Will big donors "smell the coffee" or get left behind? | Rethinking Humanitarianism

Less than a year ago, Colum Wilson left his position at the helm of the humanitarian department in one of the world's largest donor governments.

After more than two decades with the UK government, Wilson concludes that "the world's become a colder and crueller place where realpolitik tends to trump humanitarianism".

In this second collaborative episode between Rethinking Humanitarianism and Start Network, Wilson joins hosts Tammam Aloudat and Christina Bennett to unpack how humanitarianism is being reshaped from the top down. They discuss the rise of populism and transactional humanitarian policy, the quiet "insurgency" of local responders getting on with change outside the formal system, the potentially disruptive power of middle-tier donors, alternative financing models, and new centres of humanitarian power.

Guest

Colum Wilson, former Head of the Humanitarian Department for the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO); senior humanitarian policy advisor

Key moments

[11:35] – National interest versus humanitarianism

[14:29] – "The world's become a colder and crueller place"

[17:13] – An insurgency from below

[20:24] – Interest in maintaining the status quo

[24:24] – "The moral argument isn't cutting through"

[33:36] – A battle for the heart of humanitarianism