Frontline Negotiators

How can mediation efforts help build trust and protect communities in conflict situations? In today’s episode, we explore how mediation approaches can support protection efforts in humanitarian settings. Our guest, Jérôme Grimaud, highlights the importance of listening to communities’ perceptions and adapting to their own definition of protection for a more effective humanitarian response. This is part of the third season of "Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field". It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. More information at frontline-negotations.org

Towards the end of 2024, we traveled to Panama to discuss with Andrehina Díaz about the complexities of negotiating in the context of migration flows through the Darien jungle.   Andrehina shared her experience working with authorities, indigenous communities and migrants, facing multiple humanitarian challenges from building trust to implementing programs in an environment of increasingly pressing needs. A conversation that reveals how empathy, adaptability and cultural respect are essential in humanitarian negotiation.    A finales de 2024, viajamos a Panamá para conversar con Andrehina Díaz sobre lo complejo que es negociar en el marco de los flujos migratorios que atraviesan la región del Darién.   Andrehina compartió su experiencia trabajando con autoridades, comunidades indígenas y migrantes, enfrentando múltiples retos humanitarios, desde la creación de confianza hasta la implementación de programas en un entorno de necesidades cada vez más acuciantes. Una conversación que revela cómo la empatía, la adaptabilidad y el respeto cultural son esenciales en la negociación humanitaria. This is part of the third season of "Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field". It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. More information at frontline-negotations.org  

Local and national humanitarian staff play an essential role in negotiation processes because of their critical insights into the context and the key connections with their communities. However, especially when working for smaller organisations, they often face barriers in accessing inclusive professional development opportunities. In this episode, our guest Arquímides Farías – a Venezuelan working in his own country - explores how humanitarians can leverage their expertise to support local colleagues in developing their humanitarian negotiation skills. This is part of the third season of "Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field". It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. More information at frontline-negotations.org  

Lorsque Mariama Sawadogo, humanitaire burkinabée et formatrice avec le CCHN, a constaté que très peu de femmes africaines participaient aux ateliers de négociation, elle a voulu en comprendre les raisons et y remédier. C’est ainsi que son atelier, conçu pour les professionnelles francophones en Afrique, a reçu un nombre record de 350 candidatures pour 50 places en seulement deux semaines. Dans cet épisode, elle aborde les obstacles qui empêchent les femmes professionnelles d'assumer des rôles de leadership dans la négociation humanitaire et les nombreux atouts inestimables qu'elles apportent au processus.   When Mariama Sawadogo, a humanitarian from Burkina Faso and workshop facilitator with the CCHN, observed that very few African women were taking part in negotiation trainings, she took it upon herself to find the reasons behind it and come up with a solution. Her workshop, particularly aimed at French-speaking female professionals in Africa, received a record 350 applications for 50 spots in just two weeks. In this episode, she reflects on the obstacles that prevent women professionals from taking on leadership roles in humanitarian negotiation, and the many invaluable assets they bring to the process.   This is part of the third season of "Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field". It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. More information at frontline-negotations.org

How is the world of digital technology impacting today’s conflict settings, and how can we leverage tech innovations for the sake of the communities we’re aiming to support?  In this episode we’re going to explore the emerging field called "Techplomacy" together with Philippe Stoll, who is the Senior Techplomacy Delegate at the International Committee of the Red Cross.  Philippe shares insights on the intersection between technology and humanitarian action, and tackles the challenges in negotiating with Big Tech companies to better protect and assist populations in conflict zones.   This is part of the third season of "Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field". It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. More information at frontline-negotations.org  

Please note that this episode was recorded in Spanish. Negociar con comunidades indígenas presenta desafíos únicos, desde barreras lingüísticas y culturales hasta la comprensión de sus sistemas organizativos y cómo conciben sus necesidades. En este episodio, exploramos cómo Jhon Dalton Jesus, un humanitario experimentado, ha enfrentado estos retos en América Latina, utilizando estrategias que fomentan la confianza y el entendimiento. Descubriremos sus métodos para entablar un diálogo respetuoso y eficaz, y cómo su enfoque ha facilitado el acceso y la colaboración en contextos complejos y de difícil acceso.   Negotiating with indigenous communities implies particular challenges, from language and cultural barriers to understanding their societal system and how the community conceives their own needs.   In this episode we will discover how Jhon Dalton Jesus, a seasoned humanitarian, strategically addresses these challenges by building trust and understanding with remote indigenous communities in Latin America. We will explore his methods for engaging in respectful and effective dialogue, and how his approach has facilitated access and collaboration in complex and difficult-to-reach contexts. This is part of the third season of "Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field". It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. More information at frontline-negotations.org

Humanitarian professionals often find themselves in dangerous, high-stakes or pressure-intense negotiations. When this happens, they need to understand the impact that pressure has on the human brain and keep it at bay.  In this episode, we talked with Dr Elena Qleibo Kogan about the effective strategies she has developed throughout her career - not just to manage her own pressure but also to care for her team’s mental health. This is part of the third season of "Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field". It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. More information at frontline-negotations.org    

PLEASE NOTE: This episode's interview is in French. Search and Rescue operations at sea constitute a relatively new field in the humanitarian sector. Humanitarian negotiations in this domain tend to suffer from a limited ‘room for manoeuvre’ due to the maritime environment in which they take place, the actors involved, and the legal impediment increasingly posed by national authorities. Teams need to prepare strategically to reduce risks for their operations while complying with international and maritime law.  This week we discuss with Carla Melki, an experienced humanitarian who shared about the many challenges of providing life-saving assistance at sea. This is part of the third season of "Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field". It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. More information at frontline-negotations.org     La recherche et le sauvetage en mer constituent un créneau relativement nouveau dans le secteur humanitaire. Les négociations dans ce domaine sont particulières en raison de l'environnement dans lequel elles se déroulent, des acteurs impliqués, et des obstacles juridiques de plus en plus souvent posés par les autorités nationales. La capacité à préparer stratégiquement les équipes devient alors un facteur clé pour réduire les risques et maximiser la sécurité, tout en respectant les conventions internationales et le droit maritime.  Nous en discutons avec Carla Melki, une humanitaire expérimentée à la fois sur terre et en mer, qui nous parle des défis liés à ce domaine.      

What is humanitarian diplomacy and how is it different from humanitarian negotiation? Are they complementary strategies or rather overlapping tools?  In today’s episode we’ll try to answer these questions with the help of Juliet Kenechi Unubi, a humanitarian negotiator and diplomat who has spent over a decade navigating the complexities of influencing her interlocutors. Juliet will help us explore the critical intersection between the two domains and discuss how she manages to transform challenging conversations into successful outcomes.   This is part of the third season of "Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field". It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. More information at frontline-negotations.org    

A successful negotiation relies on strategy just as much as on the way you interact with others. “Soft” skills like emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and active listening can be powerful tools to connect with the counterpart and create a relationship of trust.  In this episode we hear from Carol Torres Tovar about how she navigated complex negotiations by leveraging her body language, identity traits and communication skills. This is part of the second season of Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field. It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation.    frontline-negotations.org