This week marks the second anniversary of HLA’s Fresh Humanitarian Perspectives podcast, a moment to reflect on its growth since its launch in February 2023.
Fresh Humanitarian Perspectives provides a platform for accessible and informative conversations with a diverse range of speakers across the humanitarian sector. To date, we have released 29 podcast episodes featuring humanitarian conversations and reflections from 62 contributors from 24 countries.
The episode format ranges from short informal conversations to deep dive explorations of humanitarian initiatives, while focusing on actionable insights and key takeaways for listeners.
Now in its third season, the show is reaching listeners in 131 countries, with the top 10 countries being the UK, USA, Germany, Kenya, Poland, Türkiye, France, Nigeria and Australia.
131
countries reached
29
episodes since 2023
62
contributors
Developing the podcast’s content and reach in 2024
In 2024, we expanded our podcast to include episodes in French and Spanish alongside English. Leadership and professional development were key themes that resonated strongly with audiences, making episodes focusing on these topics among the most downloaded of the year.
We continued to explore various aspects of leadership, including youth leadership, feminist leadership, coaching and mentoring. We also heard firsthand insights from emergency response work and capacity strengthening initiatives supporting crisis-affected communities, including those impacted by conflict in Ukraine, Poland, Gaza, Türkiye and Syria, as well as climate-induced emergencies in Pakistan, and across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Localisation in the humanitarian sector remains a central theme, embedded across discussions alongside cross-cutting issues such as Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), and initiatives to support women and girls, and LGBTQ+ communities.
Humanitarian learning and community building is another key podcast discussion topic, complementing the resources developed for the HLA Community including the free digital learning platform Kaya as well the HLA’s webinar series.
The impact of humanitarian conversations: listener and guest reflections
Selim Uysal, a humanitarian consultant and trainer from Türkiye based in Germany, is a regular listener of the podcast. Reflecting on what he enjoys about the show and why he tunes in, Selim shared:
“Fresh Humanitarian Perspectives is a very practical and inspiring podcast for humanitarians. I listen to every episode and take notes that I can use in my training, consultancy, and coaching sessions. Each episode gives me clear ideas and useful tips that I can easily implement in my work. I really enjoy how the podcast makes complex topics simple and relatable by inviting guests from different fields. It’s a great resource for anyone in the humanitarian sector.”
Eleonora Aralla, Country Representative from CAFOD Zimbabwe and Eswatini, was a guest on the show in October 2024 together with fellow learning advocates Janet Nyaoro from Kenya and Neba Ambe Azinui from Cameroon. They took part in a two-part episode (part 1 and part 2) examining the nature of humanitarian learning across Africa in 2024 and shared their learning tips.
Taking part in the HLA podcast was a chance for in-depth self-reflection on the values that propel my work as a humanitarian. It was also an opportunity to focus on and consider the ‘blind spots’ of working in this sector – a chance to look critically at how I engage in my day to day with colleagues within and outside my own organisation and all the platforms I work in, as well as partners.
Fresh Humanitarian Perspectives remains committed to providing a thoughtful platform and meeting ground for discussions within the global humanitarian landscape. Speaking on the value and impact of the podcast as part of the HLA Community initiative, Eleonora remarked:
“In a context of shrinking resources, and in a sector where organisations are constantly pegged against one another to compete for funding, the free resources and the welcoming, open space provided by HLA to share, meet, connect, learn, network and re-invent offers a unique, refreshing reminder that we all share the same mission – to support the most vulnerable – and that together, we can do it better!”
Humaira Naseer, an education specialist who was the Pakistan Education Cluster Working Group Co-Lead at Save the Children in Pakistan, joined the podcast as a guest as part of an episode in January 2025 focusing on an Education in Emergencies training initiative for women in Pakistan.
I enjoyed being a guest on the podcast alongside Ehsan Ullah from UNICEF Pakistan, sharing my experiences of a training initiative for women in Education in Emergencies in Pakistan. I appreciate how open HLA colleagues are to ideas and inputs – it was a valuable opportunity to share my experiences, insights, and a message of encouragement and hope for women and girls. Through the podcast, I wanted to inspire others and share a message to fly high, touch the sky; reach for the stars and help children bloom like flowers. Let your dreams, vision, and innovations open new horizons for teachers and children, especially in Education in Emergencies.
Reflecting on the podcast reaching its two-year milestone, Pawel Mania, the HLA’s Deputy Director for Impact and Influence said:
“I’m excited and encouraged to see the continued growth of our Fresh Humanitarian Perspectives podcast and the positive impact it is making. At a time when humanitarian action is increasingly politicised and shaped by external agendas rather than core humanitarian principles, this platform serves as a vital space for the humanitarian community to connect, learn, and engage in meaningful dialogue. Its growing audience reflects the importance of collaboration, shared knowledge, and open discussion in addressing global challenges.
Sincere thanks to our incredible speakers for their valuable contributions and to our listeners for engaging with these essential conversations.”
Stay tuned for a new episode coming this week! Fresh Humanitarian Perspectives is hosted on Buzzsprout and is available to stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music and more!
Please subscribe to the podcast on your favourite platform and share episodes with your network.
Contact
For media enquiries, feedback or suggestions for the podcast, please contact the team on:
info@humanitarian.academy
