I Think You're On Mute

Podcast: I Think You’re On Mute At the heart of the response: Sustaining locally led humanitarian action in Vanuatu Over the past decade, Vanuatu has faced repeated natural disasters, including powerful cyclones like Cyclone Harold and Cyclone Pam 11 years ago, along with earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and flooding, highlighting the country’s vulnerability to climate and humanitarian crises. In V...

Podcast: I Think You’re On Mute At the heart of the response: Vanuatu and the path to localisation What’s changed in Vanuatu’s localisation journey since 2019? How did last year’s earthquake test local leadership and coordination? And where is progress strongest across the seven domains of localisation? In a new episode of I Think You’re On Mute, produced in partnership with PIANGO, we unpack fres...

Humanitarian system reform in Syria As Syria experiences major upheaval in the aftermath of Bashar al-Assad’s ousting from power in late 2024, the humanitarian response finds itself at a crossroads characterised by both significant challenges and new opportunities. In a special episode of I Think You’re On Mute, in partnership with the UK Humanitarian Innovation Hub, host Beth Eggleston is joined...

Podcast I Think You’re On Mute: A window of opportunity for humanitarians in Bangladesh Bangladesh is celebrated for its rapid economic growth, resilient communities, and robust disaster management frameworks. Yet, it's grappling with political upheaval, climate risks, and humanitarian challenges that test the limits of even the most resilient systems. In this special episode of I Think You’re On...

In this special episode of I Think You’re on Mute, host Beth Eggleston reflects on the journey of the Humanitarian Horizons research programme, which has driven insights and influence across the humanitarian sector over the past seven years. Beth explores the diverse research areas that have shaped humanitarian practice, from examining mental health support for and recruitment practices of local s...

The humanitarian sector has made significant strides to support more localised action with various frameworks and tools, but there’s still a gap in understanding how these approaches impact affected communities. Over the past three years, the Humanitarian Advisory Group has been exploring ways to measure the impact of localisation at the community level. A Pathway to Localisation Impact: Laying th...

By institutionalising anticipatory action within social protection systems, preparedness becomes a regular part of disaster risk management rather than an ad hoc or reactive measure. In this episode of I Think You’re On Mute, your host Beth Eggleston looks at how anticipatory action can tap into existing social protection systems to respond to potential crises swiftly and efficiently, while protec...

Anticipatory technology You've likely heard the buzz around artificial intelligence, or AI, and machine learning, but how exactly are these technologies shaping the future of disaster preparedness and response? In this episode of I Think You’re On Mute, your host Beth Eggleston explores the innovative technology being tested and employed to enable efficient and effective anticipatory action with g...

Many forms of non-economic loss and damage are irreversible, like the loss of biodiversity and species extinction, the loss of cultural heritage and culturally significant sites, and the loss of ancestral lands – all of which erodes traditional knowledge and practices. The consequences of these losses can resonate for decades – or even centuries. Indigenous and local knowledge systems can provide...

The humanitarian sector's push for localisation has resulted in an increasing presence of local and national staff in international organisations. This has many benefits for the sector, but it can also bring unintended consequences for local organisations. Our research shows, it's not just what the humanitarian system is doing, but also how it conducts its operations that impacts on both short- an...

In November 2023, the 52nd Pacific Islands Forum meeting was held and the host, the Cook Islands, chose the theme: Our Voices, Our Choices, Our Pacific Way, underscoring the importance of local context and how tackling challenges needs to be locally led. The Pacific region is home to a strong and extensive resilience network, rooted in traditional knowledge, so what we can learn from the region th...

Humanitarian and climate policies are intrinsically linked. What humanitarians do, no matter how well-intentioned, has an impact on the environment and the communities in which they serve. With a 20-year feedback loop around emissions that are released today and how they're experienced on the ground, how can humanitarians ensure they’re helping to alleviate suffering, and not adding to it for futu...

I Think You're On Mute is a podcast by the Humanitarian Advisory Group to explore who’s talking and who’s listening in humanitarian emergencies and response. Protracted crises are situations of prolonged and sustained instability, conflict or humanitarian emergency that persist over an extended period of time. The United Nations (UN) Secretary General wrote in his Protection of Civilians report to...

Episode 4 – Greening the System During humanitarian emergencies, local actors often struggle to be heard. Their microphone isn’t off – they're just on mute, with the voices of international actors drowning them out. Fortunately, this is changing. The last decade has brought with it an unfortunate plethora of humanitarian emergencies, and with it, the realisation, that local actors are often best p...

Episode 3 – People, Power and Local Leadership During humanitarian emergencies, local actors often struggle to be heard. Their microphone isn’t off – they're just on mute, with the voices of international actors drowning them out. Fortunately, this is changing. The last decade has brought with it an unfortunate plethora of humanitarian emergencies, and with it, the realisation, that local actors a...

Episode 2 – Real Time Analysis During humanitarian emergencies, local actors often struggle to be heard. Their microphone isn’t off – they're just on mute, with the voices of international actors drowning them out. Fortunately, this is changing. The last decade has brought with it an unfortunate plethora of humanitarian emergencies, and with it, the realisation, that local actors are often best pl...

Episode 1 – Reforming the Humanitarian System Welcome to I Think You’re On Mute! During humanitarian emergencies, local actors often struggle to be heard. Their microphone isn’t off – they're just on mute, with the voices of international actors drowning them out. Fortunately, this is changing. The last decade has brought with it an unfortunate plethora of humanitarian emergencies, and with it, th...

Promo: Introducing 'I Think You're On Mute' by Humanitarian Advisory Group