The New Humanitarian

When countries can commit genocide or invade neighbours with few repercussions, it's clear that international norms and laws are not working. On the podcast, three legal experts discuss the problems and some steps forward, from decentralised ways of enforcing criminal law, to including non-state actors, to erasing the legal loopholes used to justify violence. Guests: Neve Gordon, professor of international law and human rights at Queen Mary University of London and a fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences. He has written extensively about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the bombing of healthcare facilities, and coined the term "medical lawfare." Oona Hathaway, professor of international law at Yale Law School who has been a member of the Advisory Committee on International Law for the legal adviser at the US Department of State since 2005 and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations since 2011. She is working on a book titled "War Unbound: Gaza, Ukraine, and the Breakdown of International Law". Michael Addo, law professor at the University of Notre Dame and lawyer with expertise in international human rights law and international business policy. The UN Human Rights Council appointed him in 2011 to join its Working Group on Business and Human Rights, which he currently chairs. Got a question or feedback? Email [email protected] or post on social media using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism.

The UN's high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi, finishes his term at the end of the year. As with most top UN roles, picking the next UN refugee chief is far from transparent. What's different this time around? Refugee-led organisations held rare public forums with some of the candidates. Co-organiser Hourie Tafech joins host Tammam Aloudat to talk about the race to lead the UN refugee agency, how to make the selection more transparent, and what refugees want from a new UNHCR boss. Guests: Hourie Tafech, director for refugee leadership and partnerships at Refugees International Got a question or feedback? Email [email protected] or post on social media using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism.

The UN Security Council has passed a resolution backing US President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza. It authorises an "international stabilisation force", and approves a "board of peace". Essentially, this would govern Gaza, and oversee reconstruction and humanitarian aid. It also follows a playbook similar to the occupation of Iraq, warns international law expert Shahd Hammouri: "The US using international legal mechanisms to normalise an unlawful occupation." Guests: Shahd Hammouri, lecturer in International Law and Legal Theory at the University of Kent, and an international legal consultant Nour ElAssy, poet and writer from Gaza, Palestine Riley Sparks, reporter covering migration and human rights

When aid funding is tight, education is often cut first. But schools offer more than just learning, and communities say education is their priority. "We have to believe that survival means more than just breathing," says emergency education expert Faiza Hassan. On this episode: Why disrupted schooling is the norm as climate change worsens, and the argument for prioritising education in an era of aid cuts. Guests: Faiza Hassan, director of the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies Got a question or feedback? Email [email protected] or post on social media using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism.

The UN climate summit, COP30, is getting under way in Brazil, with global temperatures rising – and global cooperation under deep strain. Ten years on from the Paris Agreement, the UN Secretary-General warns that the world has missed its targets to limit global temperature rise. The stakes are high. But do COP discussions match the urgency? The New Humanitarian journalists unpack what happens behind the scenes at COP, and what humanitarians and everyday citizens can do while negotiators wrestle over targets and funding. Guests: Will Worley, staff reporter and editor for policy at The New Humanitarian Namukabo Werungah, staff editor and reporter for breaking news and social at The New Humanitarian Got a question or feedback? Email [email protected] or post on social media using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism.