Highlights - June to September 2018
What’s new at IRIN
IRIN launches localisation initiative
IRIN is enhancing our coverage of indigenous and locally driven responses to humanitarian emergencies and disasters, an effort made possible with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Find out more here.
IRIN News hires veteran New York Times editor
As part of IRIN’s focus on producing quality journalism with impact, Josephine Schmidt was named new executive editor. She brings more than 17 years of international newsroom, op-ed and editorial development experience at The New York Times and has lived and worked in Asia, Europe and North America.
IRIN Director chairs discussions on development, democracy and refugees
IRIN director Heba Aly moderated the World Economic Forum’s Sustainable Development Impact Summit session ‘Overcoming Fragility and Violence as an SDG Stumbling Block.’ Watch it here. She also chaired another panel at the Summit, How to Save Democracy.’
During the same week of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, Heba Aly moderated a panel on the launch of the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative at #BetterLivesNow organized by RefugePoint and, the Women's Refugee Commission with support from the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative. (For more on the other humanitarian events at this year’s UNGA, see our insider’s guide.)
IRIN in the news
Human Rights Watch cited several reports from IRIN’s coverage on the Rohingya crisis in their report, “ ‘Bangladesh is not my country’: The Plight of Rohingya Refugees from Myanmar”.
IRIN contributor Emmanuel Freudenthal was interviewed on TV5 Monde and RFI English about his reporting on human rights violations in Cameroon.
In a survey from IRIN and University of East Anglia, one of the key findings was that mainstream media coverage of humanitarian crises falls short.
Awards and recognition
IRIN correspondent Jaime Alekos won a Migration Media Award, First prize in English-language video for 'Welcome to refugee purgatory on the Hungary border'.
IRIN senior editor Ben Parker was named one of ‘20 Humanitarians You Should Follow on Twitter’ by the Humanitarian News Research Network.
Top stories
IRIN Middle East editor Annie Slemrod’s Special Report, ‘Searching for Othman,’ looked at the situation of Iraqis today through the lens of one orphaned boy’s fate.
As part of IRIN’s special ‘Destination Europe’ series, correspondent Eric Reidy contributed reports on deportation and desperation.
Meanwhile, we published an in-depth series on stories that explore locally-driven humanitarian action on the front lines of the world’s crises.
With the start of this year’s hurricane season, we compiled lessons from 2017’s Hurricane Maria.
Tom Westcott continued her coverage of EU migration policies from Libya as part of IRIN’s special series ‘Destination Europe.’
We put together a guide to understanding Idlib’s rebel factions in Syria.
Phillip Kleinfeld reported on the fast-emerging conflict in Central Mali, where extremist groups foster unrest in rival communities.
We published a special report on ongoing violence in DRC’s Kasai region.
IRIN contributor Samuel Oakford discovered that the Trump administration is putting new limits on foreign aid funded through the UN through USAID.
We published Part 3 of Philip Kleinfeld’s series on the UN peacekeeping operation in CAR, with a focus on allegations of sexual abuse against peacekeepers.
In this Reporter’s View video feature, Philip Kleinfeld discussed the urgency of covering the Central African Republic.
Emmanuel Freudenthal examined the separatist conflict brewing in Cameroon.
In this photo feature, we took a closer look at the situation in Afghanistan through ‘A day in the life of a Kabul emergency room’.