Find out about our events and organisational developments, including partnerships, awards, hires and more.


CEO Heba Aly to step down from The New Humanitarian 

After 12 years at The New Humanitarian (and before it, IRIN News), including more than 7 years as its leader, Heba Aly has decided to step down as CEO. She will continue to support the mission of the organisation after her departure in early 2024, as a board member of its soon-to-be-launched US affiliate.

“It has been the privilege of a lifetime serving The New Humanitarian and watching it grow into the force of nature it is today,” Aly said. “TNH’s mission is more relevant than ever today, and I know it will continue going from strength to strength. I look forward to passing the baton to a successor who can build on the team’s great work to date and take TNH through this next chapter of scale and sustainability.”

Heba will continue as CEO until a successor has been recruited. She and the Board of Directors have developed a smooth, unhurried transition plan that will unfold over several months. The Board of Directors is launching a search for the organisation’s next CEO, with support from Shortlist, a leading executive search firm with presence across Africa, Europe, and Asia.

Read the full announcement and Heba's letter to readers


What humanitarian challenges should be on your radar in 2023?

The New Humanitarian brought together policymakers and civil society leaders to discuss trends driving humanitarian crises in 2023 and what policymakers should do about them.

The effects of the war in Ukraine continue to ripple across the globe. We are near the point of no return for those on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Soaring public debt is preventing governments from being able to prepare for crises.

These trends are shaping the world – and humanitarian needs – in 2023. But what are policymakers doing about them?  


How we're keeping the spotlight on overlooked crises

Ukraine dominated headlines in 2022 – and for good reason: the invasion by Russia led to massive humanitarian need.

But beyond Ukraine, multiple other crises are causing suffering around the world, mostly outside of the spotlight.

Read CEO Heba Aly's end-of-year message for 2022.


“We can’t do anything. All we can do is pray”: Haitians speak, humanitarians react

The New Humanitarian hosted an event exploring what crisis-affected Haitians think of the aid response.


New hires

The New Humanitarian welcomes Director of Audience and Revenue Development and new Policy Editor


Awards in 2022

One World Media Awards. I am a Leader of my House by Sabiha Faiz, Fahmida Azim, Sara Wong, and Irwin Loy, and Lebanese Women Fight Period Poverty with eco-friendly alternatives by Zainab Chamoun were both longlisted for the One World Media Awards Women's Solution Reporting Award.

WhatsApp, Lebanon? was longlisted for the Information is Beautiful Awards 2022.


Ukraine & Beyond: What media coverage of crises tells us about those we forget

31 March 2022

On Thursday 31 March, The New Humanitarian hosted a lively debate on media coverage of humanitarian crises: Why do some get more attention than others? Is it justified that Western media focus so intensely on the crisis in Ukraine because it is at Europe's borders? Or is it an example of bias or, worse yet, racism?


Awards in 2021

We were delighted to see two of our stories shortlisted for the 2021 Fetisov Journalism Awards. Getting the nod were Bangladesh’s hidden climate costs by Zakir Hossain Chowdhury, and Robert Flummerfelt, Nellie Peyton, and Ange Kasongo’s investigation into sex abuse by aid workers in DRC.

Bangladesh's Hidden Climate Crisis was also winner of the Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards.

Eric Reidy, our migration editor-at-large, won the UN Correspondents Association Elizabeth Neuffer Memorial Prize for his reporting on the impact of COVID-19 on migrants and refugees.

What happens to migrants forcibly returned to Libya? by Mat Nashed was longlisted in the Refugee Reporting category for the One World Media Awards.

How coronavirus hit Aden: A Yemeni doctor’s diary was nominated for the final round of the True Story Award, along with a submission by Safina Nabi that included the TNH piece Nowhere to turn for women facing violence in Kashmir.


The New Humanitarian welcomes Paula Escobar-Chavarría and Syed Nazakat to board of directors

7 December 2021

We are delighted to announce the election of two new members to our board of directors: Chilean journalist, editor, and author Paula Escobar-Chavarría, and award-winning Indian journalist and media entrepreneur Syed Nazakat.

Read more.


The New Humanitarian welcomes new Chief Operating Officer, and Multimedia Editor

19 November 2021

The New Humanitarian is pleased to announce two important hires who will play key roles in implementing our strategic vision and growing our activities in the coming years.

Aimee Wielechowski is The New Humanitarian’s first Chief Operating Officer. She joins the team from the Danish Refugee Council, where she managed human resources for 8,600 staff working across its international operations. She has experience in safeguarding, accountability, change management, organisational design, and process optimisation. Aimee also led efforts to make DRC a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive work.

Ciara Lee joins The New Humanitarian as Multimedia Editor after 13 years as a video journalist at Reuters. Ciara has a wealth of both field and desk-based experience in producing and designing stories to reach broadcast and digital audiences.

Read more.


The New Humanitarian continues growth with key hires

25 August 2021

The New Humanitarian is pleased to announce the hiring of important new positions that will bolster our strategic priorities and long-term growth plans: Podcast Producer, Head of People and Culture, and Finance Assistant.

Read more.

The New Humanitarian welcomes Zaina Erhaim and Hayley Nelson to its board of directors

28 May 2021

We are delighted to announce the election of two new members to our board of directors: award-winning journalist Zaina Erhaim and marketing and product development executive Hayley Nelson.

Read more.


Ten humanitarian crises and trends to watch in 2021

5 February 2021

COVID-19 dominated headlines in 2020. The pandemic shocked the world, exacerbating existing crises, overshadowing new ones, and creating all kinds of knock-on health, economic and social effects.

Against the backdrop of 2020, what can we expect in the year ahead? What will be the continued fallout from COVID-19? What other crises and trends are on the horizon?

For this online conversation, explored our annual Crises to Watch list and asked leading thinkers in the humanitarian space what should demand our attention.


Thank you for supporting our journalism in 2020

29 December 2020

2020 has been a year like no other in recent memory. Despite a pandemic that has been described as an “extinction event” for the news media, we have thrived in this difficult year. From everyone here at The New Humanitarian, thank you for strengthening our drive to amplify the voices of people at the heart of crises. 

Read more.


The New Humanitarian welcomes Dr. Joanne Liu to the board of directors

30 November 2020

We are delighted to announce that Dr. Joanne Liu, a Canadian paediatrician and former International President of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), joins us as the newest member of our board of directors.

Find out more here.


The New Humanitarian wins One World Media Coronavirus reporting award

We are proud that The New Humanitarian’s story, How coronavirus hit Aden: A Yemeni doctor’s diary, has won the One World Media Coronavirus reporting award.

As coronavirus coursed through Yemen, taking an unknown number of victims in a country already decimated by war, one doctor meticulously documented the pandemic’s toll, typing medical and personal notes on his mobile phone.

“People are falling down, one by one, like dominoes,” Dr Ammar Derwish wrote, looking back over his notes as his hometown of Aden was deluged by COVID-19 and he remained on the frontlines, responding to the disease.

The New Humanitarian worked with Dr Derwish to turn nearly two months’ worth of brief notes into a multimedia diary that tells everyday stories of individual lives — and deaths. Together, those stories offer an on-the-ground, very human look at the physical, economic, and social toll a pandemic takes in a country that the UN has long labeled “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”

The doctor never planned for his notes to be read by anyone else or to turn them into a diary. But an international journalist reporting from Aden encouraged him to keep writing, and put Dr Derwish in touch with The New Humanitarian’s Middle East Editor, Annie Slemrod.

Slemrod worked closely with Dr Derwish — finding time at odd hours and working through electricity and connectivity outages — to clarify the details in his notes, edit them into a publishable format, and add context to help orient readers unfamiliar with Yemen or the Middle East.

The power of the day-by-day entries mounts with time, as one person after another falls ill — a friend’s father, a kid brother, a beloved uncle. That makes for an affecting if very long read. To engage readers who prefer a quick scroll, Slemrod and TNH’s audience engagement editor, Whitney Patterson, devised a simple immersive presentation (that would work within the confines of our very basic site and could be created solely by the staff of our 10-person, remotely based newsroom). It allows readers to sample various sections and still come away with a sense of story.

To further entice readers and make them feel closer to the real people at the heart of this piece, Hawaii-based Yemeni artist Adly Mirza created illustrations based on photos taken by Dr Derwish. The two hadn’t known each other before the project, but realized while working together that they are distantly related.

The diary was shortlisted for the award alongside AJ101East’s Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown and BBC Africa’s The Bullet and the Virus.


TNH gives News Deeply archives a new home

Two of the world’s pioneers in quality, in-depth journalism about international news are joining forces in a bid to strengthen coverage of critical global challenges.

The New Humanitarian is the new home of News Deeply’s archive of some 5,000 issue-driven, award-winning articles on topics ranging from refugees to Ebola to peacebuilding.

Founded in 2012, News Deeply is an online journalism and technology company that specialised in single-issue news verticals until it stopped publishing in 2019. Its content will now live on with the launch of a new section on The New Humanitarian’s website called Deeply Humanitarian.

Read more about this new partnership.


TNH launches new initiative with Geneva Solutions

The New Humanitarian is teaming up with a new journalism platform, Geneva Solutions, on a weekly newsletter about promising initiatives in the peace and humanitarian sectors. As a subscriber, you'll be getting a fresh take on the news, direct to your inbox every Tuesday morning.

Sign up for the newsletter

Geneva Solutions is a collaborative platform, building custom editorial and content partnership programs to expand reach and impact. ​TNH is lead partner for the Geneva Solutions Peace & Humanitarian news stream.

Want to hear more about this venture? TNH Executive Editor Josephine Schmidt and Geneva Solutions’ editorial director Serge Michel had a chat recently about all things "peace and humanitarian".

We're excited to develop this partnership.


Heba Aly to give keynote at Humentum event launch

Our world is changing. But are you ready for what comes next?

TNH Director Heba Aly will explore the ways the Black Lives Matter movement and COVID-19 are exposing challenges faced by the aid sector — kicking off Humentum’s #OpEx365 virtual-learning series.

Register now to watch.


TNH supports COVID-19 reporting award

Our fellow journalists and filmmakers around the world have played a key part in telling the stories of people impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in developing countries.

These stories remind us that we are a global community, interconnected in ways we are still discovering.

We are proud to support One World Media Coronavirus Reporting Award 2020. Our director, Heba Aly, will sit on the judging panel alongside Cora Bauer, Collins Boakye-Agyemang, Ashish Joshi, and Jonathan Wells.

Nominees will be announced in September and we’re very much looking forward to exploring the entries.

Find out more on the OWM website.


TNH reporting recognised

  1. The Society of Publishers in Asia 2020 Awards. Verena Hölzl's story, Male rape survivors go uncounted in Rohingya camps, has been named a finalist under Global Excellence in Human Rights Reporting.
  2. One World Media Awards. Our in-depth The Sahel in flames package and In Syria’s latest exodus, local citizens become frontline aid workers by Sofia Barbarani were both longlisted for One World Media Awards this year. How coronavirus hit Aden: A Yemeni doctor’s diary was also shortlisted for the One World Media Coronavirus Reporting Award.
  3. Society of Environmental Journalists Awards. Our popular Drought Diaries series took third place in the Outstanding Explanatory Reporting category.

Behind the Headlines

#BlackLivesMatter, COVID-19, and the fragility of democratic institutions in America are converging to challenge our assumptions of how we define a crisis.

The globalisation of vulnerability – made clear by the coronavirus pandemic and a global anti-racism movement – is putting into question traditional conceptions of humanitarian aid too.

As suffering and violations of rights in the West become more visible, it’s hard to argue that “we” are helping “them”. And many of those communities in need are looking for social justice and functioning institutions, not bags of rice and plastic sheeting.

Will this historic moment force a rethink of international solidarity?

This behind the Headlines event was held on June 18. 

Watch the recording or read the takeaways


25 years of journalism from the heart of crises

23 April 2020

2020 marks the 25th anniversary of The New Humanitarian (and before it, IRIN News). Hear from Director Heba Aly on a few of our plans to mark the occasion in this letter to readers.


TNH stories longlisted for One World Media Awards 2020

April 2020

We're thrilled to announce that two of our pieces have been longlisted for the One World Media Awards.

Selected in the Digital Media category, untangles a complex crisis in western Africa.

In the Print category, Sofia Barbarani's "In Syria's latest exodus, local citizens become frontline aid workers" exposes the limits of international aid in Syria and the subsequent repercussions on the local population.

The One World Media Awards celebrate the best media coverage of developing countries.


Behind the headlines: How will COVID-19 impact crisis zones?

March 2020

Aid agencies are scrambling to adapt as the COVID-19 pandemic is felt throughout the world. TNH Senior Editor Ben Parker discusses some of the most pressing issues with leading experts and practitioners from across the humanitarian sector.

Watch our online conversation “Behind the headlines: How will COVID-19 impact crisis zones?” or read the full summary and takeaways.


Event | TNH wins at the 5th Geneva Engage Awards

On January 29, we were honoured to be named winner in the Non-Profit Organisations and Associations category at the 5th Geneva Engage Awards.

TNH Director of External Relations (fourth from right) accepted the award for TNH.

Geneva Engage Awards

Event | TNH at EACD Forum in Geneva

13 December 2019

TNH’s Director of External Relations Sarah Noble spoke at the EACD Forum in Geneva on the role of communications in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. Panellists from the World Heart Federation (WHF), ABB Power Grids and DSM also shared their experiences. Read an edited version of Sarah’s speech at the event here.


TNH welcomes new Africa editor and marketing manager

10 December 2019

TNH is pleased to welcome experienced Africa Correspondent and Editor Philip Kleinfeld and Marketing Manager Matt Crook.

Philip Kleinfeld is a multimedia reporter with extensive experience investigating conflict, human rights abuses and humanitarian crises across sub-Saharan Africa.

Matt is a marketing and comms specialist with experience in journalism, nonprofits and startups.

Learn more here.


Award | TNH reporter scoops top award for climate change coverage

6 December 2019

Bangladesh contributor AZM Anas has won the top prize in the climate change category at the UN Correspondents Association’s annual journalism awards. In one of his three winning stories for TNH, Anas examined new evidence of how climate change fuels internal migration in a corner of his native Bangladesh. He also explored why landslides are becoming deadlier in a former conflict zone, and put a spotlight on Bangladesh’s vanishing river lands. The UNCA prize will be awarded on 6 December. Read the three winning entries here.


Event | Power, money and influence: Tackling the imbalances at the heart of humanitarian response

Monday 23 September 2019 | 2:00 - 4:00PM EDST | Rockefeller Foundation | 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City

19 September 2019

Join The New Humanitarian's Director Heba Aly online or in person this Monday 23 September for a high-level event organised by the Center for Global Development on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Please find the event description below.

Humanitarian relief must involve, and be accountable to, the crisis-affected people it serves.

Versions of this principle can be found in most foundational humanitarian documents, and it features prominently in recent reform commitments including the 2016 Grand Bargain. Yet the power structures that shape international humanitarian response are not driven by, or accountable to, the people that they exist to serve. They are still engaged more as passive recipients of aid than as a force shaping humanitarian priorities. Living up to the aspiration of people-driven humanitarian action will require uncomfortable – but overdue – changes to the humanitarian system’s incentive structures and power dynamics.

We will explore these ideas in depth at this high-level UNGA side event. In particular, the panel discussion will focus on how to shift power within the humanitarian landscape and how to sustain the political will that will be needed for deeper change. 

Featuring:

  • Heba Aly, Director, The New Humanitarian
  • Jemilah Mahmood, Under Secretary General for Partnerships, International Federation of Red Cross
  • Simon O'Connell, Executive Director, Mercy Corps Europe
  • Moderator: Jeremy Konyndyk, Senior Policy Fellow, Center for Global Development

Find out more and watch the livestream

 


Event | A New Age of Humanitarian Reporting?

16 September 2019

Humanitarian crises frequently capture the public’s attention, but often for a limited period, and generally only when a crisis reaches a breaking point. Crisis fatigue and the disconnect between audiences and affected populations in humanitarian emergencies lends itself to surface level reportage. However, recent initiatives offer a new way to reach practitioner and general audiences with informed reporting on humanitarian issues. 

Join The New Humanitarian at the Washington Humanitarian Forum on Thursday 19 September at 1pm EDST (7pm CEST) for a discussion on the new wave of humanitarian reporting, exploring the responsibility and opportunity journalists have to inform global audiences about humanitarian emergencies.

Speakers include:

  • Heba Aly, Director, The New Humanitarian
  • Arwa Damon, Senior International Correspondent, CNN
  • Sherine Tadros, Head of New York Office & UN Representative, Amnesty International
  • Moderator: Jacob Kurtzer, Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Humanitarian Agenda, CSIS 

Find out more and register to attend.

Watch the livestream


SAVE THE DATE: In conversation with The New Humanitarian: The Grand Bargain – where to now?

A breakfast curtain raiser to the annual Grand Bargain meeting

18 June 2019

Join The New Humanitarian and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Geneva on Thursday 27 June at 7:30am for a frank, no-holds-barred conversation and window into the Grand Bargain discussions. Over coffee and croissants, you’ll hear a handful of ‘pitches’, based on new research into localisation, participation and humanitarian business models; and vote for your pick on the best way forward.

Find out more and register here.


Event | From the Ground Up: Local and indigenous approaches to humanitarian aid and disaster risk reduction

7 May 2019

Join The New Humanitarian (formerly IRIN News) and the Graduate Institute’s Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP) on Monday 13 May at 18:30, in Geneva and online, for a discussion on local and indigenous approaches to humanitarian aid and disaster risk reduction.

Find out more and sign up here.


Paisley Dodds joins The New Humanitarian as its first investigative editor

16 April 2019

Paisley Dodds, a veteran investigative journalist with The Associated Press, has joined The New Humanitarian as our first investigative editor.

Find out more here.


The New Humanitarian welcomes Paula Fray as new board president

16 April 2019

We are delighted to announce Paula Fray, an award-winning South African journalist, editor, trainer and media manager, as the next president of the board of directors of The New Humanitarian (formerly IRIN News).

Find out more here.


Launch of the Fragile States Index 2019

Event: 10 April 2019, 18:15 CET

Following a tumultuous year around the globe, Cameroon, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela are among the countries that have fallen furthest down the Fragile States Index (FSI), an annual ranking carried out by The Fund for Peace and published with The New Humanitarian (formerly IRIN News).

Join us on Wednesday, 10 April at 18:15 CET to discuss the findings of the 15th Fragile States Index and its relevance to the humanitarian sector.

Find out more here.


Leading newsroom on humanitarian crises, IRIN News, launches a new brand

The New Humanitarian aims to take news of conflicts and disasters to wider audiences

Geneva, Switzerland (21 March 2019)

IRIN, a nonprofit newsroom reporting from the heart of conflicts, disasters and other humanitarian crises, launched a new brand identity today: The New Humanitarian.

First founded as an information department of the UN in 1995, IRIN became a fully independent media organization in 2015. It is one of only a handful of newsrooms in the world specializing in the coverage of crises and disasters, as well as reporting on the aid industry.

The new name, The New Humanitarian, reflects the profound shifts impacting the world today, on some of the biggest stories of our time. New threats like climate change, longer-lasting conflicts, and global refugee movements are prompting new approaches and new players in the field of crisis response.

The New Humanitarian will chronicle this changing landscape.

“This isn’t just a name change,” said Heba Aly, director of The New Humanitarian. “It is a commitment to examine what humanitarianism means in the modern era and speak to a wider audience of people – ‘new humanitarians’ – interested in making the world more humane.”

As a digital-first news service, The New Humanitarian’s redesigned website surfaces a greater variety of more relevant content for readers, and highlights he New Humanitarian’s signature in-depth coverage of complex issues, such as militancy and aid financing.

Yet it remains deeply committed to IRIN’s original mission to inform crisis prevention and response, by investigating the root causes of conflict and disaster, holding the powerful to account, and amplifying local voices and solutions.

 “At its heart, all our coverage centers on and is rooted in one issue: the 130+ million people in need of humanitarian aid around the globe,” said Executive Editor Josephine Schmidt.

Over the course of 2019, The New Humanitarian’s plans include:

  • Keystone coverage packages: These rich multi-media features, such as “10 Crises to Watch”, set the agenda for policy- and decision-makers, with a resource page and in-person or online discussions to provide key takeaways from the reporting.
  • Quarterly events: In Geneva and other locations, as well as through online webinars and live-streamed discussions, The New Humanitarian will offer more opportunities for readers to engage with its editors and leading decision-makers from government, civil society, academia and the private sector.
  • Investigations: The New Humanitarian has strengthened its commitment to investigative reporting, with the recruitment of a new Investigative Editor, Paisley Dodds, a veteran of the Associated Press. She will lead coverage that aims to increase accountability and transparency in humanitarian response.

The New Humanitarian produces journalism that is accessible enough to inform a general readership interested in world affairs while providing the insight and context valued by professionals in the aid sector. It is a must-read on the crises shaping the world today.

“As journalists, we have an important role to play in serving globally-minded people who want to understand and engage with the world around them,” said Aly. “We seek to build on our historical audience of decision-makers and practitioners in the humanitarian sector by taking the urgency and importance of these issues to a much wider audience.”

For more information, please contact Sarah Noble, Director of External Relations, [email protected] +41 79 551 61 32


From the ground up: the state of local aid

Webinar: Friday 22 March 2019, 13:00 CET

Humanitarian needs are soaring and donor funds aren’t keeping pace. Local aid workers are pushing to take a leading role on the front lines of crises, but is the global aid sector prepared for change?

IRIN – soon to be The New Humanitarian – has been boosting its reporting on locally driven humanitarian action, ensuring that the voices of local humanitarians are heard. Our coverage explores how local aid is taking shape, examines the aid sector’s stalled “localisation” reforms, and sparks discussion on what it means to be a humanitarian in 2019.  

Join us for our latest webinar, “From the ground up: the state of local aid”, on Friday 22 March at 13:00-13:40 CET. We’ll hear how local responses are evolving, ask tough questions about mistrust and risk in the aid sector, and challenge perceptions – both local and international – of what makes a humanitarian response effective.

The discussion will be moderated by IRIN editor Irwin Loy. Our panelists include:

  • Regina Salvador-Antequisa, executive director for ECOWEB, a civil society organisation based in Mindanao, in the Philippines
  • Sune Gudnitz, associate director for strategy and partnerships with RedR Australia, a humanitarian training organisation, and former head of UN OCHA in the Pacific
  • Evans Onyiego, director for Caritas Maralal in northern Kenya

Participation is free and open to all.

Register Now

Have a question for our panelists? Email us at [email protected] or tweet using the hashtag #LocalAid.

Support for this coverage has been provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.


IRIN at the 2019 World Economic Forum

28 January 2019

IRIN took part in the 2019 annual World Economic Forum gathering of top business and political leaders in Davos, Switzerland through a series of special events. Read the key take-aways of our breakfast conversation to “Meet the New Humanitarians changing the face of aid” or catch up on the events we participated in throughout the week here.


IRIN Director Heba Aly at the Constructive Journalism Conference

18 January 2019

Mathias Svold Maagaard/Constructive Institute
IRIN Director Heba Aly speaking at the Constructive Journalism Conference, 18 January 2019

IRIN Director Heba Aly gave a speech at the Constructive Journalism Conference in Geneva on the importance of quality journalism. 

"My big announcement today is that, this year, IRIN will be rebranding with a new name. We will become The New Humanitarian, aiming to provide news for a turbulent world and those who are trying to fix it, and we invite you to join us in this quest to help you understand and engage with the world around you."

Read our key take-aways on Twitter here, and hear highlights in this interview:      


Exciting news from IRIN

In a letter to readers, IRIN Director Heba Aly announces that IRIN will have a new name and brand in 2019. At the end of March, IRIN will officially become The New Humanitarian.

Find out more about this exciting change here.


IRIN reporting wins award from Global Media Competition on Labour Migration

19 December 2018

We are delighted to announce that the feature “How weavers in Burkina Faso are now on Europe’s migration front line”, by Sarah Haaij and Saskia Houttuin, has won an award from the International Labour Organization.

The aim of the competition by the International Labour Organization is to promote a balanced discourse and quality reporting on labour migration and fair recruitment. They received more than 250 entries from 72 countries.

Find out more here.


IRIN names new members to board of directors

28 November 2018

Appointing Martin Aked, Turi Munthe, Nanjira Sambuli and Sacha Meuter to our board of directors signals an exciting new phase in IRIN's development, according to IRIN Director Heba Aly.

Learn more here.


Event | IRIN's first webinar roundtable on 8 Nov

5 November 2018

Join us for IRIN's first webinar, "In Conversation with IRIN: Countering Militancy in the Sahel", on Thursday 8 November at 13:00-13:40 CET to discuss some of the findings from our five-nation reporting project on insurgent conflicts in Africa’s Sahel region. We’ll explore what works and doesn’t work to counter violent extremism, talking with analysts and journalists who work in the region.

Find out more here.


Event | Media's Local and Global Contributions to Peacebuilding on 7 Nov

5 November 2018

Join us in Geneva on Wednesday 7 November at 13:00-14:15 at the UN Palais for a special afternoon event that will bring together a group of prominent local and international journalists for a debate on the contributions that the media can make to peacebuilding.

Find out more here.


IRIN's coverage highlighted in 2018 State of Humanitarian Journalism report

30 October 2018

Audiences want more of the news that IRIN covers, according to study.

Find out more here.


IRIN hires new Africa editor and marketing manager

25 October 2018

IRIN has hired experienced editor Sumayya Ismail as Africa Editor and Anna Rohleder as its first-ever marketing manager.

"As someone who is passionate about nurturing local voices to tell local stories, I am proud to join an organisation that believes in passing the mic so that those who own a story can tell it for themselves.” - Sumayya Ismail

Find out more here.


We're hiring | Senior Web Developer, Newsroom

18 October 2018

IRIN is hiring a Senior Web Developer to join our team working remotely as soon as possible. See the job description.

If you think you have what it takes, please send your CV to [email protected] (subject line: Senior Web Developer), along with a cover letter outlining your experience, interest in working with IRIN News, and any suggestions on improving our website and overall digital presence.   

We look forward to hearing from you!

Deadline for application: 8 November 2018


IRIN film takes top prize in the Migration Media Awards

26 September 2018

We are delighted to announce that “Welcome to Refugee Purgatory on the Hungary Border”, a 2017 film by Jaime Alekos for IRIN News, has won first place in the Migration Media Awards’ video category.

Find out more here.


IRIN to increase reporting on locally driven humanitarian responses

8 August 2018

IRIN is enhancing our coverage of indigenous and locally driven responses to humanitarian emergencies and disasters, an effort made possible with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Find out more here.


IRIN News hires veteran New York Times editor to lead its journalism

14 June 2018

IRIN News has hired veteran New York Times editor Josephine Schmidt as its first Executive Editor. Josephine will lead IRIN’s journalism as it seeks to bring increasingly rare field reporting from crises like Yemen and the Democratic Republic of Congo to wider global audiences.

"I’m honoured to guide IRIN in covering everything from the migration and refugee crisis to climate change, and in ensuring that our coverage reaches even more readers. Our in-depth, independent reporting and analysis will, I hope, have a positive impact on the people we cover and whose voices we amplify," she said.

Find out more here.


Mainstream media coverage of humanitarian crises falls short, new survey finds

1 May 2018

In January 2018, IRIN and the University of East Anglia (UEA) ran a detailed survey to find out how people viewed our journalism and journalism in general from other media and specialist outfits. What stood out? what was missing? what could be improved?

Read the press release here.


IRIN event: The humanitarian #MeToo moment – where do we go from here?

22 March 2018

IRIN and the Graduate Institute, Geneva co-hosted a frank and open discussion with a panel of experts on what the #MeToo moment means for the humanitarian sector. 

Orbisswiss Photos

Following the scandal centred around Oxfam UK, this discussion aimed to shift the debate towards a more nuanced and constructive examination of the issue, which affects the whole humanitarian sector and its ability to operate, maintain public trust, funding and more.

“The figures that you receive from many of our organisations are the tip of the tip of the tip of the iceberg,” said Hannah Clare, Head of Safeguarding at the Norwegian Refugee Council and former Head of Safeguarding at Oxfam.

Read IRIN’s piece highlighting topics at the heart of this discussion here, and watch the event in full here.


IRIN at the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights

11 March 2018

IRIN Director Heba Aly participated in a panel at the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) in Geneva: “How are the images of human distress born?”

“Instead of trying to shock people into waking up, what we’re trying to do is to say: here’s why this is worth you spending the time to understand it. There’s layers of complexity and a whole story behind it that isn’t explained by that photo, but if that photo can be an entry point into you wanting to understand the migration crisis more carefully… I think audiences are more sophisticated today then they used to be, and we need to go beyond just the shock,” she said.

Watch the panel discussion here.


IRIN at the World Economic Forum: the “Global Humanitarian Outlook”

24 January 2018

IRIN and the Overseas Development Institute convened a panel discussion on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum about the crises on the horizon in 2018.

The event brought together UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock, professor and former Mauritanian foreign minister Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth, and ODI’s Managing Director Sara Pantuliano.

“Authoritarianism is … normalising racism, normalising sexism, normalising discrimination, diminishing the importance of human rights. And that actually feeds into the social drivers that are at the heart of the conflicts,” said Mohamedou, author of ‘A Theory of ISIS’.

Other key drivers of crises in 2018 would be political violence and increased weather threats, the experts told IRIN.

To find out more, read an overview of the event and watch it in full here.

IRIN Director Heba Aly also took part in a World Economic Forum press conference on the humanitarian crises that will shape the agenda in 2018. Watch the press conference here.


IRIN reporting wins 2017 UNCA award

22 November 2017

We are delighted to announce that the United Nations Correspondents Association has recognised IRIN’s outstanding reporting on Asia, awarding a joint silver medal to former Asia Editor Jared Ferrie for the Elizabeth Neuffer Memorial Prize for written media.

Find out more here.


IRIN TEDx talk: Stop eating junk news

20 November 2017

Over the last decade, we've awoken to the fact that junk food hurts us. It's time for a similar revolution in our news consumption. 

In this new TEDx Talk, IRIN Director Heba Aly highlights the dangers of simplistic narratives in reporting humanitarian crises but also general events. “This isn’t just about a failure to understand the world around us. Junk news erodes our democracies because it fails to give us the information we need to be responsible, active citizens and to make informed decisions about our own lives.”

Watch the talk here.


IRIN Vacancy: Senior Web Developer

16 November 2017

IRIN is hiring a Senior Web Developer to join our team working remotely as soon as possible. See the job description.

If you think you have what it takes, please send your CV to [email protected] (subject line: Web Developer), along with a cover letter outlining your relevant experience, your interest in working with IRIN, and any initial suggestions on improving our website.   

We look forward to hearing from you!

Deadline for application: 16 December 2017


Q&A with Heba Aly at the first virtual Global People’s Summit

28 September 2017

Last week’s inaugural Global People’s Summit explored social innovation, disruptive technology, film and media, and the power of mobilising networks to address some of the most challenging issues of our time. It brought together 5,000+ social entrepreneurs, innovators, philanthropists, technology companies, NGOs, governments, thought leaders, and others for a stimulating online brainstorm.

IRIN Director Heba Aly was interviewed about the role media bias plays in shaping what people care about, and about how to communicate complex issues in powerful and engaging ways. 

Her message to the audience was clear: “Don’t be naïve heroes. Decide where you want to have an impact and then focus your energies, and part of that is understanding these issues and their complexities.”


IRIN Director flags up journalism’s vital role in peacebuilding

27 September 2017

Last week, IRIN Director Heba Aly spoke at the Geneva Peace Talks about the critical role independent and impartial journalism has in building empathy and understanding around complex problems. This is a key aspect of IRIN’s mission – we dig into the root causes and examine their implications to encourage more effective responses, but to do so meaningfully we have to give voice to all sides of the argument.

“Dehumanisation depends on an ignorance of the other. It’s a lot easier to dismiss someone, to hate someone, to kill someone, if you don’t know them,” Aly said. “And the more we can create empathy and understanding about the other... the more we can start to prevent these divisions. As Kofi Annan said, journalism can be a big part of that.”

Held on the International Day of Peace, the event featured speakers ranging from Annan, a former UN secretary-general, to Christian Picciolini, a reformed far-right activist who co-founded the NGO Life After Hate, sharing their personal experiences of peacebuilding and ideas to inspire discussions on how each and every one of us can play a role.

Watch the speeches here:      
 

For more on the critical role of impartial journalism, click here: 


IRIN Director recognized by Carleton University as one of seventy-five most inspiring alumni on 75th Anniversary  

15 September 2017

In honour of Carleton University's 75th anniversary, IRIN Director, Heba Aly, has been recognized as one of the Faculty of Public Affairs' seventy-five most inspiring alumni. From the Foreign Service to foreign correspondents, Carleton University has profiled some of the Faculty of Public Affairs' most notable alumni.

IRIN Director recognized by Carleton University as one of seventy-five most inspiring alumni on 75th Anniversary
Carleton University

Read more about Heba Aly's journey from Canadian newsrooms to becoming Director of an award-winning humanitarian news and analysis service covering areas of the world and issues that are under-reported, misunderstood and ignored.


IRIN Highlights - April to June 2017

29 August 2017      
       
From the launch of several new streams of reporting to the production of brilliant new material, it's been - as ever - a busy few months at IRIN.      
       
Catch up with our latest highlights


IRIN Vacancy: Executive Editor

10 August 2017

IRIN is hiring an Executive Editor to join our team in Geneva in January 2018 or earlier. See the job description.

If you think you have what it takes, please send your CV to [email protected] (subject line: Executive Editor), along with a cover letter outlining your relevant experience, your interest in working with IRIN, and initial thoughts on how to take our humanitarian journalism to the next level.  

We look forward to hearing from you!

Deadline for application: 30 September 2017


IRIN invests in audience engagement

26 July 2017

Over the next few months, IRIN will be ramping up its investment in audience engagement. These efforts are aimed at maximising the impact of our work and furthering our mission to put quality, independent journalism at the service of the most vulnerable people on earth.

Find out more here.


IRIN launches new stream of Geneva-based policy reporting

26 June 2017

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new stream of Geneva-based policy reporting, made possible with the support of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

The initiative will be led by IRIN’s Ben Parker, who will join our team in Geneva, Switzerland, to report on aid policy from one of the largest humanitarian hubs in the world.

Find out more here.



IRIN hosts discussion on the Grand Bargain

26 June 2017      
       
One year after the World Humanitarian Summit, the big issue going into the UN Economic and Social Council’s Humanitarian Affairs Segment was a wide-ranging package of humanitarian aid reforms, known as the Grand Bargain.

On 21 June, over coffee and croissants, IRIN hosted a unique curtain-raiser with thought-provoking opinions and expert analysis on what has – and hasn’t – been achieved in the reform process.

“These are the people who agreed to do something a year ago, 60% of it they haven’t done. From the outside world it worries me as an observer that you have a group of a hundred people in a room in Geneva, congratulating themselves and writing their own school reports,” said Ben Parker, IRIN Senior Editor, challenging his fellow speakers.

Speakers included:

  • András Derzsi-Horváth, Project Manager of the Berlin-based Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi), commissioned to produce the independent report on progress towards the Grand Bargain
  • Kate Halff, Executive Secretary of the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR) and member of the Grand Bargain facilitation group
  • Ben Parker, IRIN's Senior Editor, now based in Geneva

You can find IRIN’s reporting on aid effectiveness, including the follow-up to the World Humanitarian Summit and Grand Bargain agreement, here

Watch a recording of the discussion below, kindly provided by the Geneva Humanitarian Connector, an initiative of PHAP.


IRIN 2017 Summer Internship

1 June 2017

IRIN is looking for a three-month summer intern who is smart, hard-working, passionate about journalism and humanitarian issues, and wants to be involved in something meaningful. See the job description.

If you think you have what it takes, please send your CV to [email protected] (subject line: 2017 summer internship), along with a cover letter and samples of relevant work.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Deadline for application: 18 June 2017


IRIN director moderates panel on social cohesion in the Arab world

22 May 2017      
       
IRIN Director Heba Aly moderated the panel “Arab World from History to Fiction” on Saturday at the World Economic Forum Middle East & North Africa Summit.      
       
Speakers included:      
- Marwa al-Sabouni, Syrian architect      
- Amr Moussa, Egyptian politician and diplomat, former Arab League secretary-general      
- Sheikha Bodour al-Qasimi, chairperson of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, founder and CEO of the Kalimat Group      
- Eugene Rogan, director of the Middle East Centre at St Antony's College, University of Oxford      
       
Watch the panel and see Syrian architect Marwa al-Sabouni take on former Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa in a debate on whether the region has lost its identity amid recurring crisis.      
       
“Identity for me is related to accomplishment,” says al-Sabouni. "Since the fall of the Ottoman Empire, you could correct me if I’m wrong, we haven’t accomplished anything, and this is manifested in our architecture and in our surroundings. I think the way that we build could be a good place for us to change and for us to start a new phase.”      
       
       
You can also listen to IRIN Middle East Editor Annie Slemrod tell you more about our work, including some of the humanitarian crises we are focused on at the moment, and the challenges faced by our journalists in this Facebook live interview.      
       
 

IRIN Middle East Editor Annie Slemrod being interviewed at the World Economic Forum 2017

IRIN nominated for two awards from the Society of Publishers in Asia

18 May 2017

Excellence in Video Reporting: Why this Indonesian fisherman risked it all

Shot and produced by acclaimed German filmmaker Florian Kunert, this video powerfully captures the tough position Indonesian fishermen find themselves in. Fish stocks are depleting rapidly, putting pressure on them to find ways to increase their dwindling catches to feed their families. The easiest method is blast fishing, which they do by building makeshift bombs from plastic bottles filled with explosive powder scratched off of matches.  

But blast fishing carries huge risks, both in human and environmental terms. It destroys the coral reefs that provide a habitat for fish, and exposes fishermen to mortal danger. Beautifully filmed in markets and villages, on the open water and below the ocean’s surface, this video provides a stark warning about the human costs of destroying fishing habitats.

Watch the film here and please promote it on Twitter #SOPAWards2017.

Excellence in Human Rights Reporting: Myanmar says Rohingya rape and abuse allegations “made-up”, despite mounting evidence

In the face of outright denials by Myanmar’s government, IRIN Asia Editor Jared Ferrie uncovered strong evidence that the military was committing atrocities against the country’s persecuted ethnic Rohingya Muslim community. His story juxtaposes the experiences of survivors against government statements, providing a historical record of both the atrocities and the attempts to cover them up.

 As Myanmar refused to allow journalists near the police border posts where the accounts were emerging, Ferrie travelled to neighbouring Bangladesh. His vital reporting there revealed that the number of people who fled across the border was far higher than previously reported and directly challenged the government’s narrative. A spokeswoman for Myanmar’s leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, insists that military operations had been conducted “with very much restraint”. And allegations of rape and ethnic cleansing? “Completely false.” With the evidence presented in Ferrie's story, such denials became impossible to believe.

Read the feature here and please promote it on Twitter #SOPAWards2017.


IRIN begins new project on countering militancy in West Africa

4 May 2017

IRIN is excited to announce the launch of our new in-depth reporting project, “Countering violent extremism in Nigeria and the Sahel”, a partnership with the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).

The general objective of this project is to deepen the discussion around the dynamics of radicalization and to identify interventions that help reduce violent extremism and help build peace.

Our first piece, “Boko Haram: Nigeria winning the battle but losing the war?”, comes just as Nigeria’s spectacularly grisly Boko Haram conflict seems to be coming to an end. The momentum is finally with the military, and for the first time a post-war future is beginning to be imagined.      
       
Key to peace is what happens to the Boko Haram fighters now surrendering. The government’s counter-insurgency strategy involves the reintegration of “deradicalised” ex-combatants back into their communities. The problem is: those communities don’t want them.      
       
For this feature, IRIN’s Africa Editor Obi Anyadike travels to Maiduguri, the home of the insurgency, to talk to men and women who have suffered at the hands of Boko Haram about forgiveness and reconciliation. He finds a fractured and deeply traumatised society that has little trust for the government and its plans, and are prepared to kill to keep Boko Haram out, even while flickers of progress are visible.

Read the piece here.


IRIN film shortlisted for media rights award

30 March 2017      
       
IRIN’s film “Who in the world is Millie Wonder?” has been shortlisted for the One World Media Women’s Rights in Africa Award.      
       
Shot and produced by our multimedia editor, Miranda Grant, the film tells the inspiring story of a rape survivor who gives self-defence training to schoolgirls in a Nairobi slum.

“I used to cry, cry, cry, cry, cry. I wanted, even, to kill myself,” says Wonder. “I’ll continue teaching and teaching and teaching girls even if I don’t get paid... I don’t want to see other girls go through [what I went through]."      

Her story is incredibly empowering but also a stark reminder that rape is still common and used as a weapon of war. Many victims – wherever they may be – still face stigma, shame, and silence.      
       
Watch the film here and please promote it on Twitter #OWMAwards


IRIN Vacancy: Director of Finance

6 March 2017

IRIN is hiring a Director of Finance to join our team in Geneva as soon as possible. See the job description.

If you think you have what it takes, please send your CV to [email protected] (subject line: Director of Finance), along with a cover letter outlining why you’d like to work with IRIN in particular. Please note that all candidates must hold a valid Swiss work permit.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Deadline for application: 20 March 2017


IRIN Vacancy: External Relations Internship

6 March 2017

IRIN is hiring an External Relations Intern to join our team in Geneva as soon as possible. See the job description.

If you think you have what it takes, please send your CV to [email protected] (subject line: External Relations Internship), along with a cover letter outlining why you’d like to work with IRIN in particular and how your experience has prepared you for the role. Please note that all candidates must hold a valid Swiss work permit.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Deadline for application: 20 March 2017


IRIN welcomes a new Director of External Relations and Admin and Finance Manager

17 January 2017. Direct link.

IRIN is pleased to welcome two new members to its team: Sarah Noble, Director of External Relations (follow her on Twitter), and Victoria Bytsko, Admin and Finance Manager. These two newly created roles will be based at IRIN’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Sarah Noble brings with her more than one decade of experience in strategic communication in the field of international peace and security. For the past 11 years, she has worked in a variety of positions, most recently as Director of Global Engagement, at the global peacebuilding organisation Interpeace, which, like IRIN, spun-off from the United Nations. She also serves as Head of the Peace Talks, an initiative that highlights inspirational stories of people who are making positive contributions to peace.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better candidate for this crucial position,” IRIN Director Heba Aly said. “Sarah has direct experience in the kind of fundraising, outreach and engagement IRIN needs, but equally importantly, she shares our passion for improving the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people.”

A member of the management team, Noble is the first Director of External Relations in IRIN’s history. Her recruitment will help IRIN execute its new five-year strategy, which focuses on audience engagement as a core pillar. In the years to come, IRIN intends to be much more visible, distribute its content through more channels and platforms, and better understand and respond to audience needs.

Victoria Bytsko joins IRIN after 20 years in administration, HR and finance at the international medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières. She has a wealth of experience both in the field – from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola to Indonesia and Pakistan – and in MSF’s head office in Brussels.

After constituting a Swiss association in January 2016, IRIN began running its own independent operations in June. Bytsko is responsible for handling IRIN’s day-to-day finances, donor reporting, annual accounts, HR and general administration.

"Victoria will play a key role in ensuring our new administrative and financial systems are robust, compliant, and support our growing ambitions,” Aly said.  "We are so pleased to have her on board as we enter a new phase of operational maturity as an organisation."

More about our team here.


IRIN Vacancy: Social Media & Audience Engagement Officer

16 January 2017

IRIN is hiring a Social Media & Audience Engagement Officer to join our team as soon as possible. See the job description.

If you think you have what it takes, please send your CV to [email protected] (subject line: Social Media Officer), along with a cover letter outlining why you’d like to work with IRIN in particular, an example of an innovative social media outreach/engagement initiative that you conceived of and executed, and a few initial ideas you would bring to IRIN’s audience engagement.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Deadline for application: 29 January 2017


Innovate Africa

December 2016

IRIN is pitching for funding from Innovate Africa, as part of an innovation challenge focused on journalism and the news media. With our partners, we are proposing three projects: a new immersive journalism unit to bring our humanitarian stories from Africa to life; a news gateway to highlight African news -- including humanitarian stories -- that’s not being read elsewhere; and a crowd-sourced accountability project highlighting failed aid in African countries. Find out more here, and please share your thoughts on our ideas via social media – remember to tag @irinnews and #innovateAFRICA!      
 


IRIN’s Blue Nile coverage wins an award

3 November 2016

IRIN’s multimedia feature “Blue Nile – Sudan’s Forgotten Front”, published in June, has won second place in the National Press Photographer's Association (NPPA) Quarterly Multimedia Contest and been shortlisted for an Amnesty International Media Award.

The awards recognize excellence in visual journalism and human rights reporting respectively.

With local voices, graphics and audio-visuals, this feature on a remote southeastern province of Sudan offers a unique, immersive multimedia experience from a region where journalists rarely dare to venture. Overshadowed by higher profile conflicts in Darfur and South Sudan, the long-running conflict in Blue Nile that pits the government in Khartoum against rebels fighting for their independence has had immense humanitarian consequences. In March, Amanda Sperber, Will Miller, Alex Pritz and Ashley Hammer crossed the border by road from South Sudan and spent two weeks crisscrossing the province. What they found was a region depopulated by violence, stalked by hunger, and abandoned by the international aid community.

Here is some of the overwhelmingly positive feedback we’ve received on the feature, which has been widely shared on and offline:

“Find the time to read this incredible multimedia piece on a forgotten conflict in Sudan’s Blue Nile State.” – Max Bearak, Washington Post

“Gripping multimedia piece on the exhausted war and urgent humanitarian crisis plaguing Sudan’s Blue Nile.” – Peter Bouckaert, Human Rights Watch

“Fascinating report from IRIN on Blue Nile conflict. Also superbly put together.” – Craig Browne, WFP

 “This is another very impressive bit of multimedia reporting, from a forgotten conflict: Blue Nile region of Sudan.” – Jason Burke, The Guardian

One of the photos from the feature was on display during an exhibition at the Official Opening of IRIN’s Geneva headquarters and selected for International Geneva’s Photo of the Week.

Experience the feature, part of our series of Forgotten Conflicts, here.


Chris Simpson

20 October 2016

Obi Anyadike/IRIN
Chris Simpson in Cote d'Ivoire

IRIN contributor and former BBC correspondent Chris Simpson has died in Dakar, Senegal, aged 53.

He was not only a hugely respected journalist, but a warm, witty, frighteningly intelligent and ridiculously generous man. He has left behind a legion of friends who were made better for knowing him.

Chris began his journalism career at West Africa magazine. He went on to cover the Angolan civil war for the BBC and IPS in the 1990s, where he made his mark. For several years he ran an IRIN radio training project in Côte d’Ivoire, and was more recently a regular contributor for IRIN on the Sahel.

His research for each story was exhaustive, the knowledge of his chosen subject (and many other less relevant things) immense. Chris will always be remembered for his priceless humour and deep humanity.

We miss him terribly.

- Obi Anyadike


IRIN's official opening in Geneva

18 October 2016

On 12 October 2016, IRIN opened its new headquarters in Geneva to a crowd of ambassadors, Swiss authorities, and representatives of diplomatic missions, NGOs, UN agencies, academia and the private sector.

Thank you to all those who joined us at the event and online to mark this new chapter in IRIN's history.

Check this page to catch up with a selection of videos, photos, and more.

Miranda Grant/IRIN

IRIN to open its Geneva headquarters

4 October 2016

We will be officially opening our new, independent headquarters in Geneva on 12 October 2016!

See the press release for more details, including the full programme and how to register for the webcast.


IRIN Vacancy: Admin & Finance Officer

3 August 2016

IRIN is hiring an Admin & Finance Officer to join our team in Geneva as soon as possible. See the job description.

If you think you have what it takes, please send your CV to [email protected] (subject line: Admin & Finance Officer), along with a cover letter outlining outlining why you’d like to work with IRIN in particular, and why you are well-suited for a demanding international start-up environment requiring an all-rounder ready to get his/her hands dirty!

We look forward to hearing from you!

Deadline for application: 11 September 2016


IRIN Vacancy: Director of Fundraising and Communications

22 June 2016

IRIN is hiring a Director of Fundraising and Communications to join our team in Geneva as soon as possible. See the job description.

If you think you have what it takes, please send your CV to [email protected] (subject line: Fundraising Director), along with a cover letter outlining initial thoughts on the approach you would take towards IRIN’s business development.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Deadline for application: 17 July 2016


1 June 2016

IRIN welcomes two new board members

IRIN is very pleased to welcome two new members to its governing board: Sara Pantuliano, managing director at the Overseas Development Institute, and Paula Fray, a veteran South African journalist and media trainer (see full bios below). Both were elected during a 12-13 May 2016 meeting of the executive committee, IRIN’s decision-making body, in London, UK. 

Dr. Pantuliano and Ms. Fray join five other members of the recently-constituted IRIN Association, presided over by Pulitzer-nominated journalist, author and professor Howard French.

“Sara and Paula – each leading experts in their fields – bring decades of experience in humanitarian response and journalism on the African continent, dealing with the very issues at the core of IRIN’s mission,” French said. “They join IRIN at an exciting time of growth and renewal, and we look forward to their contributions.”

At a time of unprecedented crises around the world, IRIN spun off from its historic home in the United Nations in 2015 to become an independent, non-profit media organisation specialised in crisis reporting.

IRIN appoints new Director, head of Enterprise Projects

As part of this transition, IRIN has appointed former Managing Editor Heba Aly as its new Director.

Aly was a core part of the team that planned and executed IRIN’s spin-off into an independent, non-profit media organisation. A Canadian-Egyptian multimedia journalist, she first joined IRIN’s West Africa office 10 years ago, and has worked her way through almost every part of the organisation since.

“We’re delighted to announce Heba’s appointment. She has the right drive, talent and vision to take IRIN into the next chapter,” French said. “IRIN’s transformation over the last year and a half would not have been possible without Heba’s dynamism and tenacity, and we know she will apply that same energy and passion in her new role.”

Aly takes over the leadership from IRIN co-founder Ben Parker, who most recently guided the organisation’s successful establishment as an independent entity. Parker will lead a new enterprise unit at IRIN, leading investigative and data-driven reporting on the causes, effects and responses to humanitarian crises.

“Ben’s new unit will allow IRIN to hold the emergency aid industry to account in new and innovative ways, at a time when the sector has recognised the need for increased transparency and accountability,” French continued.

See their full bios.

IRIN receives two new funding grants

So far in 2016, IRIN has struck two new partnerships to complement its existing donor base, including a three-year agreement with the Swiss Lottery (Loterie Romande) to support the transfer of its operations to its new headquarters in Geneva.

This funding complements previously-agreed 2016 funding for IRIN from the Swiss Development Cooperation and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

“With its expanding board, new leadership, and increasing funding base, IRIN is positioning itself for growth in the years to come,” French concluded.


A letter to our readers

16 February 2016

As IRIN celebrates its 20th anniversary, a new website, and a new board of directors, Managing Editor Heba Aly has this message to readers.


Press release

16 February 2016

Pulitzer-nominated journalist Howard French heads new board of crisis reporting venture: see the press release.


IRIN contributor Almigdad Mojalli killed in Yemen

17 January 2016

It is with deep regret and sadness that we received news that IRIN’s regular contributor in Yemen, Almigdad Mohammed Ali Mojalli, was killed on Sunday morning at Hammam Jaref, on the outskirts of the capital Sana’a... Read the full statement.


20 years of IRIN coverage

8 January 2016

IRIN turned 20 at the end of last year. Over the last two decades, we have reported from more than 2,200 locations around the world. Take a look: 


#BeWellServeWell

13 December 2015

In an interview with EmergencyAIDio, UN aid worker Brendan McDonald explains how IRIN's Memento Mori article on the mental health and wellbeing of aid workers inspired the petition to include aid worker health and safety at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in 2016, as well as his Be Well, Serve Well campaign.


Rocky road: Disabled refugees battle through the Balkans

7 December 2015

In an interview with the BBC World Service, IRIN contributor Jodi Hilton explains her photo feature on the dangerous journey through the Balkans for injured and disabled asylum seekers. Her story for IRIN coincides with World Disabilities Day on 3 December.


Our 5 most popular pieces in November

30 November 2015

  1. NRC Kidnapping: A wake up call for the aid industry
  2. How bad is the drought in Ethiopia? 
  3. Militancy in Mali: Conflict Map & Context
  4. Syrian refugees respond to their worst nightmare
  5. Commentary: A Desert Called Reform

AidEx 2015

18 November 2015

IRIN was a media partner at this year's AixEx conference in Brussels, where Managing Editor Heba Aly spoke about innovation in aid and chaired a panel about collaboration between the public, private and non-profit sectors. Three IRIN reporters and photographers were also nominated among the eight finalists of the new AidEx humanitarian journalism awards.  


IRIN reach and impact

10 November 2015

Since leaving the UN this year, we have grown and diversified our audience. Take a look!


Partnership with EASO

7 November 2015

In a new partnership, IRIN will be providing research to the European Asylum Support Office to help inform its analysis about migration trends in countries of origin.


Nominated for 3 AidEx Humanitarian and Development Journalism Awards

4 November 2015

IRIN is nominated for three AidEx Humanitarian and Development Journalism Awards in the photojournalism and reporting categories:

  1. The majority of today's conflicts take place in Muslim countries or involve Muslim combatants. In this 4-part series, Heba Aly examines the humanitarian provisions of Islamic law, including rules of war, protection of civilians and aid access - as well as how militants and aid agencies alike are interpreting Islamic law for their own ends. 

  2. When South Sudan, the world's newest country, descended into civil war, the town of Leer was one of the worst affected. Photographer Jacob Zocherman documented the devastation and near starvation in the town in this shocking audio slideshow.

  3. In 2012, more than 170,000 people were displaced by inter-communal violence between Buddhist ethnic Rakhine and Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar. David Longleath visited camps on both sides of the divide and produced this photo slideshow of how displaced people are surviving in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State.


IRIN on Irish Radio

1 November 2015

In this interview with RTE Ireland, the national television and radio broadcaster, IRIN contributor Jason Patinkin describes "All places were dangerous": Civilian voices from a South Sudan front line. This photo feature tells the stories of six civilians who fled fighting in Leer county in South Sudan's Unity State, one of the regions hardest hit since conflict broke out again in December 2013, through powerful portraits and interviews.


Six Months in...

1 July 2015

We've seen great results in our first six months operating independently, outside of the UN. Despite having a smaller team, we've increased our production and grown our audience, all while undergoing changes to our organisational structure, establishing a new legal entity and governance system, and recruiting staff. 

We are still in the process of rebranding and you'll be seeing a new name, logo and web platform in the months to come. 


Most read

Here are the top 20 most popular articles and features published in the first half of this year, as of 1 July:

  1. What refugees really think of aid agencies
  2. Why are humanitarians so W.E.I.R.D?
  3. Psychologists stay home: Nepal doesn’t need you
  4. Interactive data visualisation: The Humanitarian Economy
  5. Flat pack shelters for Iraqi’s displaced
  6. Nepal Earthquake: Live Blog
  7. Five false assumptions driving EU migration policy
  8. Refugee Vs Migrant: Time for a new label?
  9. Thousands of Burundians flee as election tensions rise
  10. No husband, no home: Migrant wives struggle in Nepal
  11. Who are the Imbonerakure and why is Burundi unravelling?
  12. What future for the humanitarian capital of the world?
  13. Interactive map: Female genital mutilation
  14. Who celebrity advocates are really targeting. And it's not you.
  15. Why Bin Laden’s thoughts matter
  16. Aid workers or journalists: who should report the news?
  17. The real winners of Greece’s elections
  18. Long read: The Struggle for Survival on Ukraine's Frontline
  19. "An almost impossible job" - 10 tips for the UN's next humanitarian boss
  20. Migrant crisis in the Mediterranean: What can be done?

Our coverage

June 2015 

The animated GIF below shows every location identified in IRIN coverage over the last three months.  In just 10 seconds, you're seeing IRIN's geographic range from late February to late May 2015.

IRIN's emphasis on the non-Western world, especially Africa, Asia, and the Middle East is immediately clear on this map, especially its high volume of coverage of areas traditionally neglected by Western mainstream news media.  The significant connectivity of Europe as an aid or stability partner with many of these regions is also clear.

Dots are not sized by the volume of news coverage mentioning that location, but the more coverage mentioning a location the brighter it becomes, so very light blue areas indicate locations of high attention in IRIN's coverage over time.


New team

We are pleased to welcome new chief sub-editor Andrew Gully, Asia editor Jared Ferrie, and intern Emmeline Booth to our growing team


New formats

We are striving to bring you a bolder, sharper, more creative and more authoritative IRIN. It's paying off: our articles are generating debate online, being discussed by experts at conferences, and encouraging other media to pick up on forgotten issues. We've been introducing new editorial formats aimed at improving your experience, including cartoons, live blogs, flashy maps, timelines, infographics, curated digests of social media content, guest commentary, and editor analysis. While in transition, we're using this site to test out new products: check out our new multimedia and data visualization pages. We're trying to make our material increasingly interactive, like this map of ICC cases around the world.

Among our new products is the Crisis Brief, a collaboration with the Overseas Development Institute’s Humanitarian Policy Group, piloted in December as a way of filling an analysis gap at the early stages of a crisis. The first Crisis Brief on aid delivery in ISIS-controlled areas of Iraq was one of the most downloaded documents on ODI’s website. The research was widely cited and referenced by other media, including Vox, Business Insider, and the UK’s The Independent. Keep your eye out for the upcoming IRIN-ODI Crisis Brief on aid delivery in Ukraine. 

We're flattered to be getting very positive feedback so far about our new content: 

“Just wanted to say I've been more and more impressed with the IRIN file recently. Much sharper and bolder in holding the whole sector up to scrutiny. Lots of pieces I wish we'd done ourselves, and I find myself sharing more and more simply because the stories nail it. Nice work indeed.”      
- Senior Editor, Thomson Reuters Foundation  


Traffic and social media

While traffic on our own website has increased, IRIN is also much more consistently reaching readers and viewers on other platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Storify,Feedly, Medium, Instagram, YouTube and      
SoundCloud. We now reach some 35 million people every month on social media, including a relatively young audience on Facebook that is showing increasing levels of engagement.


Influence

Our material continues to be extensively used in the media, academic and humanitarian sectors. We have been mentioned, cited and/or republished in Al Jazeera, VICEUSA Today, the Huffington Post, the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.  When our Editor-at-Large Obi Anyadike made a rare trip to Boko Haram’s stronghold in northeastern Nigeria in January, he was interviewed by Huffington Post Live, Mail & Guardian Africa, and South African TV.

IRIN’s most popular article in the last few months was a piece that brought to light what refugees and aid recipients in the Middle East think of aid organisations. It revealed major discontent with aid agencies - "when you decide to help someone... simply treat them as humans" - and highlighted gaps in accountability, communication with affected communities, and worse – a feeling that they were not treated with dignity. The article reflected the unique role IRIN can play during the World Humanitarian Summit process to bring some “insider” debates to a wider audience: WHS Secretariat Chief Jemilah Mahmood cited it as a call to action and an opportunity to learn lessons. 


Outreach

As always, we continue to share our insights and exchange with others in our space. Our Chief Executive Ben Parker and Managing Editor Heba Aly have participated in panel discussions, expert round-tables and online Q&As at the Frontline Club in London, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the Guardian Development Network, the annual conference of the NGO consortium ICVA, and the World Humanitarian Summit. They have briefed journalism students and humanitarian practitioners alike. 


Language service

IRIN continues making unique inroads in humanitarian coverage in other languages, and audiences on Arabic and French social media channels are growing. An Arabic Wikipedia article about Yemen commended our coverage as “one of the best non-security and non-intelligence sources of information that translated statements of Houthi leaders and made it available to the English speaking audience.” Our Arabic articles have been re-produced and cited by Emirati, Yemeni, Libyan pan-Arab and diaspora newspapers and online news outlets. IRIN’s French articles continue to be syndicated by AllAfrica.com as well as other French African news sites, including en-afrique.infonewsforafrica.com/frafryka.fr, and realitesafricaines.  


IRIN reports from the frontlines of conflicts and natural disasters thanks to funding from Jynwel Charitable Foundation Limited, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, and the United Nations Foundation.

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