Hear, HERE! - The humanitarian podcast.: Recent Episodes
Here-Geneva
Founded in Geneva in 2014, the Humanitarian Exchange and Research Centre (HERE) has the specific mission to contribute to closing the gap between policy and humanitarian practice. We endeavour to understand and promote the steps that need to be taken in order to ensure that humanitarians do the right thing with regard to crisis-affected people. In this podcast, we shed light on specific topics related to the gap between policy and humanitarian research, and engage in dialogue with humanitarian actors and others to understand their views on, and to point to possible solutions. As such, this podcast is part of our ambition to stimulate mutual learning and critical thinking among humanitarians.
In episode #3 of Hear, HERE!, Balthasar Staehelin, then-Director of Digital Transformation and Data at ICRC, talks humanitarian data with HERE’s Val Hambye-Verbrugghen.
A cyberattack on ICRC systems in early 2022 led to half a million people’s data being breached, spotlighting the sector’s vulnerabilities. Risk management of similar incidents is not just a question of ramping up one’s cybersecurity by strengthening systems: there also needs to be discussion around international organisations’ data collection practices at large. The second of a two-parter, this episode specifically focuses on the role of data subjects within these processes. What is the difference between personal and biometric data, and how do organisations account for it? Do data subjects have the space to refuse collection of their information when it is being collected for aid purposes? How do you mitigate risk?
HERE is an independent, Geneva-based non-profit organization. We contribute to closing the gap between policy and humanitarian practice. https://twitter.com/HEREGeneva | https://here-geneva.org
In episode #3 of Hear, HERE!, Balthasar Staehelin, then-Director of Digital Transformation and Data at ICRC, talks humanitarian data with HERE’s Val Hambye-Verbrugghen.
A cyberattack on ICRC systems in early 2022 led to half a million people’s data being breached, spotlighting the sector’s vulnerabilities. Risk management of similar incidents is not just a question of ramping up one’s cybersecurity by strengthening systems: there also needs to be discussion around international organisations’ data collection practices at large. What data should be collected? How do you ensure it is collected, stored, and used in a principled manner? The first of a two-parter, this episode also looks at the influence of national authorities, of GDPR and other regulatory frameworks regarding data on the practices of humanitarian organisations.
The GPPi report referenced in this podcast, ‘Research on Specific Risks or Constraints Associated with Data Sharing with Donors for Reporting Purposes in Humanitarian Operations’, is available here.
HERE is an independent, Geneva-based non-profit organization. We contribute to closing the gap between policy and humanitarian practice. https://twitter.com/HEREGeneva | https://here-geneva.org
In episode #2 of Hear, HERE!, humanitarian professional and independent consultant Manisha Thomas joins Ed to discuss the history of the clusters.
When clusters were established in 2005, the idea was to make the international system more predictable and address the gap in IDP responses. At the time, both Ed and Manisha worked for the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA), one of three NGO consortia brought into the fold. You can read the special issue of ICVA’s newsletter on the topic, issued in October 2005.
Fifteen years down the road, go behind the scenes of the reform process in this episode of Hear, HERE! What questions were raised then, and what answers provided? What model was advertised, as opposed to what was effectively set up and continues to exist today? How were NGOs included? What limitations existed and how, if at all, were they taken into account?
HERE is an independent, Geneva-based non-profit organization. We contribute to closing the gap between policy and humanitarian practice. https://twitter.com/HEREGeneva | https://here-geneva.org.
In episode #1 of Hear, HERE!, Ed and Marzia sit down to take stock of the state of protection in humanitarian action.
Protection is a core pillar of humanitarian response. Without a proper focus on the rights of crisis-affected people, and the immediate threats that they may still face, humanitarian work risks becoming merely an act of service delivery or charity. Nonetheless, in our work as HERE-Geneva, we have often found protection to be poorly understood among humanitarians, hampering its implementation. As such, it is an ideal first topic for discussion in a podcast aiming to shed light on the gap between policy and humanitarian practice What does the term ‘protection’ in a humanitarian context precisely entail? Who has a protection mandate, and how does this matter?
Why should protection be prioritised in every humanitarian response – and why is it often not the case?
What can humanitarian actors do when repressive States fall short in respecting their obligations to protect people under their control?
Listen to Ed and Marzia exchanging thoughts on the current state of protection, raising questions, addressing dilemmas, and carefully formulating suggestions on how to improve its status and impact in humanitarian practice.