the ICRC commissioned a new set of commentaries that seek to reflect the current interpretations of the Conventions. The updated Commentaries on the First and Second Conventions were published in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Just this summer, the updated Commentary on the Third Geneva Convention related to the treatment of prisoners of war was launched after years of research and analysis.
In this episode of the podcast, we discuss the Commentary’s main findings on key humanitarian issues related to the treatment of prisoners of war. Guests include Jean-Marie Henckaerts, ICRC’s legal advisor and head of ICRC’s project to update the Commentaries on the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the Additional Protocols of 1977 and Colonel Richard B. "Dick" Jackson, Retired Army Judge Advocate and former Special Assistant to the Judge Advocate General for Law of War Matters. Hosted by Tracey Begley.
During armed conflicts, other situations of violence, natural disasters, or migration, countless people go missing, causing great anguish for their families and loved ones, who often make desperate attempts to find them. Waiting to learn about a missing person’s fate and whereabouts means living in limbo, between hope and despair, facing the pain of ongoing uncertainty and unable to grieve. Such uncertainty has severe psychological and emotional effects. It can also create legal, administrative, social and economic difficulties.
International humanitarian law (IHL) includes important provisions aimed at preventing people from going missing, clarifying the fate and whereabouts of missing persons and upholding the right of the families to know the fate and whereabouts of their relatives. States and parties to an armed conflict must take all possible measures to prevent people from going missing, to account for those who do, to protect those that die and to deal with the consequences of such events. Other bodies of international law, notably International Human Rights Law recognize the right to know of the families of missing persons and contain important provisions to prevent and deal with cases of enforced disappearances, including the obligation to search for disappeared persons and to investigate acts of enforced disappearances.
August 30th marks awareness of this issue, to remember missing people and to express solidarity with their families. In this episode of the podcast, we talk about ICRC’s operational work in this area, the challenges COVID presents, as well as the role of the Central Tracing Agency. Make sure to visit intercrossblog.icrc.org to hear bonus audio diaries from both the Portuguese and Australian Red Crosses to get first-hand perspectives from those reconnecting family members. Hosted by Niki Clark.
To mark World Humanitarian Day, in this episode podcast we have Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, Richard Albright. Within the US State Department, he’s responsible for humanitarian policy, advocacy and assistance programs, and directing nearly $2 billion US dollars for humanitarian response. The ICRC works with a lot of donors as a neutral and independent humanitarian organization which includes the United States through PRM. Mr. Albright has held many different titles around the world working for the US government. He has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Foreign Policy Advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations at the Department of Defense as well as roles as Coordinator for Economic and Development Assistance at U.S. Embassy Islamabad, Senior Humanitarian Coordinator at U.S. Embassy Baghdad, and as PRM’s Director for the Office of Asia and the Near East. We discuss humanitarian donorship, crisis response and the significance of World Humanitarian Day. Hosted by Niki Clark.
More than 700,000 people have died from COVID worldwide—and that number goes up every day. Accompanying these deaths is grief, but the normal methods of mourning are often not available to family and loved ones. Memorials are held virtually, often those dying do so with only health care workers by their side. People are experiencing grief in different ways, many of which are unique to this moment in history.
To discuss dealing with grief in a time of COVID, on this episode of the podcast we have Dr. Valerie Cole. Dr. Cole is a clinical psychologist and the Director of the Integrated Condolence Care Program at the American Red Cross. We discuss providing mental health support in disasters, and specifically pandemics, the American Red Cross’s new virtual family assistance center, and ways to deal with loss in this challenging time. Hosted by Niki Clark.
This year marks the 60th birthday of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For the last 25+ years, the country has been embroiled in conflict due to the massive refugee crisis and spillover from the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The armed conflict and violence in the DRC has affected thousands of families and created a deteriorating humanitarian situation. Brutal clashes between groups has had very serious consequences for people: many have been killed, wounded, or traumatized, villages have been burned and fields destroyed and there has been massive population displacement.
In addition to conflict, DRC has had to deal with pandemics, and not just COVID. In June, the country declared its eleventh Ebola outbreak since records began, following the revelation of new cases of Ebola in the northeast. This occurred less than two years since the last outbreak of the disease ended there. That outbreak ended up being the worst ever documented in DRC and the second-largest Ebola outbreak recorded anywhere. Of course, all of this is compounded by the realities of fighting an epidemic in a conflict zone.
In this episode of the podcast, we speak with Alexandru Cretu, the ICRC Hospital Project Manager in Goma. We talk about the challenges of trying to save lives in the midst of conflict, how ICRC is working in the DRC, and lessons learned from dealing with Ebola that can be applied to COVID.
In conflict and post-conflict contexts, access to assistance and protection is constantly contested, particularly for vulnerable populations such as the internally displaced. With the additional challenge of COVID19, this access is even more complicated, challenging the ability of humanitarian actors and creating second effects for those fleeing. In this episode of the podcast, a follow-up conversation from a recent Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and ICRC webinar, we are joined by NRC’s Central and West Africa Regional Director Maureen Magee and ICRC’s Global Advisor on Internal Displacement Angela Cotroneo. We discuss the interplay between COVID19 and armed conflicts and the resulting double crisis, how humanitarian organizations are adapting to ensure they can continue to reach IDPs and durable solutions going forward. Hosted by Austin Shangraw.
Mali sits in the middle of West Africa, with most of the country situated within in the Sahel desert. It is a key operation for the ICRC, where we’ve worked since 1982 and held a delegation since 2013—falling typically within the top 15 largest global operations budget-wise, and top 5 in Africa. Since 2012, the country has experienced escalated conflict and a resulting dire humanitarian situation.
In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Jean Nicolas Marti, the outgoing head of delegation in Mali and Judith Oputu, ICRC’s Diplomatic Advisor for Africa. We speak about the continuing instability, conflict dynamics, and operational impacts as well as diplomatic interventions and why the situation continues to deteriorate despite efforts. We also discuss the implications of a global pandemic on an already precarious situation and COVID19 policy efforts in country as well as the exacerbating effects of climate change in the Sahel, and the policy work and conversations trying to mitigate the results. Hosted by Trevor Keck.
To say that COVID19 has had global reaching impacts is an understatement. But for those living in Syria, the pandemic reaches the country at a time when ten years of destructive conflict has led to mass population displacement, and a once strong health system is in a precarious state. Half of all health facilities are now out of service or partially functioning. The country has experienced an economic decline as a consequence of the conflict, sanctions, and a regional downturn generating further hardship for many vulnerable Syrians.
On this, our 100th episode of the Podcast, we are joined by Issa Ahmed Dahir, the hospital project manager at the Al Hol camp. The camp, in the North East of Syria, currently holds around 65,000 people, the majority of whom are children and women. We discuss the challenges facing Syria’s health systems in the time of COVID, what it’s like not only serving on the surgical frontlines in one of the world’s most dire situations but to also lead a team of 200+ others in such a situation, and the human stories behind the headlines. Hosted by Niki Clark.
Each year, armed conflict disrupts millions of lives. It also disrupts the infrastructure that makes daily life possible, such as damage to water supplies. The protracted conflict in Libya, now going on 9+ years, has made clean water a luxury for many. Close to 70 % of the Libyan population depends on the Man Made River, a gigantic water supply pipeline that draws water from the aquifers in the south of the country and brings it up north. Even before the added complexity of COVID, the tasks at hand were enormous, and the resources, shrinking.
In this episode of the podcast, we have Hamza Oun, a water and sanitation engineer with the ICRC in Tripoli, Libya. Hamza is part of the ICRC field team responding to the Covid-19 pandemic in Libya, leading disinfection campaigns for Internal Displaced Persons shelters. We discuss the current situation, the additional challenge a global pandemic has created, and how there is hope in Hamza’s new Chlorine app, which allows people to take matters into their own hands. We also have a short audio diary from Mya Mya Soe, a water engineer in Myanmar, who shares about the water challenges in her own country. Hosted by Niki Clark.
International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world every May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth. In non-global epidemic times, nurses and medical workers make up the backbone of our country’s health care system. But particularly in this age, their role has been nothing short of critical. In this episode of the podcast, we have Linda MacIntyre, the chief nurse of the American Red Cross. She heads up a network of some 16,000+ nurses and other health professionals, both volunteers and staff who bring relief to disaster victims, work in military hospitals, and collect lifesaving blood. We discuss a little of the history of nursing at the American Red Cross, bring it forward to the role of nurses today and how they are helping on the frontlines of COVID. We also hear from Jaime Burgoyne, an emergency nurse with the Canadian Red Cross who was deployed to assist Canadian travelers quarantined after returning from Wuhan, China. Hosted by Niki Clark.
By 2030, it is estimated that up to two-thirds of the world’s extreme poor will live in countries characterized by fragility, conflict, and violence. The global fragility landscape has worsened significantly: There are now more violent conflicts globally than at any time in the past 30 years, and the world is also facing the largest forced displacement crisis ever recorded. As these numbers increase, addressing them becomes even more mission-critical for the World Bank Group, which has been supporting development efforts in such settings countries since its origin in the post-conflict reconstruction of Europe after World War II.
In this episode of the podcast, we have Franck Bousquet, the World Bank’s Senior Director for Fragility, Conflict and Violence, a position he has held since July 2017. As Senior Director, Franck mobilizes expertise and supports operational teams across the Bank in close collaboration with humanitarian-development-peace partners. He’s also led the development of the World Bank Group’s first Strategy for Fragility, Conflict and Violence or FCV. We talk about the ICRC’s engagement with the Bank, the recently released strategy, and the factors that can increase vulnerability to shocks and crises. In addition, we discuss how in contexts that are extremely vulnerable to begin with, COVID 19 has added yet another layer of complexity. Hosted by Niki Clark.
More than 175,000 people in the United States have recovered from COVID19. Once a person recovers, his or her blood contains antibodies in its plasma that can possibly fight the virus. Those antibodies can be obtained from a donor’s blood and given to a severely ill patient via transfusion. The hope is that these antibodies can help patients recover. The use of convalescent plasma—or plasma extracted from those recovering from a certain illness—has a long history, dating back even to the Spanish Flu in 1918 and used more recently in patients with polio, measles, and SARS.
In late March, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a new initiative to collect plasma from those who have recovered, partnering with the America Red Cross to help identify prospective donors and manage the distribution of these products to hospitals treating patients in need.
In this special World Red Cross Red Crescent Day episode, we speak with both George Tzagournis, a recent convalescent plasma donor, and Dr. Erin Goodhue, the executive medical director of the American Red Cross. We talk about the process and possibilities behind convalescent plasma in the fight against COVID19. Hosted by Niki Clark.
The Coronavirus is having an impact on absolutely every element of our lives. For people living in war-zones, the virus is just one more threat when you’re already dealing with so much suffering. Faced with immediate threats to life, such as gunfire, shelling and bombings, and lack of life-saving health care, it’s a real challenge to prioritize how you’re going to deal with it all.
So with this episode, we are starting a new series of shorts that hear from different ICRC delegations and focus on how a global pandemic affects some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. We’ll begin with a look at the threat of a new pandemic entering detention centers, where once inside, it is very difficult to contain. Hosted by Niki Clark.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we discuss Lake Chad. Situated in north-west Africa, what is known as the Lake Chad region – Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad – has been ripped apart by conflict. Civilians are regular subject to direct and/or indiscriminate attacks, including bombings in populated areas, as well as sexual violence, forced recruitment, and abductions. Over 2.4 million people have been forced to flee their homes, while millions more are in need of food, water, shelter and access to health care. We are joined by Patrick Youssef, ICRC’s Deputy Regional Director of Africa and discuss the region’s chronic fragility and the impact on communities after a decade of violence. In addition, we chat about the shortage of health care workers (1.3% of the world's total) on a continent that experiences 25% of the global disease burden. Patrick first joined the ICRC in 2005 and has worked in contexts as varied as Chad, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay. He was the deputy head of operations for the Near and Middle East covering Yemen, Iran and the Gulf Cooperation Council. In his current role, he manages ICRC operations in the Maghreb, the Sahel region, the Lake Chad Basin, and West Africa. Hosted by Niki Clark.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Massimo Marelli, Head of Data Protection Office for the ICRC. Massimo discusses how the ICRC approaches data protection and why this is a vital aspect of the ICRC’s humanitarian action in an increasingly digitally-connected world. He provides an overview of the ICRC’s data protection policies, such as the ICRC Rules on Personal Data Protection and the ICRC Policy on the Processing of Biometric Data, and highlights how the ICRC developed and implements these policies. Massimo also previews the new technologies and themes that will be examined in the updated Handbook on Data Protection in Humanitarian Action, which is set for release later this year. Hosted by Austin Shangraw.
After a couple of months break, Intercross the Podcast is back. And we are returning with quite a compelling conversation. Our guest, Esperanza Martinez, ICRC’s head of health, first spoke with us back in November 2017. She joined the ICRC in 2001, then worked for other organizations (UN and donor agencies as well as the private sector) before undertaking her current role in the ICRC’s headquarters in Geneva in 2015.
She is a medical doctor and general surgeon trained in Colombia, specialized in integrative medicine and international public health and with hands-on humanitarian experience in countries such as Colombia, Kosovo, Angola, East Timor, Nepal. In her current role, she oversees health operations across 80 countries. We talk about the consequences of conflict on health, the challenges of increasing humanitarian needs coupled with a shrinking workforce and dealing with coronavirus in an age of high human mobility. Hosted by Niki Clark.
From December 4-12 2019, the Statutory Meetings of the Red Cross and Red Crescent will bring together Red Cross and Red Crescent leaders from virtually every country in the world, as well as the International Federation, and the ICRC. Collectively known as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, it is the world’s largest and oldest humanitarian network, consisting of 192 National Societies, more than one million members and 14 million volunteers worldwide. Also joining the meetings are States Parties to the Geneva Conventions of 1949. Together they discuss and tackle today’s most pressing humanitarian issues, as well as set the future direction of the Movement. In this episode of the podcast, we have Celine Leonet, ICRC’s Cooperation Delegate in Washington. We discuss the history of the meetings, some of the themes to be addressed there—including the future of International Humanitarian Law, the humanitarian consequences of climate shocks and hazards, and the impact of declining trust on humanitarian action—and why it all matters. Hosted by Niki Clark and Will Pons.
December 3rd is the International Day of People with Disabilities. Celebrated globally since 1992, this year’s theme is "The Future is Accessible," meaning that we must all, together, look towards a future where the barriers which stand in people’s way no longer exist. According to the World Bank, one billion people, or 15% of the world's population, experience some form of disability, and disability prevalence is higher for developing countries. One-fifth of the estimated global total, or between 110 million and 190 million people, experience significant disabilities. In this episode of the podcast, we have Michael Rosenkrantz, Program Director of the Desert Ability Center, a nonprofit based in the Coachella Valley, California and whose mission to provide greater access to resources for people living with a disability by using sports as an entrée point to help them achieve their dreams. Previously, he has worked in India, Nepal, Arizona, and North Carolina. He also serves as a coaching consultant for the ICRC working under our own Jess Markt. We talk about his experiences working with people with disabilities as well as the power of adaptive sports. Hosted by Niki Clark.
Since September 1, the ongoing fighting between armed groups has forced large numbers of people in Birao, in the north-east of the Central African Republic, to flee their homes. More than 25,000 people – almost the entire population of the town – were forced to flee empty-handed in a matter of hours to makeshift camps, leaving behind homes that have either been ransacked or burnt down. In addition to conflict it faces, the Central African Republic is identified as the most at-risk country in terms of population growth and climate vulnerability. In this episode of the podcast, we have Valérie Petitpierre, the ICRC Head of Delegation in the Central African Republic since 2018. She has worked in the ICRC since 2004 in such varied contexts as Israel and the Occupied Territories, Sudan, Sri Lanka and Yemen. We are also joined by Alejandra Portillo-Tayor, ICRC’s Policy Associate. Hosted by Niki Clark.
With armed conflicts taking place in so many parts of the Muslim world, the Islamic law of war is as indispensable as ever for the protection of civilians and others. Over the centuries, classical Muslim jurists have provided impressive legal literature, which, just as international humanitarian law (IHL), brings humanity in war. Emphasizing the universality of IHL’s principles, which transcend legal traditions, civilizations, and cultures, is absolutely essential for improving respect and protection for victims of armed conflict in the Muslim world. In this episode of the podcast, we have Dr. Ahmed Al-Dawoody, the Legal Adviser for Islamic Law and Jurisprudence at the ICRC. We speak about the intersection of international humanitarian law and Islamic law on operational impacts, including the management of the dead and the protection of children. Hosted by Niki Clark.
The war in Syria has lasted more than eight years and has led to massive destruction and loss of life. The human cost of this conflict is widely considered, in fact, without historical precedent among civil wars. Increasingly, there is doubt that the conflict will reach a resolution or political settlement anytime in the near future, resulting in a growing fatigue and frustration across the international community. This frustration has triggered an appetite among States, civil society and the international community for finite and concrete measures that can contribute to greater protection and compliance with international law.
From this, a number of innovative protection responses have emerged to protect cultural heritage in the conflict which has engulfed Syria and spread to Iraq. In this episode of the podcast, we have Polina Levina from the United Nations in Geneva speaking in her personal capacity as well as our our Forum guest host Ellen Policinski. Hosted by Niki Clark.
On this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we are joined by Julie Arrighi, the Urban Manager and ICRC Partnership Lead at the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre. This year, the ICRC, the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre, and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) are hosting a global policy roundtable series on “Climate Risk, Conflict, and Resilience,” with the objectives of better understanding the intersection of climate and conflict risk, examining the implications for humanitarian and development responses, and elevating the voices of people affected by the “double vulnerability” of climate and conflict risk. Join us as we discuss the main themes and takeaways from the roundtable series, the work of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre, and the climate-related happenings at the 2019 UN General Assembly week. Hosted by Austin Shangraw.
In this episode of the Podcast, we speak with Kate Spradley, a biological anthropologist and professor with the Forensic Anthropology Center at the University of Texas. In 2013, she founded Operation Identification, a service-learning project that seeks to restore identities to the remains of migrants recovered from the Rio Grande Valley region. We talk about her work, the barriers to identifying migrant remains, and the crossover with ICRC’s work with the missing. Hosted by Niki Clark and Will Pons.
Photo credit Texas State University
Whether within or across borders, the displacement of persons remains a pressing humanitarian concern. Millions of people are separated from their homes, livelihoods and families each year by armed conflict or other catastrophes, and frequently suffer severe abuses and hardship while in flight or at their place of refuge. ICRC recently released a study called Displacement in Times of Armed Conflict: How International Humanitarian Law Protects in War and Why it Matters. In this episode of the podcast, we speak with Dr. Cedric Cotter, the lead researcher behind the report to discuss the role of IHL in influencing displacement. Hosted by Austin Shangraw. A part of the Joint Law & Policy Series.
Eight years of violence and armed conflict have taken a heavy toll on Libya. Its economy is in crisis, instability prevails, and basic services such as health care, schools, electricity and water are suffering. In Tripoli, the latest conflict continues with no end in sight over three months after it began. There are growing fears that a protracted urban battle lies ahead. Meanwhile, tens of thousands remain displaced in other parts of the country. In this episode, we speak with Mohamed Sheikh-Ali, the Economic Security Coordinator from the ICRC’s Libya delegation. We discuss the current crisis, challenges the population is facing and perspectives about the future. Hosted by Niki Clark
There is a quote, attributed sometimes to Michelle Obama, Brene Brown and even James Comey, that says, “It’s hard to hate up close.” In this episode, we are joined by Andrea C. Hummel, director and founder of Improv for Peace, an organization that focuses on making this idea a reality, operating under the belief that if people are able to better understand each other and communicate in a safe environment, conflicts based on cultural differences will subside. Hosted by Niki Clark.
In this episode of the Podcast, we come to you from Women Deliver, the world’s largest conference on gender equality and the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women. We are joined by Dr. Hozan Sindi, a general health practitioner in Iraq. Dr. Hozan served as a medical intern at the West Erbil Emergency Hospital during the fall of Mosul in 2017. She was also featured in the ICRC/National Geographic collaboration, A Women’s War. She discusses what it is like to grow up surrounded by war, the resilience of a women living and working in conflict and her dreams for the future of Iraq. Hosted by Niki Clark.
In this episode of the Podcast, we come to you from Women Deliver, the world’s largest conference on gender equality and the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women. We are joined by Dr. Mina Mojtahedi, the disability inclusion advisor for both ICRC and the International Federation. A former Paralympian, a PHd of Nutrition and an international expert in human rights of persons with disabilities, Mina works to create a more inclusive environment not only for those trying to access humanitarian services but also for those in the workplace. We talk about the power of sports, the myths of stereotypes and how inclusion benefits us all. Hosted by Niki Clark.
The risks of functionally delegating complex tasks—and associated decisions—to sensors and algorithms is one of the central issues of our time. Nowhere are these issues more acute than in relation to decisions to kill, injure and destroy. In this episode, we are joined by Neil Davison, ICRC’s Scientific and Policy Adviser in the Legal Division Arms Unit and Will Pons, our guest host and legal advisor at the Washington Delegation. We discuss emerging technologies in warfare. Can artificial intelligence increase IHL compliance? Where should the limits lie in terms of human control? What does the law say about all of this? And beyond the legal debate, what are the ethical debates behind emerging technologies in war? Hosted by Will Pons.
The evidence is irrefutable: Humor helps. Helps situations involving communications, relationships, problem solving, and productivity among others. So much so, in fact, that the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre has been exploring it as an unconventional approach to engagement in difficult conversations. In this episode of the Podcast, we are joined by guest host Anna Nelson, ICRC’s head of communications in Washington as well as Pablo Suarez, Director for Research and Innovation at the Climate Center, visiting fellow at Boston University, researcher, math geek and overall fan of humor. We chat about bringing humor into unusual contexts, including humanitarian work, and the science behind it all. Hosted by Niki Clark and Anna Nelson. Illustration by Bob Mankoff.
Rule 55 of Customary Law states that ‘The parties to the conflict must allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need, which is impartial in character and conducted without any adverse distinction, subject to their right of control.’ And while the rules seems clear, in complex conflict settings there are often challenges to implantation. In this episode, we speak to Jacob Kurtzer, a research fellow with the Center for Strategic & International Studies’ Humanitarian Agenda initiative, an initiative that leverages the expertise of CSIS programs to explore complex humanitarian challenges. The primary challenge he’s focusing on is access to aid in complex man-made emergencies. Prior to joining CSIS, Jacob spent seven years with the ICRC, most recently as head of communications for the ICRC Delegation in Israel and the occupied territories and at some point in time, helping to head up the Washington Communications department. Hosted by Niki Clark.
Armed conflict and other situations of violence deprive those in the midst of it of the essentials – food, clean water, health care, shelter – and the chance to experience life and grow at their own pace. Despite the protection afforded them by international law, both children and adults are vulnerable to all sorts of risks. One of the most critical is the impact violence has on education. The interruption of education has severe consequences for both the future of individuals and a country’s capacity to recover, especially when crises are protracted. In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we talk about the impact of violence and conflict on education, the long-term effects and what ICRC is doing to help mitigate those. Guests include Geoff Loane, ICRC’s Head of Education, Danijel Cuturic, ICRC’s Education Advisor in Ukraine and Karla Hoover, ICRC’s Education Advisor in South Sudan. Hosted by Niki Clark.
It has been six weeks since Cyclone Idai made landfall in southern Africa, unleashing unprecedented devastation and destruction on communities in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. Many communities were stranded for weeks and cut-off from outside assistance. Tens of thousands of people were left homeless. Crops were washed away. The ICRC has been working with IFRC and national Red Cross societies to provide assistance to people who lost everything to the storm, an effort that has been made even more complicated by Cyclone Kenneth, another tropical cyclone that is pummeling northern Mozambique with rainfall, sparking widespread flooding and creating a new humanitarian crisis just weeks after Cyclone Idai hit the country. We hear several audio diaries from the ground and then speak with Crystal Wells, ICRC’s Communications Delegate for East Africa. Hosted by Niki Clark.
In late March, the small village of Ogossagou in Central Mali experienced a horrific massacre. The scene, from those who were there, looked apocalyptic. Huts and farm buildings burnt and riddled with bullet holes, charred remains of cars and donkeys. The wells became unusable because of the contamination of corpses. Families are struggling to come to terms with what happened– the latest in a recent series of very violent clashes between herders and settled farmers in the region.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we first hear from Insaf Mustapha Charaf, an ICRC mental health delegate who was present in a hospital following the tragic event. Then we speak to Francoise Lambert, an ICRC delegate based in Dakar. What happened to lead to such a massacre? What are the needs of the families on the ground—physically and psychosocially? Many are living in a state of uncertainty—with missing relatives and unsure futures. What is being done? What is needed to move forward? Hosted by Niki Clark.
Responding to today's most complex humanitarian challenges, particularly those in protracted conflicts, requires innovative approaches and mobilizing a range of actors. Many have pointed to the potential of innovative financial models as a way to bring together humanitarian, development, government, and private sector actors to respond and maximize sustainable impact in meeting affected persons' needs. In September 2017, the ICRC launched an innovative finance mechanism, the world's first Humanitarian Impact Bond, which looked to scale up the ICRC's physical rehabilitation services in three countries.
In this episode, we chat with Juan Coderque, Head of New Financial Models for the ICRC. We breakdown what we mean by new financial models, discuss the potential of innovative finance approaches to humanitarian action, and explore how the ICRC is thinking about the issues and how best to utilize new financial models to meet humanitarian needs. Hosted by Austin Shangraw.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we speak with ICRC’s Director General Yves Daccord who was in town for last week’s World Bank Spring Meetings. We chat about some of the things that came out of those meetings as well as the growing nexus between humanitarian and development actors, particularly in protracted conflicts. We discuss the transformative change he’s seen in nearly 30 years of service with the ICRC, including the evolving approach to humanitarian action, as well as the inclusion of innovation and technology. Finally, as Yves’ tenure comes to a close in 2020, he shares his hopes for ICRC’s future, what he is most proud of and what’s next. Hosted by Niki Clark.
The conflict in the Donbas is entering its fifth year, and heavy weaponry remains in regular use—with far-reaching humanitarian consequences for this predominantly industrial and urban region of eastern Ukraine. Civilians on either side of the contact line rely on the same infrastructural network – water systems, electricity grids and gas lines – for vital services. Several of these key infrastructural installations are on or near the contact line, and in the immediate vicinity of the ongoing hostilities, which involve regular use of high-calibre artillery. In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with ICRC’s outgoing head of delegation in Kyiv, Ukraine, Alain Aeschlimann. We chat about the situation and challenges of working in Ukraine, how the situation has evolved in his time there and how ICRC works in one of the most heavily militarized regions in the world. Hosted by Niki Clark.
It’s been eight years since fighting began in Syria. Out of 18 million people living in the country, 13.1 million of them require humanitarian aid. One in 2 Syrians have been displaced by the conflict, either abroad or within the country. 1.3 million were newly displaced in last year alone. Years of fierce fighting have left some of the country’s vital services extremely fragile. 50% of health facilities are out of service or partially functioning. 2 million children are unable to go to school, casting a further shadow on the country’s future. These are bleak and tragic numbers. But many times statistics are hard to visual, inefficient in telling the brutal impact of conflict. To really give a sense of the view from the ground, in this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we start with an audio diary from our communications delegate Sara Al-Zawqari who recently traveled to Al Hol in the northeast of Syria. Then, we talk more about about the situation in Al Hol with Adnan Hezam, ICRC’s media delegate based in Damascus. Hosted by Niki Clark.
The sound of gunfire approaches. You don’t know if your family should run or hide. Making the right choice can mean life or death. A new immersive virtual reality movie called The Right Choice puts users next to a Syrian family trapped in urban warfare. The film, a collaboration between ICRC, Google’s Daydream Impact Project and the creative agency Don’t Panic London, uses a simulated experience to help people understand urban warfare and its impact on real lives. In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we speak with ICRC's Audiovisual Producer and project manager of The Right Choice Christopher Nicholas about how virtual reality is helping tell the story of urban warfare.
In this episode of Intercross the podcast, we sit down with Trevor Keck, the deputy director of policy at the ICRC Washington Delegation, who recently returned from Nigeria. Intensifying attacks in NE Nigeria have caused around 30,000 people to flee across the border and within the country over the last weeks. The crisis, now nearly in its 10th year, has resulted in widespread displacement, violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, protection risks and a deepening humanitarian crisis. Just recently, presidential elections were held in the country. We discuss the overall state of affairs, what he saw on the ground, as well as potential election impacts, challenges and most needed humanitarian interventions. Hosted by Niki Clark.
This episode of Intercross the Podcast is the second in our new joint series with Humanitarian Law & Policy. Humanitarian Law & Policy is the ICRC blog based in Geneva that provides timely analysis and debate on international humanitarian law (IHL) issues and the policies that shape humanitarian action. With this series we hope to have monthly conversations on trends, issues, future challenges and solutions as they pertain to IHL or humanitarian action. In this discussion, we speak with Jelena Pejic, Senior Legal Adviser for ICRC in Geneva. She discusses international humanitarian law and human rights law and some of the debates and tensions around the two bodies of law during armed conflict. We focus on one debate in particular – detention in non-international armed conflicts. This conversation is in response to our podcast with Jonathan Horowitz last month. Hosted by Sasha Radin.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Catherine-Lune Grayson, ICRC Policy Advisor. Globally, around 40 million people have fled their homes from conflict or persecution as internally displaced persons. About 60%–80% of those live in urban areas. The “urban story” of forced displacement is often compounded by its hidden nature. It is more difficult to track the living conditions of those displaced in urban areas, obtain precise numbers, and provide humanitarian assistance. We discuss the challenges of working in urban contexts, camp vs. non-camp solutions and retaining dignity when identity is lost. Hosted by Austin Shangraw.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Cate Bird, the Missing Persons and Forensic Advisor to the ICRC delegation in DC. Cate focuses on the humanitarian consequences of migration along the U.S.-Mexico border and the forensic responses to missing migrants and unidentified remains. Since receiving her PhD in Anthropology from Michigan State University in 2013, she’s performed forensic anthropological casework in several medical examiner offices in the United States (including Houston, Tucson, and Tampa), as well as internationally (Mexico and the country of Georgia). We talk about missing persons on a global scale and how and why migrants may go missing. Then, we look at how forensics can help resolve missing person cases as well as ICRC’s work in forensics. Finally we touch on Cate’s work with the missing along the border, how forensics can provide resolution to missing person cases, the challenges of her work and her journey to ICRC. Hosted by Niki Clark.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Sasha Ingber and Alex Ebsary of Music in Exile. Music in Exile is a nonprofit that seeks to document the songs and stories of people who have been displaced, and humanize them through their music. We talk about how travel and family histories led them to a compassion for displaced musicians, why music is often so critical to people who have lost everything and of course, the music and stories they just can’t get out of their heads. For more information on the musicians featured on Music in Exile, go to their website. This project is hosted in part by the Pulitzer Center. Hosted by Niki Clark.
*Starting with this episode, Intercross is happy to announce that we will be highlighting a Music in Exile musician on the last Tuesday of every month as part of the podcast. This month, the spotlight is on Selah, a Syrian musician who fled to Irbil. When he finally lost faith and left Aleppo, he said, “it was like when your soul leaves your body.” Photo/Music in Exile.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Monica Mukerjee, a Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Delegate for the ICRC currently based in Juba. She is also the Sexual Violence Focal Point for the delegation. Since March 2018 she has worked in South Sudan developing mental health and psychosocial activities for victims of violence in primary health care facilities as well as for weapon-wounded patients receiving care in ICRC hospital programs. She has previously worked in Uganda, Geneva and Ukraine. How do you promote mental health as a priority in contexts where physical needs are often lacking? What types of support does ICRC provide? How do practitioners address issues around stigma? How do they practice self-care? Join us for a fascinating conversation finding healing after trauma. Hosted by Niki Clark.
With this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we announce the start of a new monthly series with Humanitarian Law & Policy. Humanitarian Law & Policy is the ICRC blog based in Geneva that provides timely analysis and debate on international humanitarian law (IHL) issues and the policies that shape humanitarian action. With this series we hope to have monthly conversations on trends, issues, future challenges and solutions as they pertain to IHL or humanitarian action. We also will be taking advantage of our coworkers’ deep network of authors including academics, practitioners, legal minds and more to further delve into some of the conversations that have been started on their blog and in the International Review. In this first discussion, we speak with Jonathan Horowitz, a senior legal officer for the Open Society Justice Initiative. We talk about the relationship between international humanitarian law and human rights law and some of the debates and tensions around the two bodies of law during armed conflict. We focus on one debate in particular – detention in non-international armed conflicts. Look in the coming weeks for other perspectives on this issue. Hosted by Niki Clark and Sasha Radin.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, discuss frontline humanitarian negotiations. The Center of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation recently launched a field manual on the subject, taking the collective experience and perspectives of numerous humanitarian practitioners working in some of the most challenging conflict environments and translating it into tangible tools and resources. Claude Bruderlein, director of the Centre and lead researcher for ICRC negotiation practices talks through the development of the manual, the art of negotiation and how his years of operational experience brought him to his current position. Hosted by Niki Clark.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we come to you from Juba, South Sudan. Following a two week wheelchair basketball training program, we sit down with two athletes from radically different worlds. Malat Wei was a young child when his family was forced to flee South Sudan, shortly after he contracted polio and lost the use of his legs. Though he grew up in an Ethiopian refugee camp, he fell in love with sports, spending his long days at the camp playing soccer with his able-bodied friends. Malat would use only his hands to navigate the dusty pitch. At age 12, his family was resettled as refugees in Texas where a few years later he was introduced to wheelchair basketball by a member of his church. He was immediately hooked. Now 24, he plays university-level wheelchair basketball in Arizona, after a successful stint playing professionally in France from 2015-2016.
Jess Markt is from Denver, Colorado. At age 19, he was in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down. Previously a college track-and-field star, wheelchair basketball was a major factor in Jess’ recovery, both physically and mentally. He now serves as the ICRC’s Diversity, Inclusion and Sports Advisor and coaches disabled athletes in war zones, including Afghanistan, South Sudan and the Gaza Strip. Several years ago, Jess and Malat met at a tournament in New Mexico and their friendship was born. When Malat discovered that Jess was coaching in South Sudan, he pitched the idea of going with him to help coach athletes back in his home country.
And that’s just what they did.
Hosted by Niki Clark.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we discuss the protection of cultural property in the time of armed conflict. It’s no secret that people around the world have a deep connection with places and objects of artistic, historic and religious importance. Archaeological sites connect us to the past. Monuments beckon from afar to be visited and marveled at. Our customs, traditions and values bind us to each other and the places we call “home.” Cultural property and heritage are vital to the identity of individuals, communities and entire nations. Much more than stone, paper or canvas, ancient statues, manuscripts and works of art provide us with a sense of cultural cohesion and pride. Yet, too often, cultural property comes under attack during situations of armed conflict and violence. Such attacks constitute an affront to our history, dignity and humanity. Importantly, destroying or damaging cultural property in wartime is strictly prohibited under International Humanitarian Law. In this episode, we sit down with Pascal Bongard, Head of the Policy and Legal Unit of Geneva Call, and Cori Wegener, the director of the Smithsonian Institution Cultural Rescue Initiative. Hosted by Niki Clark.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we discuss the protection of civilians in partnered operations. National security and defense strategies, as well as trends in US military operations around the globe, reflect a preference for working by, with and through partners to achieve common security objectives. These partnerships in the context of armed conflict can aggravate or reduce the risk of harm to civilians depending on the form and significance of the partnership. CSIS, Interaction and CIVIC recently launched a report—The Protection of Civilians in U.S. Partnered Operations—that further delves into some of the issues around these operations, including lessons learned by practitioners in the field, policy recommendations and protection concerns. To speak more broadly on the topic we have with us Jenny McAvoy, the Director of Protection at Interaction and Dan Mahanaty, Director of the Center for Civilians in Conflict U.S. Program. Hosted by Sarah Holewinski.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Jenelle Eli, Director of International Communications, Amanda Nieman, Bangladesh Program Officer and Brad Zerivitz, a Photographer and Director of Video Services, all at the American Red Cross. They recently spent two weeks in Bangladesh, capturing stories of the crisis in Cox’s Bazaar. Since August 2017, more than a million people have fled Rakhine state, Myanmar to Bangladesh because of violence. We spoke last week with ICRC’s outgoing head of delegation in Myanmar about the situation there and in this conversation, we talk about the other side of the border. How do you visually capture a crisis of such magnitude? How is the Red Cross movement responding? How does disaster preparedness and volunteers play a role? And in such desperate circumstances, what stories of hope rise to the top? Hosted by Niki Clark and Sara Owens.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast we chat with Fabrizio Carboni, who has spent the last year as ICRC's Head of Delegation in Myanmar. More than a million people have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh due to violence since the end of August 2017. Peter Maurer, ICRC’s President, recently visited both sides of the border there and called it a "lose-lose situation for people." We did a Q&A on Intercross the blog with Fabrizio back in December on the crisis and in this conversation we discuss updates on operations, the critical challenges of monsoon season, the work that ICRC is doing on the ground and the key messages Fabrizio is bringing to stakeholders and decision makers in Washington. Hosted by Niki Clark.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down Patricia Danzi, ICRC's Regional Director for Africa. More than 40% of ICRC operations are on the continent, including the geographical focuses of the Lake Chad region, South Sudan, Somalia, Central Africa Republic, Mali and Libya. We chat operations and challenges, displacement and migration and environmental impact on both, emotional wounds of war, innovation and more. Hosted by Niki Clark and Sara Owens.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Christophe Hambye, head of ICRC’s logistics division. Running logistics is a complicated endeavor even when it’s in the best of situations but Christophe and his team are working in some of the world’s most challenging contexts. We chat about what are some of the humanitarian logistical challenges, how to stay ahead and prepared in a world of uncertainty and what the future of logistics looks like for ICRC. Hosted by Sara Owens.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Charlotte Lindsey, ICRC’s current Director of Communication and Information Management. In July, Charlotte will begin a new position as ICRC’s first ever Director of Data & Digital Transformation. We chat about what digital transformation means, how innovation plays a role in humanitarian aid, the evolving challenges facing women in war and personal reflections on her more than 25 years with ICRC. Hosted by Niki Clark.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Alexandre Faite, the outgoing head of delegation in Yemen and guest policy host Trevor Keck. Yemen is the 4th largest ICRC operation in the world, with a budget of nearly $120 million CHF. We discuss the deteriorating situation on the ground, including food insecurity, the fuel crisis and the disrepair of the national health system. We also talk about the ICRC’s role in responding to the humanitarian situation, our global policy asks and Alexandre’s personal reflections following two years in Yemen. Hosted by Trevor Keck.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Christoph Harnisch, head of delegation in Bogata, Colombia. He’s been with the ICRC for more than 33 years, including time spent in Africa, Middle East, Central America, and currently Colombia where he has been since August 2014. We previously had Christoph on our podcast in May of last year, about six months after the peace agreement was first signed. In our conversation, we discuss what has changed, the challenges of implementing the peace agreement, insecurity in some of the most remote areas of the country, the plight of missing people and the prison crisis in the country. Hosted by Niki Clark and Sara Owens.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down Jo Burton, ICRC’s Global Cash Focal Point. Ten percent of the world’s humanitarian assistance is now in cash, marking a 40% increase from 2015 to 2016. What exactly do we mean by cash transfer programming? What are the advantages and risks? What are some of the ways that ICRC is utilizing cash for assistance and protection programs? And how, as part of the larger Red Cross movement, are we harnessing the power of cash to ensure accountability and that people remain at the center of their own recovery? Hosted by Niki Clark and Austin Shangraw.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, OUR 50TH, we sit down Vincent Bernard, the editor in chief of the International Review of the Red Cross, a leading academic journal on humanitarian law, policy and action published by the ICRC and Cambridge University Press. The International Review was first established nearly 150 years ago. We discuss how issues and concerns surrounding warfare and international humanitarian law have evolved in that time (Spoiler: people have always feared technology; except in 1869 it was the impact of the telegraph!) and how the Geneva Conventions continue to remain relevant. We talk about the current issue of the Review, which delves into the human cost of detention, and the process of researching and commissioning for the Review. We also chat about memory, both individual and collective, and the unlikely—though not insignificant—role it has in warfare and those who are impacted by it. Hosted by Niki Clark and Sara Owens.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Red Cross communicators Jana Sweeny and Jenelle Eli. We speak about our experiences in the humanitarian world, the power of female stories and storytellers and what drives us to do the work that we do. We also talk about the unique work of the Red Cross movement work and share the stories--and the people--that forever touched us. Hosted by Anna Nelson, Niki Clark and Sara Owens.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Helen Durham, ICRC's Director of International Law and Policy. We discuss why the subject of gender and IHL is much more complex than just "women and war," and the role gender plays in terms of influencing behaviors. We also chat about masculinity in the culture and context of war, how law and policy work together, the 'discourse of despair' and women inspirations. Hosted by Niki Clark and Austin Shangraw.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Austin Shangraw and Jyl Strong of the ICRC in Washington's Policy team. Last week, the World Bank held its biannual Fragility Forum. The Forum brings together policy makers and practitioners from humanitarian, development, peace and security communities to share practical solutions and explore innovative ways to improve development approaches to foster peace and stability. ICRC's Director General Yves Daccord attended and participated in several high-level panels. Why is ICRC involved in these discussions? How are we partnering with the World Bank? What does it mean when we discuss the humanitarian development nexus? Austin and Jyl analyze the conversations that came out of the Forum and give us the big takeaways for moving forward. Hosted by Niki Clark and Sara Owens.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Matthew Gibb, GIS Officer at the American Red Cross. Each year, disasters around the world devastate millions of people. But many communities are missing from the maps that responders use to deliver lifesaving aid. In our conversation, we talk about how the American Red Cross and partner organizations are using the power of crowd-sourcing and remote volunteers to put millions of people from high-risk countries on the map since 2014. Hosted by Niki Clark and Sara Owens.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, the last of a three part conversation in our cultural series, we are joined Christian Rouffaer, ICRC's head of virtual reality unit based in Bangkok. We chat about his role, why ICRC has decided to invest in virtual reality and how the organization is harnessing the power of video games to reach audiences in new and creative ways. We also talk about how VR technology works in the humanitarian space and how his time in contexts like Afghanistan, Yemen and South Sudan have shaped and colored his current work. Hosted by Niki Clark
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with ICRC’s Jess Markt, an American who coaches wheelchair basketball in war zones. At age 19, he suffered a spinal cord injury in college. Twenty one years later, he is bringing his experience and story to help others as ICRC’s first-ever Disability, Sport and Inclusion Advisor. In this conversation, we discuss his personal triumph over adversity and how he brings that experience to the disabled in some of the world’s most dangerous contexts. From Afghanistan to South Sudan and Cambodia, Jess is using sport to help the disabled see themselves in a different light, and witnessing some radical societal transformations along the way. We talk about diversity, what that term really means, and how he’s using his role at ICRC to change the way that people, and humanitarian organizations, think about what it means to fully integrate diversity into their work. Hosted by Anna Nelson and Sara Owens.
After thirty years in the US Marine Corps, including serving as Deputy Legal Advisor at the White House within the National Security Council, Ian Brasure recently joined the ICRC Delegation in Washington as the Deputy Legal Advisor. In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, Ian discusses his long--and inevitable--journey to the ICRC and his storied time in the military, including embracing the uncertainty following 9/11. We also chat about working under then-General James Mattis (now of course, the US Secretary of Defense), how the NSC has impacted his insights into his current role, and his constant companion through conflict (a dogeared copy of the Geneva Conventions). Hosted by Niki Clark and Anna Nelson
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, the second of a three part conversation in our cultural series, we are joined again by Wes Rist, Deputy Executive Director of the American Society of International Law and Joe Gibson, Program Officer for International Humanitarian Law at the American Red Cross. This time, we discuss how the influence of video games. Nearly 2/3rds of American households have video game consoles, meaning audiences are being exposed to games in much greater concentration and in increasingly different ways. How does that translate to shaping public perceptions? We also chat about how video games are being utilized in humanitarian partnerships, military trainings and more. You can check out our first conversation here. Next week, we’ll be joined by Christian Rouffaer, the head of the ICRC's Virtual Reality unit based in Bangkok to discuss how ICRC is harnessing the power of video games to reach audiences in new and creative ways. Hosted by Niki Clark.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, our first of 2018, we are excited to add another iteration to our cultural series, where we explore the intersection of culture and conflict. In this episode, the first of a three part series, we sit down with Wes Rist, Deputy Executive Director of the American Society of International Law and Joe Gibson, Program Officer for International Humanitarian Law at the American Red Cross. Since 2012, ICRC has worked closely with the game developer Bohemia Interactive, who produces the award-winning Arma series of video games, to explore new ways to spread messages about international humanitarian law. In this first conversation, we talk about how a public relations hiccup resulted in a dynamic partnership and opportunity to talk about the rules of war to completely new audiences. We also discuss how including more realistic portrayals of armed conflict in video games can contribute to the user experience without taking away any of the fun. In the second episode, we are joined again by Wes and Joe to discuss how video games shape public perceptions and in the third episode, the head of the ICRC's Virtual Reality unit based in Bangkok will discuss how ICRC is harnessing the power of video games to reach audiences in new and creative ways. Hosted by Niki Clark.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we are joined by Martin Lacourt, ICRC in Washington’s Senior Armed Forces Delegate, and Koby Langley, Senior Vice President, Service to the Armed Forces and International Humanitarian Law for the American Red Cross. They discuss the work the Red Cross—both ICRC and National societies—does with military both domestically and globally. The American Red Cross has served more than 1 million military families since 9/11 including members of the military, veterans and their families prepare for, cope with, and respond to, the challenges of military service. ICRC works to bridge the cultural divide between arms bearers and humanitarians through trainings and IHL dissemination. What are the different ways ICRC and national societies approach this work? What are the challenges of engaging with these audiences? How does neutrality play a role? And has the evolving technology of warfare changed the way the Red Cross works and the needs we serve? Hosted by Niki Clark.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with the ICRC head of delegation in Mali Jean Nicolas Marti. Marti has worked with ICRC for more than 20 years, in contexts ranging from Gaza and Afghanistan to Lebanon and Central African Republic. In our conversation we discuss the challenges of working in Mali, how the conflict has evolved since the ICRC began working there in 1991, and the strategic importance of a Malian presence, and what drives him after two decades of working in conflict. Hosted by Niki Clark and Sara Owens.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Sabrina Henry, Legal and Policy Officer at the ICRC delegation in Ottawa and the Canadian Red Cross and Christoph Harnisch, ICRC head of delegation in Colombia. Twenty years ago, on December 3, 1997, the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, typically referred to as the "Ottawa Convention" or "Mine Ban Treaty," was signed. It was entered into force on March 1, 1999. The Convention seeks to end the use of anti-personnel landmines (APLs) worldwide. Our two guests talk about the treaty, the role Canada played in the adoption of the treaty and what it has meant on the ground in Colombia, one of the world’s most heavily mined countries. Hosted by Niki Clark.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Kimberly Gire, founder of the Global Women Leaders and Jyl Strong, ICRC in Washington’s Policy Advisor. They talk about how through the Global Women Leaders, women bankers, among other professions, have brought their unique skill sets to support humanitarian efforts around the globe. They also discuss the power and drive that comes from women joining together, how ICRC is looking into ways to utilize innovative financing tools, including the world's first humanitarian impact bond recently launched by the ICRC, and stories from Kimberly’s recent trip to Lebanon. Hosted by Niki Clark.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Esperanza Martinez, the ICRC’s Head of Health. Esperanza, who is based at the ICRC HQ in Geneva, Switzerland, has spent most of her life working in the health sector in the humanitarian sphere. She has brought her expertise all over the world, but most recently to Washington, DC to speak with other influential actors on a variety of challenges facing the health sector today, many of which take a heavy toll on communities affected by armed conflict and violence – the devastating and ongoing cholera outbreak in Yemen, the deterioration of public health services due to prolonged conflict, and the psychosocial effects of violence, displacement and gender-based violence, especially on women and children. In this episode, Esperanza helps us break down some of the complexities related to health and health systems and brings us back to the importance of one of the most basic aspects of our humanity. Hosted by Sara Owens and Anna Nelson.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, ICRC in Washington’s Deputy Legal Advisor, Andrea Harrison, sits down with three naval warfare experts on why we should be talking about the rules that govern conflict at sea. Professor Julian Ku, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Faculty Director of International Programs at Hofstra University School of Law, Lt Commander Peter Barker of the British Royal Navy and Associate Director for the Law of Coalition Warfare at the Stockton Center for the study of International Law, and Lt Colonel Jeffrey Biller of the U.S. Air Force and military professor at the U.S. Naval War College discuss the looming “hotspots” for naval conflict, the vulnerability of shipwrecked sailors, and how the cyber domain is driving an entirely new set of issues for conduct of naval warfare. Much has changed since the Geneva Conventions were written in 1949 - Where are the most realistic possibilities for a conflict that will be governed by the Second Geneva Convention? What happens when the responsibility to take “all possible measures” to find shipwrecked sailors creates a risk of detection out at sea? Can a vessel be shipwrecked purely through cyber means? Hosted by Andrea Harrison.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we are excited to add another iteration to our cultural series, where we explore the intersection of culture and conflict. In this episode, we sit down with war photographers Louie Palu and Finbarr O’Reilly. Palu’s works have been featured in the New York Times, BBC and Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. He recently released Front Towards Enemy, a book which examines the five years he spent covering the war in Kandahar, Afghanistan. O’Reilly is currently London-based, having spent 12 years in Central and West Africa as a photographer for Reuters. He recently released Shooting Ghosts, a memoir co-written with retired USMC Sgt. Thomas James Brennan, reflecting on the experiences of the war and the unlikely friendship they formed. In this podcast they discuss issues like: How do we consume and engage with images of war? What are the psychological and emotional costs of war for those who photograph conflict? How can photography change the perception that people have of war? Why is this visual documentation important? What is the role of journalists as independent witnesses to war? And how does rocker Henry Rollins represent--for at least one of our guests--how social media and connection has changed the playing field? Hosted by Sara Owens (Image: Finbarr O'Reilly)
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with ICRC in Washington’s Deputy Head of Communications Trevor Keck and Lauren Spink, the Center for Civilians in Conflict Peacekeeping Advisor. Trevor recently returned from a brief mission to South Sudan and Lauren is headed out to the country this week. We took the opportunity to chat with them both about the current challenges facing aid worker and peacekeepers. What are some of the protection issues? Are aid organizations able to secure humanitarian access? And as the largest donor to South Sudan—the US has spent nearly $10 billion since independence 6 years ago and pays more than a quarter of all international aid to the country each year—what does the current U.S. policy review for its approach to South Sudan mean for the situation on the ground?
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, Head of Communications Anna Nelson sits down with our newest team member, ICRC in Washington's Spokesperson Marc Kilstein. Anna and Marc talk about nerding out over radio, the importance and honor of storytelling, Marc's hopes for his new position and their (not-so-secret) dreams of being poached by This American Life's Ira Glass. Or at the very least, making him a dedicated Intercross the Podcast listener. Hosted by Anna Nelson.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we are joined by Interaction's Director of Protection Jenny McAvoy and Center for Civilians in Conflict's (CIVIC) Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, Sahr Muhammedally. Nearly 50 million civilians are affected by urban warfare, mostly in the countries of Yemen, Syria and Iraq. As warfare moves more and more to populated areas, civilians bear the brunt, facing much greater risks and much higher fatalities rates. What are the challenges of this increasing trend? How can militaries prioritize civilian protection? What are civilians experiencing in places like West Mosul and Raqqa? And how can the rules of war and the protection of civilians be integrated and respected more broadly in these contexts? Hosted by Trevor Keck.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we are joined by ICRC's Head of Human Resources Marketing Markus Dolder. In the 1990s, the ICRC's staff was composed of about 80 percent Swiss. Now, that number is closer to 15%. Why has this makeup changed, and how had diversity contributed to furthering our mission? What skills are needed to be a successful delegate? Plus Markus shares the influence of the Iraq war on his career and the joy of bringing great people into an organization he's proud to work for. Hosted by Sara Owens and Niki Clark.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we are joined by American Red Cross's Director of International Communications Jenelle Eli. Hurricane Harvey has dumped the equivalent of Lake Michigan on south and central Texas. What is the situation on the ground? How is the American Red Cross responding? What can you do if you find yourself in an emergency situation? And how can you help? Hosted by Niki Clark.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we are joined by ICRC Deputy Legal Advisor Andrea Harrison to discuss the Geneva Conventions of 1949. The first Geneva Convention was signed in 1864, the year after the founding of the ICRC, and it was for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field with 57 States Parties. Most recently, the Geneva Conventions of 1949 were added, in part as a reaction to the tragedies of World War II. How have the content of the Geneva Conventions changed over time? Every State in the world is party to the Geneva Conventions. What does this say about their significance and importance? And 68 years after the 1949 Conventions, with the nature of conflict radically evolving, are they still relevant and can they still stand the test of time? Hosted by Tracey Begley and Niki Clark.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, ICRC Deputy Communications Director Trevor Keck speaks with Stephen A. Seche, former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen from 2007 to 2010 and current Executive Vice President at the Arab Gulf States Institute, and Oxfam's senior humanitarian policy advisor, Scott Paul. In this fast paced conversation, our guests discuss the Yemen crisis, the origins of the crisis and current state of play. They also discuss the humanitarian problems, including the cholera epidemic and how the situation got so bad. Finally, they address possible policy solutions and potential steps that parties and the international community can take towards a political settlement and to help better protect civilians. Hosted by Trevor Keck.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we speak with Erica Gaston, an international lawyer and project manager at the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin, to discuss the legal aspects and humanitarian consequences of the use of self-defense in armed conflict. International humanitarian law addresses the rules for soldiers, armies and States, when they conduct offensive attacks, but it does not directly address the rules governing self-defense. So what are the limits on the use of force when individuals and units are defending themselves in combat situations?
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Patrick Youssef, the ICRC Deputy Regional Director in Africa. With media attention focused on the famine in Somalia, South Sudan, Yemen and Nigeria, Patrick helps us dive deeper into one of the areas of crisis, the Lake Chad region. What's driving the chronic fragility in Lake Chad? How do you rebuild the eroding sense of solidarity in communities? How is ICRC operating in the area? And with such dire headlines dominating, how does one remain hopeful? Hosted by Niki Clark and Sara Owens.
In November 2014, the International Committee of the Red Cross’ delegation in Washington DC and the American Red Cross teamed up with the world’s largest oral history initiative, StoryCorps, to collect conversations between people whose lives have been touched by the Red Cross. Here is the ICRC's Regional Delegation in Washington's outgoing head of delegation Francois Stamm speaking with Brigadier General (US Army, ret.) Rich Gross.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we discuss the future of US detention in armed conflict. In May 2016, the ICRC’s Washington delegation, Harvard Law School’s PILAC, and the Naval War College’s Stockton Center held their inaugural joint IHL workshop on the same topic. About 30 experts convened for two days to discuss, debate and explore the issue. An outcomes report was just recently released. Join Tracey Begley and Deputy Legal Advisor Andrea Harrison in a conversation about the main issues that were discussed, which are most hotly contested, where gaps exist in IHL and what other law we can turn to in times of gaps, the main take-aways from the workshop and why ICRC brings together these groups. Hosted by Tracey Begley.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with ICRC's Head of Communications in Syria, Pawel Krzsiek. Pawel has been on the frontlines in Syria both leading up to the conflict and again since 2015. What is the latest situation on the ground? The recent ICRC report on Urban Warfare, I Saw My City Die, found that nearly half of all civilian war deaths worldwide occurred in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, the main focus countries of the report. In light of this, how are the needs and response different in urban contexts? How do civilians determine whether to stay or flee? And how do we work in areas of limited access? Pawel shares some of his harrowing firsthand perspectives of working in cities under siege. Hosted by Niki Clark and Sara Owens.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, ICRC in Washington's Legal Advisor discusses the classifications of conflict. How are conflicts classified? What is the impact of classification? Are they binding according to the Geneva Conventions? What's ICRC's role in classification? A great primer conversation. Hosted by Tracey Begley.
With this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we're excited to host the third iteration in our new cultural series where we explore the intersection of conflict and culture. In this episode we sit down with Hirad Abtahi. Since 2004, he has headed the Legal and Enforcement Unit of the Presidency of the International Criminal Court and has some twenty years of experience in international criminal justice. In addition, Hirad is a HUGE Star Wars fan. He recently published an article in the Huffington Post called "This is not the Jedi Way: Exploring International Humanitarian Law through Star Wars."
In this first part of a two part conversation, ICRC resident Star Wars experts Austin Shangraw and Erika Moyer speak with Hirad about what we can learn about the rules of war, and how they could possibly apply in a galaxy far, far away. Hosted by Austin Shangraw and Erika Moyer.
- As noted in the article, the views mentioned in these discussions are those of the author’s alone, in his personal capacity.
With this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we're excited to host the third iteration in our new cultural series where we explore the intersection of conflict and culture. In this episode we sit down with Hirad Abtahi. Since 2004, he has headed the Legal and Enforcement Unit of the Presidency of the International Criminal Court and has some twenty years of experience in international criminal justice. In addition, Hirad is a HUGE Star Wars fan. He recently published an article in the Huffington Post called "This is not the Jedi Way: Exploring International Humanitarian Law through Star Wars."
In the second part of a two part conversation, Hirad discusses the role that culture plays in our perception on war, and how the basic tenets of the rules of war can be find in not just film, but also comic books and television. Hosted by Austin Shangraw and Erika Moyer.
- As noted in the article, the views mentioned in these discussions are those of the author’s alone, in his personal capacity.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we talk with the outgoing Head of Delegation for the ICRC in Libya, Katja Lorenz. Katja discusses the continually changing context for operating in Libya, the humanitarian needs on the ground and how the daily lives of Libyans have been impacted since fighting began. Hosted by Niki Clark.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with ICRC's Regional Director for Africa Patricia Danzi. She talks about the challenges of working in a context that many perceive more as a country than a continent, the critical issues not being covered, how to make space for Africa in a crowded humanitarian landscape and the stories of hope and innovation that keep her inspired. Hosted by Niki Clark and Tracey Begley.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, Sara Owens and Guest Host Trevor Keck sit down with ICRC in Washington's Policy Advisor Marcia Wong and Hugo Slim, Head of Policy. They discuss how humanitarian diplomacy helps catalyze ICRC's policy work, how the organization is using evidence, experience and expertise in moving the needle on policy and the recent urban warfare report that details what happens when cities fall apart because of conflict. Hosted by Sara Owens.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, Sara Owens is joined by two delegates who have paved the way for the ICRC to adopt sport and inclusion as a priority for the physically disabled communities in conflict-affected countries. Alberto Cairo, one of the ICRC’s most revered delegates, has been in Kabul, Afghanistan with the ICRC’s orthopedic and physical rehabilitation program for 27 years. He was recently joined in Kabul by Jess Markt, an avid wheelchair basketball player and coach, where together, they built the ICRC’s first and largest wheelchair basketball program.
The work that Jess and Alberto have done has proven that sport is not only a crucial element in the physical rehabilitation of those who have been victim to landmines, disease, and other tragedies, but is also a pivotal aspect in their mental and emotional healing. This has additionally nurtured a culture of teamwork, leadership, inclusion, and self-confidence.
Jess and Alberto have not only established an incredibly successful program, but have also cultivated a dynamic friendship. In this episode, learn more about the background and personality behind these inspiring individuals. Hosted by Sara Owens.
With this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we're excited to host the second iteration in our new cultural series where we explore the intersection of conflict and culture. In this episode we sit down with Photographer Daniel Sonnentag, Penny Eifrig and her 17 year old daughter Saede. They are the minds behind They Have Names, a social media and photography campaign that began after the Eifregs met Sonnentag in a refugee camp in Berlin where they all volunteer. An exhibit of the same name is currently running at Gallery Al-Quds in Washington, D.C. until May 31st.
In the debate around migration and flight, people usually talk about the abstract term "refugees." In this conversation we talk about the individual stories of some of the people our guests have met in Berlin, how volunteering and working with refugees have changed previously held perceptions and prejudices and why photography can help us see 'others' as 'us.'
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Lynn Levine, Director of Communications for the American Red Cross in Boston. With the launch of the ICRC Collaborative Platform happening on what would had been Red Cross founder Henry Dunant's 189th birthday, we took the opportunity to have a conversation about what it means to be a Red Crosser, Lynn's path to the Red Cross, the Boston chapter's role in reconnecting families around the world and some of the stories that as a communicator with one of the largest humanitarian networks in the world she holds most dear. Hosted by Niki Clark.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with Christoph Harnisch, head of delegation in Bogota, Colombia. With more than 30 years working for the ICRC, Harnisch brings a rich and storied perspective of complex and protracted conflicts. We discuss how reaching a peace deal is really just the first step for the country, the ICRC's role in negotiations, the challenges Colombians still face, and the single most important experience that has impacted him as a humanitarian. Hosted by Niki Clark and Sara Owens.
With this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we're excited to launch a new cultural series where we will explore the intersection of conflict and culture. You can find a new addition to the series on the fourth Tuesday of every month. In "From Athens to Aleppo: Shakespeare and the Rules of War" host Sara Owens and ICRC Legal Advisor Andrea Harrison sit down with Stephen Ryan, a lawyer who sits on the board of the Shakespeare Theatre Company and Major General (Ret) Dale Meyerrose, the first President-appointed, Senate confirmed chief information officer and information sharing executive for the U.S. Intelligence Community. Both served as panelists for the Shakespeare Theatre's recent discussion exploring in-depth examinations into the roles of lawyers and legal issues in Shakespeare plays and classical theatre pieces. Listen in to their interesting discussion!
After 25 years with the ICRC, South Sudan Head of Delegation Jürg Eglin has experienced pretty much everything. But the famine facing the world's newest country is one of the worst in history, even to a career humanitarian. Eglin, along with ICRC in Washington's Trevor Keck sits down with Intercross the Podcast to discuss the situation on the ground, ICRC's operational response and the humanitarian consequences of decades of conflict to the most vulnerable populations. Hosted by Niki Clark and Sara Owens.
In this episode, Intercross the Podcast speaks with Dr. Ahmed Al-Dawoody, the ICRC Legal Adviser on Islamic Law and Jurisprudence. What are the connections between Islamic law and international humanitarian law? Who is protected under both areas of law? And who is excluded? Join us for a discussion on the interpretation of Islamic law, its historical roots, and its similarities and differences with IHL. Hosted by Tracey Begley.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, Sara Owens sits down with three students from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Mary Macleod, Elena Sakelaris, and Constantine Gavrillos, to reflect on their experience preparing for and competing at the Clara Barton Competition, what they took away from the competition, and advise for future participants.
The Clara Barton IHL Competition (CBC) provides law students, international students, and military academy and institution students a unique opportunity to experience the laws of war as they are applied in practice, while offering these emerging leaders the chance to network with top authorities in this field.
Dale Stephens and Pete Hays discuss the intricacies of military operations and outer space. There are over a thousands satellites orbiting the earth that are used in our everyday lives. This podcast explores their military use and vulnerabilities, and the laws that govern outer space operations. Hosted by Tracey Begley.
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we speak with two women working in one of the most dangerous countries in the world for aid workers, South Sudan. Deepmala Mahla serves as Country Director for Mercy Corps and Alyona Synenko is the ICRC's Communications Delegate, both located in Juba. In honor of International Women's Day, join us for a frank discussion (and our first Skype podcast!) about being female in the humanitarian field, the women they admire most and the challenges women face living in a country in conflict. Hosted by Sara Owens.
In this, our first episode, meet our hosts Niki Clark, Tracey Begley and Sara Owens, learn about our ambitions and visions for the podcast and how you can stay up to date on the latest episodes. Look for interesting discussions about the people and places behind the work of the ICRC, operational updates, legal debates, millennial perspectives and attitudes and more.
ICRC Director of Communications Charlotte Lindsay sits down with Intercross to discuss her journey to becoming the first non-Swiss delegate with the ICRC, the changing way we communicate, and how her decades with the organization started with a simple book recommendation. Hosted by Niki Clark.
Professor Claudia Josi from the Santa Clara School of Law speaks with Intercross about transitional justice. From her own experiences growing up during conflict in Peru, Josi speaks about legal dimensions of a society transitioning from conflict to peace. Hosted by Tracey Begley.
Olivier Dubois, coordinator for the Missing Persons program and Ute Hofmeister, forensics coordinator, speak to Intercross about the ICRC's work surrounding the missing. During conflicts, thousands of people disappear. How do you find them or give their family closures, particularly when it's been decades since their disappearance? How does ICRC support the families of the missing? And what motivates people to work in a field with often little answers? Hosted by Niki Clark and Tracey Begley.
Brian McQuinn and Jonathan Somer talk about the challenges of working with non-state armed groups. McQuinn and Somer both have extensive experience working with non-state armed groups around the world, trying to strengthen compliance with international humanitarian law. What they both conclude: humanity is at the heart of compliance. Hosted by Tracey Begley.
Researcher Andrew Bell speaks with Intercross regarding an upcoming ICRC report on the influencing behaviors of war. Bell discusses his role in the study and how his background, an interesting intersection of theology, law, political science, security and conflict, brought a unique view to the study. Hosted by Niki Clark and Tracey Begley.
Brig. General (ret.) Rich Gross, the former Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks with Intercross about the importance of international humanitarian law (IHL) and reflections on IHL after decades of service, including as the Legal Adviser for NATO ISAF and US forces in Afghanistan. Gross talks about his personal experiences in the military and interactions with the ICRC. Hosted by Tracey Begley.