Launching soon: Counter Crisis Series 2
Author: Center for Disaster Protection
The second series of our podcast, Counter Crisis, is set to launch next week. Hosted by Jeevan Vasagar, Climate Editor at Tortoise Media, in this season we hear from frontline government and humanitarian leaders and delve into the vital role of pre-arranged financing to build resilience in a world where the costs of crises are increasing and aid is reducing.
Following a successful first season, Counter Crisis is back for a second three-part series. New episodes will be available to stream each week, with Episode 1 launching on Tuesday 15th April 2025.
In a world of intensifying disasters, climate change and aid cuts, only 2% of international crisis financing is arranged in advance, and even less for poorer nations. In this series, we uncover how arranging financing before disaster strikes can save money – and lives. Each episode features two expert guest speakers and a new country perspective, offering listeners insights from the Horn of Africa to the islands of the Pacific.
Episode 1 – If we know it’s coming, why do we wait?
In the opening episode, Nena Stoiljkovic, Undersecretary General for Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Abdihakim Ainte, Director of Climate and Food Security for the Government of Somalia discuss the challenges and opportunities for pre-arranged financing in areas where floods, droughts and conflict have eroded coping capacities.
Episode 2 – Breaking the cycle of response and recovery
In this episode, Kathy Baughman McLeod, CEO of Climate Resilience for All and Daniel Lund, Special Advisor on Climate Change to the Fijian government share their firsthand perspectives from working on disaster finance solutions for vulnerable populations. Taking the example of Cyclone Winston, which devasted Fiji in 2016, and the fact that many vulnerable island nations still face fragmented disaster response systems, Jeevan asks the guests why the status quo is so hard to change.
Episode 3 – A brighter future for global disaster response?
We close the series with a conversation between with Elizabeth Riley, Executive Director of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and Colin Bruce, Special Envoy for Humanitarian and Development Affairs at the International Committee of the Red Cross. Drawing on the response to Hurricane Beryl, they explore lessons from Caribbean nations’ approach to disaster planning. They address the shifting international landscape, highlighting both the cost-effectiveness of pre-arranged financing and the need to increase it tenfold by 2040.
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Can’t wait a week? Why not catch up on Series 1 while you wait. It’s available to stream now wherever you get your podcasts.
Counter Crisis is produced by Tortoise Media.