humanitarian Archives - Page 2 of 2

Debate: humanitarian reform, a people driven system

23 September 2021 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: aid, humanitarian, Inequality, poverty

It was a pleasure to join donors and UN agencies for this important discussion about reforming the humanitarian system in order to put affected communities front and centre. The panel discussed recommendations put forward by The Centre for Global Development, from shifting funding models to governance structures. I described some of the changes underway at … Continue reading “Debate: humanitarian reform, a people driven system”

Speech: Humanitarianism for the new era

28 April 2021 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: aid, development, humanitarian, Inequality, power

Ed Blagden

I was invited to give the opening keynote speech at the Centre for Humanitarian Leadership’s annual conference, organised by Australia’s Deakin University. I reflected on how the development sector has evolved over past decades and how by integrating key values – keeping people safe, accountability, and innovation – into humanitarian work going forward, we can … Continue reading “Speech: Humanitarianism for the new era”

Interviews: cuts to Yemen aid will cost lives

7 March 2021 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: aid, coronavirus, Global Britain, humanitarian, Yemen

I spoke to Sky, ITV News and other broadcasters about the devastating consequences of the UK government’s decision to halve direct aid spending to Yemen, a country where two thirds of the population are reliant on food aid to survive. Yemen desperately needs a ramping up not a reduction in aid. The UK Government’s decision … Continue reading “Interviews: cuts to Yemen aid will cost lives”

BBC: letter to prime minister warning against Yemen aid cuts

6 March 2021 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: aid, coronavirus, Global Britain, humanitarian, Yemen

Omar Algunaid/Oxfam

I joined colleagues from more than 100 UK charities to write to Boris Johnson urging him not to halve aid spending in Yemen. Slashing aid to Yemen – a country on the brink of famine – is a betrayal of Britain’s claim to global leadership and of British values. Aid cuts are a false economy … Continue reading “BBC: letter to prime minister warning against Yemen aid cuts”

Interview: fighting climate change and inequality

11 December 2020 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: aid, humanitarian, politics, power, refugees

Kieran Doherty / Oxfam

I spoke to Transform Magazine about my career working for social justice, and why I believe that strong, accountable civic institutions and brave ideas are needed now more than ever to counter COVID-19, inequality and climate change.

Opinion: shifting power and amplifying local action

8 December 2020 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: aid, humanitarian, Inequality, power, race

Ed Blagden / Oxfam

In recent years a welcome debate has come to the fore about the role of large aid and development NGOs. I wrote this piece for Open Democracy in response to a thoughtful open letter from 200 organisations based primarily in the Global South, which challenged international NGOs to change their approach to be better partners … Continue reading “Opinion: shifting power and amplifying local action”

Speech: progressive internationalism and the UN

7 December 2020 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: activism, aid, climate, humanitarian, politics, power

As an internationalist to my core, it was an honour to be asked to give the keynote speech to the United Nations Association UK’s annual conference. In the face of global challenges from the climate crisis to Covid-19, the need for meaningful global cooperation and progressive internationalism has never been greater. Afterwards, I spoke to … Continue reading “Speech: progressive internationalism and the UN”

Debate: how can the world best help refugees?

1 December 2020 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: aid, humanitarian, politics, power, refugees

I was delighted to take part in The Imperial War Museum’s Refugee Nights festival celebrating refugee stories. I joined academics Maya Goodfellow and Alexander Betts and CNN international correspondent Clarissa Ward to discuss how the world can help refugees. For me, there are three core elements: providing practical help such as clean water and shelter, … Continue reading “Debate: how can the world best help refugees?”

Guardian Comment is free: response to the Charity Commission

14 June 2019 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: aid, humanitarian, power, safeguarding

This week Oxfam was the subject of two incredibly difficult and important reports that identify serious failings in how we acted in the past: failings that were unacceptable and showed how far below our values we could fall. Yet these reports also include lessons that provide the path we must follow as we set out … Continue reading “Guardian Comment is free: response to the Charity Commission”

TEDxLondon – In Conversation with Paul Van Zyl

18 May 2019 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: activism, aid, climate, humanitarian, Inequality, power, Technology, water

Justin Ng/ TEDxLondon

The theme of TEDxLondon this year was Beyond Borders. I sat down with Conduit Club founder Paul Van Zyl to talk about why, at a time when the world has never had more wealth and knowledge, billions of people are still missing out on healthcare and education, and power is still so unequally shared. Watch … Continue reading “TEDxLondon – In Conversation with Paul Van Zyl”