We are pleased to announce the launch of a new stream of Geneva-based policy reporting, which will complement IRIN’s field journalism from crisis zones around the world by shining a light on trends in financing of humanitarian assistance, the aid reform agenda, peace negotiations and the massive machinery behind emergency aid delivery. This is made possible with the support of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
The initiative will be led by IRIN’s Ben Parker (follow him on Twitter), who will join our team in Geneva, Switzerland, to report on aid policy from one of the largest humanitarian hubs in the world.
Ben has been working in humanitarian affairs, online media and fragile states for more than 20 years. He was director of of communications for the UN in Somalia, headed the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Syria, and led OCHA’s Eastern Africa offices. Most importantly, Ben co-founded IRIN in 1995, working in a variety of roles with the organisation intermittently since then and steering IRIN’s transition from the UN to an independent non-profit in late 2014.
“This is a truly fascinating - and under-reported - beat and IRIN is positioned to cover it like few other media outlets can,” said Director Heba Aly. “Ben has a rare mix of deep knowledge of humanitarian policy and practice; a critical, investigative eye; and the journalistic knack for finding a good story. We could not imagine anyone so perfectly suited to the role.”
This reporting will support IRIN’s mission to increase accountability and transparency in the multi-billion-dollar humanitarian aid industry in order to improve the international response to the world’s most vulnerable people.
(TOP PHOTO: IRIN and GPPi discussion on the Grand Bargain in June 2017. Credit: Sarah Noble/IRIN)
