The New Humanitarian is an independent, non-profit newsroom reporting from the heart of conflicts, di
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The world's leading provider of humanitarian news and analysis.
25/01/2025
“Some people even attempted su***de because they didn't know how to take up arms and didn't want to join, but if they committed su***de, the soldiers would harm their families.” Life under Pyusawhti – a pro-junta militia sowing fear across Myanmar: ⬇️
Accused of extrajudicial killings and waves of violence against opponents of the junta, the militia has been forcing civilians to join its ranks.
25/01/2025
Read this powerful, first-person article by Palestinian journalist Nour ElAssy about the reaction in Gaza to the announcement of a ceasefire after 15 months of devastation and her hopes and fears about what will come next. https://buff.ly/3PKWmJQ
24/01/2025
Every week, our editors bring you the latest news, trends, and developments from around the globe. This week: Goma fears, West Bank escalation, and Trump’s migrant crackdown. Read and sign up for the Cheat Sheet to stay ahead of the curve: https://buff.ly/3zJINFF https://buff.ly/3PRNRwx
The latest humanitarian news, direct to your inbox
24/01/2025
Nations have already refused to recognise the Islamic Emirate until all Afghan girls can go to school, so why would a ban on the nation’s cricket team change the Taliban’s mind on female education?
The campaign to ban the nation’s record-setting squad has gained traction, but it wreaks of cheap double standards. Here’s why.
24/01/2025
If, as seems likely, Europe fudges its responsibilities regarding the ICC, that will have repercussions for other spaces, including Kenya: ⬇️
The edifice that allows abductions to happen, from its colonial set-up to the complicity of Western actors, should be addressed and dismantled.
24/01/2025
Human rights advocates are demanding to know why the UN’s refugee agency hasn’t done more to secure the Uyghurs’ right to asylum: ⬇️
Human rights advocates are demanding to know why the UN’s refugee agency hasn’t done more to secure the Uyghurs’ right to asylum.
24/01/2025
With conflict between the ruling junta and armed ethnic groups affecting nearly all regions of Myanmar, getting basic medical supplies to treat diseases like malaria and tuberculosis has become increasingly difficult, and such diseases are on a notable rise.
Junta restrictions on the delivery of basic medical supplies are leading outbreaks of infectious diseases like tuberculosis, and even HIV, to soar.
24/01/2025
🚨 New newsletter: Inklings explores all things aid and aid-adjacent. Today: What are humanitarians to make of Trump 2.0’s first days?
What Trump sees in aid and the UN, breaking down US funding dependence, and a new examination of cash for work.
23/01/2025
“We’ve seen the world make promises before, only to have them broken by the same forces that continue to tear us apart.” Journalist and poet Nour ElAssy on the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza after 15 months of war: ⬇️ https://buff.ly/3PKWmJQ
22/01/2025
In Myanmar, cases of malaria and TB have soared seven-fold between 2020 and 2022. HIV increased by 10%, health workers say the 2021 military coup and the junta’s restrictions have played a major role in these rising numbers: ⬇️
Junta restrictions on the delivery of basic medical supplies are leading outbreaks of infectious diseases like tuberculosis, and even HIV, to soar.
22/01/2025
While Palestinians have greeted the deal with relief, it is entirely unclear if it will lead to a decisive end to the war: ⬇️
While Palestinians have greeted the deal with relief, it is entirely unclear if it will lead to a decisive end to the war.
22/01/2025
Volunteers at hidden jungle hospital treats have been treating Myanmar’s war-wounded amid junta airstrikes and keeping emergency medical operations going in eastern Kayah State: ⬇️
Volunteers have been joining the effort to keep emergency medical operations going for civilians and wounded fighters in eastern Kayah State.
22/01/2025
Israel and the US weren’t banned from any sports leagues for their rights abuses in Gaza and Iraq, so why should Afghanistan’s cricket team pay the price for the Taliban’s restrictions on women? TNH Asia Editor explains why the campaign to ban the Afghanistan's record-setting squad wreaks of cheap double standards.
The campaign to ban the nation’s record-setting squad has gained traction, but it wreaks of cheap double standards. Here’s why.
22/01/2025
The Kenya-led security support mission to Haiti is, at present, unfit for purpose. More than six months after deploying to help police wrest back control, the rampant gangs have gained more territory and power, while access to vital humanitarian aid for desperate civilians has dwindled. But how come, and what next? ⬇️
The US failure to effectively support the mission it pushed for has left the Kenyan police on the ground in an impossible Catch-22 situation.
21/01/2025
Gaza ceasefire, drone safety, and one million displaced Haitians: The Cheat Sheet
Read our editors’ weekly take on humanitarian news, trends, and developments from around the globe: ⬇️
A weekly read to keep you in the loop on humanitarian issues.
21/01/2025
Stopping Syrian asylum claims and rushing to return people to Syria while the country is still unstable will likely violate international law. Read more in this opinion piece by Alio Mustafa and Rez Gardi:
Stopping Syrian asylum claims and rushing to return people to Syria while the country is still unstable will likely violate international law.
21/01/2025
“We stand at the edge of hope, but I know better than to believe it’s over. Peace in Gaza is always fragile.” Journalist and poet Nour ElAssy writes about her reaction to the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza after 15 months of horror.
While Palestinians have greeted the deal with relief, it is entirely unclear if it will lead to a decisive end to the war.
19/01/2025
🗣️ Dire need alone doesn’t convince donors to open their wallets. “Whether it knows it or not, the humanitarian system is in a struggle to stake its relevance,” More on the trends shaping humanitarian aid in 2025: https://buff.ly/3WbFuPS
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Videos
Beyond Zero Tolerance: Closing gaps in UN peacekeeper accountability and survivor support
Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, join The New Humanitarian alongside leading experts and practitioners in discussing accountability and survivor support for sexual violence in peacekeeping.
Six months since a series of earthquakes left hundreds of thousands of people without adequate shelter, a new housing project is going up in Idlib https://buff.ly/3Quliqk
Snapshots Abdurqaz Square.mp4
For the final instalment of this week of “Syria snapshots,” Syrian photojournalist Abdul Razzaq al-Shami turns his lens to a team of physiotherapists hard at work in northwest Syria.
Snapshots Moawia Square.mp4
One NGO is putting millions of dollars into building new homes in Idlib, six months since the February earthquakes razed buildings and camps to the ground. https://buff.ly/45kehN3
Snapshots Moawia Square.mp4
We asked Syrian photojournalists to document what life looks like on the ground six months after the February earthquakes. Moawia Atrash chose to focus on a new housing project that is being built in Idlib.
Snapshots Laith Square.mp4
Six months from the quakes, Syrian photographer Laith Doghim takes a look at the difficult living conditions for women who survived the disaster. https://buff.ly/3YtB5b1
Photojournalist Moawia Atrash documents the construction of a new housing project in northwest Syria, where February’s earthquakes left hundreds of thousands without a safe place to sleep https://buff.ly/3OpT2Td
Ethiopia Poem Square.mp4
“Nobody wants peace more than the drought shaken land my feet forage on the daily
But I don’t want a peace that can be undone by another deal”
The only African country which successfully resisted European imperialism, Ethiopia is today wracked by conflicts between nations colonised by the Ethiopian Empire in the 19th century.
Oromo poet Soreti Kadir on whether Ethiopia can survive a genuine peace.
2_3.mp4
Hundreds of people have allegedly been severely injured or killed by Turkish border guards while attempting to cross from Syria in recent years.
Victims’ families have few avenues – if any – to seek justice. @melissa_pawson and @mahaborass report ⤵️
https://buff.ly/44AMibY
Border Square.mp4
Hundreds of people have allegedly been severely injured or killed by Turkish border guards while attempting to cross from Syria in recent years.
Victims’ families have few avenues – if any – to seek justice. @melissa_pawson and @mahaborass report ⤵️
https://buff.ly/3q2ChFo
Syria Square 1.mp4
📹 Watch this to hear from Syrians in Idlib about how Security Council diplomacy impacts their daily lives. ⤵️
https://buff.ly/3rFyY7E
Fighting for Change: Life Stories of Aurora Modern-Day Heroes
Join the Aurora Dialogues Online event titled “Fighting for Change: Life Stories of Aurora Modern-Day Heroes,” which will be held on July 18, Nelson Mandela International Day.
On #MandelaDay, people from all over the world come together to discuss and honor the contributions of Nelson Mandela to the service of humanity in conflict resolution, race relations, promotion and protection of human rights and social justice, gender equality, and the fight against poverty.
Aurora and The New Humanitarian will celebrate Mandela Day by discussing the life stories of exceptional human rights and social activists from Aurora’s network who have followed in Mandela's footsteps and made a tangible impact in their communities and the world at large. These heroes come from different backgrounds and work in different fields, but they all share a common commitment to social justice, human rights, and equality. By reflecting on their contributions to society and the challenges they have faced, we can be inspired to continue the work of building a more just and equitable world for all.
The discussion will be held in English. You are welcome to share your questions in the registration form (https://bit.ly/44sWOlx), and the speakers will try to respond to the most urgent and frequently asked ones.
A conversation with Aurora heroes will be a rich and engaging exploration of some of the most pressing social and ethical issues of our time and a celebration of the courage and compassion of those who have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place.
Participants are welcome to join us via Facebook Live or may choose to watch the discussion via Youtube. #MandelaDay2023 #ModernDayHeroes
Speakers
– Armine Afeyan, Executive Director, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative
– Marino Cordoba, President, National Association of Displaced Afro-Colombians (AFRODES)
– Mahienour El-Massry, 2022 Aurora Humanitarian; Lawyer; Human Rights and Political Activist
– Sunitha Krishnan, 20
The New Humanitarian (formerly IRIN News) was founded by the United Nations in 1995, in the wake of the Rwandan genocide, out of the conviction that objective on-the-ground reporting of humanitarian crises could help mitigate or even prevent future disasters of that magnitude.
Almost twenty years later, we became an independent non-profit news organisation, allowing us to cast a more critical eye over the multi-billion-dollar emergency aid industry and draw attention to its failures at a time of unprecedented humanitarian need. As digital disinformation went global, and mainstream media retreated from many international crisis zones, our field-based, high-quality journalism filled even more of a gap. Today, we are one of only a handful of newsrooms world-wide specialized in covering crises and disasters – and in holding the aid industry accountable.
In 2019, we changed our name to The New Humanitarian to signal our move from UN project to independent newsroom and our role chronicling the changing nature of – and response to – humanitarian crises.
Throughout our journey, we have remained true to our mission to inform crisis prevention and response by amplifying the voices of those most affected; shining a light on forgotten crises; and resisting superficial, sensational narratives about the crises of our time.
Our name and brand identity
Evocative of respected media brands such as The New Statesman and The Economist, The New Humanitarian is the authoritative news source for policy-makers and practitioners involved in humanitarian response. We are to crises what POLITICO is to politics.
Our logo is designed in GT Sectra, a modern serif font that originated as the house typeface of a Swiss longform journal called Reportagen. It marries the flourish of calligraphy to the precision-cut lettering of a printing press, echoing our commitment to evocative story-telling based on sharp reporting.
The cursor at the end of our logo signals our aim to be fresh and forward-looking, ready to tap in to the latest developments, and tell the ongoing story of crises as they evolve.
But most importantly, The New Humanitarian speaks to the profound shifts impacting our world today.
The drivers of humanitarian needs are changing, thanks to new threats like climate change, longer-lasting conflicts, and a geopolitical landscape that makes the resolution of crises at the international level more challenging.
The impacts of humanitarian crises are changing too, becoming more global in their repercussions. The exodus of refugees from Syria is one of many examples.
Traditional forms of humanitarian intervention are bursting at the seams; new approaches and players are emerging to fill an increasing gap between needs and response.
Tackling the world’s crises is no longer the exclusive domain of governments, “Big Aid” and the United Nations -- nor is it only about disaster relief and aid delivery. In many ways, the whole conception of humanitarianism is changing, evidenced by the private sector’s response to refugees; high school students marching for climate change; and local communities reclaiming agency in shaping their own futures. Today, a new generation of humanitarians is redefining the way the world responds to crises – demanding a seat at the table and a voice in the conversation.
We remain the trusted news source for policy-makers and practitioners in humanitarian response, but The New Humanitarian is expanding to reach this wider audience of people who want to better understand our complex world, in order to change it for the better.