Less than a year ago, Colum Wilson left his position at the helm of the humanitarian department in one of the world's largest donor governments.

After more than two decades with the UK government, Wilson concludes that "the world's become a colder and crueller place where realpolitik tends to trump humanitarianism".

In this second collaborative episode between Rethinking Humanitarianism and Start Network, Wilson joins hosts Tammam Aloudat and Christina Bennett to unpack how humanitarianism is being reshaped from the top down. They discuss the rise of populism and transactional humanitarian policy, the quiet "insurgency" of local responders getting on with change outside the formal system, the potentially disruptive power of middle-tier donors, alternative financing models, and new centres of humanitarian power.

Guest
Colum Wilson, former Head of the Humanitarian Department for the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO); senior humanitarian policy advisor

Key moments
[11:35] – National interest versus humanitarianism
[14:29] – "The world's become a colder and crueller place"
[17:13] – An insurgency from below
[20:24] – Interest in maintaining the status quo
[24:24] – "The moral argument isn't cutting through"
[33:36] – A battle for the heart of humanitarianism
[38:44] – "If I controlled UK humanitarian policy…"

Got a question or feedback? Email podcast@thenewhumanitarian.org or post on social media using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism.

This episode was made in collaboration with Start Network as part of a series that explores what really drives change in the humanitarian system, and what it tells us about future efforts to transform the system for the better.

*At timestamp 02:03, the date "2025" has been corrected to "2005" in the transcript after speaker corrected the date intended.