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Dec 2023
1h 5m

What do Humanitarian NGOs and the Privat...

Grey Dynamics
About this episode

Welcome back to the Grey Dynamics podcast! This week, we are talking to a risk management expert in the humanitarian sector. E. has previously worked in the military and private security sector in many countries and conflict zones. We'll discuss the opportunities presented during crisis, how humanitarian NGOs use intelligence and the complexity of navigating the current information space.


We spoke about:


  • 0:00 - Intro and E's background
  • 5:13 - Getting into humanitarian security
  • 7:26 - How the private sector can learn to see risk as an opportunity
  • 9:00 - Why is the private sector so conservative with risk
  • 14:23 - Is there space for the private and humanitarian sector to work closer together
  • 16:50 - Does the humanitarian sector have anything to learn from the private sector in terms of their approach to security
  • 19:17 - How organisations such as humanitarian NGOs can use intelligence to support their operations
  • 21:01 - Overcoming the stigma associated with intelligence in the humanitarian sector
  • 24:39 - How unhelpful the mystification of intelligence is
  • 28:54 - How has OSINT impacted the humanitarian sector?
  • 32:25 - How do humanitarian organisations navigate the complexity of the current information domain
  • 40:31 - What are some of the tools and techniques E uses for his work
  • 45:23 - Advice on getting into security risk management in the humanitarian sector
  • 47:31 - What keeps E up at night
  • 53:29 - The emerging weaponisation of refugees
  • 59:32 - Cultural recommendations


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