The COVID-19 outbreak has put a strain on those working in the third and public sector and they struggle to keep aid programs afloat while their lives remain suspended. Yet at the same time, aid workers, humanitarians, charity workers and development professionals are expected work overtime and go above and beyond under straining conditions of lockdown and COVID-19. For this, leadership needs to step up and be more compassionate. On this episode, we speak to Lemonada Media CEO Jessica Cordova Kramer, Sustainability expert Richard Smith and TEDx Speaker Amel Murphy on the importance of compassionate leadership in the public sector. WARNING: Explicit language used during conversation.
Episode 47: Turkey in Somalia - a sustainable investment?
Since 2011, Turkey has been heavily investing in the war-torn state of Somalia - from humanitarian aid to investing in local infrastructure. With slow progress in stability returning to the country and the recent awarding of potential oil field discovery off the coast of Mogadishu to Turkey, has Erdogan's investment and risk taking in Somalia paid off finally for Ankara? And more importantly, what can this mean for businesses and sustainable development in the African horn? On this episode we go over Turkey's involvement and the potential this brings to the country.
Episode 25: Is diplomacy for development in Venezuela still possible?
Venezuela has been in an economic crisis for years but the situation heightened when the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, was declared interim president by the assembly as a response to current President Nicolas Maduro's management of the country. Since then, the country has been the scene of a dire humanitarian crisis and the pawn of a geopolitical hand at play. Yet while the country's politics goes on, millions flee the country and basic human needs aren't being met. Can diplomacy in international development save Venezuela? Is there a role for NGOs and either state or non-state actors to engage to provide relief and aid for the Venezuelan people? On this episode, we invite Temir Porras Ponceleon (former Foreign Affairs Advisor to Hugo Chavez and former Chief of Staff to Nicolas Maduro), Daniel Lansburg-Rodriguez (Director of Latin America for Greenmantle LLC and Adjunct Lecturer at Northwestern Kellogg), and Ryan Lloyd (Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Sao Paulo) to discuss this crucial question - is diplomacy in international development still possible in Venezuela?
NB: This episode was recorded on Monday, 29 April. On 30 April, Juan Guaido declared to have military personnel switch loyalty to declare an end to Maduro. Maduro retains the majority of the Venezuelan army’s backing. However, the situation is still ongoing and still remains unclear. Much of the uncertain and potential for what could occur was forecasted in this podcast.
Episode 18: Haiti and NGOs - what's wrong and how to fix it
The 2010 Haitian Earthquake rocked Haiti to the core, killing thousands and inviting in a slew of NGOs along with their philanthropical dollars to the country. Yet the years that followed demonstrated abuse by NGO workers of the Haitian dynamics, disappearance of humanitarian funds and a lack of improvement to the plight of Haitians in a country which has yet to recover. So are NGOs to blame? We speak with the Founder of The Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, Brian Concannon, and Anthropologist Dr Timothy Schwartz who is the author of The Great Haiti Humanitarian Aid Swindle to uncover what NGOs have been doing in Haiti, how it has hindered recovery and what they can do to change in order to lead to sustainable development.
Episode 17: Does global philanthropy actual increase the wealth gap?
Global philanthropy is on the rise with famed organisations launched by the Clintons and the Gates taking full stage. With an aim to help reduce the wealth gap and foster both sustainable development and relief in marginalised and developing countries, are they actually achieving their goals? More precisely, is philanthropy only adding to the problem? We explore further in this episode and highlight the good, the bad and what can be done to change it.
Episode 9: Paul O'Brien of Oxfam on the importance of NGOs working with political will
On today's episode, we speak with Paul O'Brien, VP for Policy and Advocacy at Oxfam America to discuss the importance of NGOs understanding political will in order to push forward both advocacy campaigns and development programs. Often seen as two roads that don't cross, Paul O'Brien goes over why it is important for NGOs to have more political savy when engaging with governments for a more sustainable outcome.
Episode 6: Can we invest during conflict?
Image by AFP/Getty Images
In September 2017, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) launched the new endeavour entitled “Humanitarian Impact Bonds” (HIBS) with the intention to sanction money from the private sector towards development in conflict zones. But can this be of benefit? How does it work and if it does work, how do we spread the word? We discuss more about the potential for HIBs in today’s episode.
Episode 2: Conversations with d'Arcy Lunn on governments and the SDGs
In this episode, we speak with international humanitarian and Founder of Teaspoons of Change, d’Arcy Lunn on how to get governments onboard for adopting the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030.
