Episode 1 – Reforming the Humanitarian System Welcome to I Think You’re On Mute! During humanitarian emergencies, local actors often struggle to be heard. Their microphone isn’t off – they're just on mute, with the voices of international actors drowning them out. Fortunately, this is changing. The last decade has brought with it an unfortunate plethora of humanitarian emergencies, and with it, the realisation, that local actors are often best placed to lead local humanitarian responses. I Think You’re on Mute will explore how we build a better, more locally-led humanitarian sector. Throughout the series, Co-Founder and Director of the Humanitarian Advisory Group, Beth Eggleston, will share stories from the people shaping a better humanitarian future. In Episode 1, we speak to: Shirley Abraham, Vanuatu Association of NGOs, on the response to Cyclone Pam in 2015; Kate Sutton, Co-Founder of the Humanitarian Advisory Group (or HAG) on the early days of the organisation, and her background in the humanitarian sector; James Gilling, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, on Australia’s support for humanitarian sector reform; And Dr Puji Pujiono, from Indonesia’s Pujiono Centre, on localisation and humanitarian reform in Indonesia. This episode dives deep into why the humanitarian system is broken, and what is being done to fix it. This episode futures the following audio: Former President of Vanuatu Baldwin Lonsdale speaking in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sks0oEJ-9Zc Former Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon introducing the World Humanitarian Summit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07JehGOJxVM Keen to do some further reading? Non-Humanitarian Actors and Humanitarian Reform in Indonesia: https://humanitarianadvisorygroup.org/insight/undervalued-and-underutilised-non-humanitarian-actors-and-humanitarian-reform-in-indonesia/ Local Voices on Humanitarian Reform: A Briefing Series from Indonesia: https://humanitarianadvisorygroup.org/insight/local-voices-on-humanitarian-reform-a-briefing-series-from-indonesia/ Achieving a More Equitable and Impactful Humanitarian Sector Platform Paper: https://humanitarianadvisorygroup.org/insight/achieving-a-more-equitable-and-impactful-humanitarian-sector-platform-paper/ Humanitarian Horizons is a three-year research program designed and delivered by Humanitarian Advisory Group (HAG) in partnership with trusted national and regional partners and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The program aims to generate evidence through research to support more effective and ethical humanitarian action in the Asia and Pacific regions. It comprises three interlocking research streams: 1) Power, People and Local Leadership, 2) Greening the System, and 3) Real Time Analysis and Influence. A fourth stream which consists of governance, accountability, inclusion, and monitoring, evaluation and learning processes, anchors the program.