Dear Readers,

As we prepared this newsletter, we wanted to reflect on the year 2004, marking 20 years since the tsunami in the Indian Ocean. Since last Wednesday, the question has emerged: are we experiencing another historic moment for humanitarian aid? With Trump's new presidency in the USA and the end of Germany's "traffic light coalition," the two largest humanitarian donors in the world will experience a shift to the right from 2025—not only in narratives and debates but also on the government benches. The implications for American humanitarian policy are already being spelt out in international fora and in this article on our blog.

For the millions of people reliant on German aid, a key question is how resistant a federal government led by probably Chancellor Merz might be to similar shifts in Germany (which have been indicated even ahead of new elections upcoming with the launch of Germany's new humanitarian strategy, as we analysed). On Thursday in the Bundestag, we discussed with the Federal Foreign Office and members of parliament whether a new federal government could also offer an opportunity for German humanitarian aid, at least in budgetary terms. But also questions of almost historic importance were raised, even by government representatives: could times of crisis provide the momentum to address Germany's institutionally fragmented approach to development policy and humanitarian aid?

Using crises as an opportunity was also a focus after the devastating tsunami 20 years ago when a massive earthquake in the Indian Ocean triggered one of the most destructive natural disasters of the 21st century on Boxing Day of 2004. At least 230,000 people lost their lives, and the international humanitarian system soon had to confront its own failings in the response. To mark the tsunami disaster’s 20th anniversary, we are organising a small series of events to ask: What made this catastrophe so unique? What has changed since then? How prepared is the humanitarian sector today? On 14 November, we will take a look back at the events of 2004 with longstanding figures in humanitarian action who experienced the disaster and its aftermath on the ground.

Speaking of crises - who will be keeping the climate crisis in focus in the coming weeks and months? We will. At the end of the month, CHA Research Fellow Iida-Maria Tammi will host an "Out of the Box" webinar with international guests to analyse, among other things, what was achieved at COP29.

Don't let it get you down! Or, to quote Kamala Harris: "This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves."

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Our recommendations in November:

Humanitarians: Stop using fear of migration to drive fundraising and advocacy

In The New Humanitarian, Bram Frouws and Ayla Bonfiglio criticise how humanitarians use people's fear of migration to raise funds and political visibility for displaced individuals. Besides framing migration as inherently negative, the authors argue that such advocacy strategies distort the ultimate purpose of humanitarian and development aid, shifting the focus from saving lives and reducing poverty to preventing migration.

Reflexivity, coloniality and Do No Harm: thoughts on the subjectivity of aid workers

In "The Humanitarian Leader," Carla Vitantonio reflects on how fostering individual and institutional positionality and reflexivity could improve the effectiveness of the Do No Harm approach, while also triggering a deeper reflection on the coloniality embedded in aid work.

Crossing the bridge: A practical guide to support good intermediary practice

How can intermediary organisations strengthen their partnership approaches? HAG, GLOW, PIAGO and ICVA offer a practical guide that highlights the role of donors and other funding instruments in catalysing this process.

How Localisation and Resilient Design Fueled the Success of Climate Smart Agriculture Programmes in Uganda’s Refugee Response – Insights from the Northern Uganda Resilience Initiative (NURI)

The concept of "localisation" is often abstract, but this study by U-Learn demonstrates how local management and an agile, robust programme design can make nutrition programmes "climate smart" in practice.

Lessons learned from supporting local innovation

Fiona Mwende and Lydia Tanner analyse local innovations across CHIC-funded projects, showcasing the importance of locally-led and locally-owned innovations. They discuss inclusiveness, local partnership, local leadership, innovation support systems, clear intentions and flexible funding, making this a valuable learning piece for anyone interested in promoting local innovations.

Handbook on Data Protection in Humanitarian Action

The third edition of the ICRC‘s Data Protection Handbook is a must-read for all humanitarians involved in data processing, keeping readers up-to-date on the latest data protection issues, including new tech developments like AI and blockchain.

Presidential election could help decide fate of the 70,000 Afghans living temporarily in the US

After the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in August 2021, hundreds of thousands of people fled the country. Those who reached the US were granted humanitarian parole by the Biden administration, allowing them to legally work and attend school. However, humanitarian parole is not a permanent solution and, as Dr Idean Salehyan writes, the fate of Afghan evacuees will depend largely on the outcomes of the US election.

Have you heard of the Takeaways yet?

Humanitarian Takeaways provide a collection and summary of selected materials on a specific humanitarian topic at regular intervals.