The MSF Speaking Out podcasts are a series adapted from the original Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Speaking Out Case Studies (SOCS). Like the case studies, the podcast series examines the challenges and dilemmas surrounding speaking out. The series offers an in-depth look into these humanitarian dilemmas through the narration of extracts from MSF documents and press archives to help establish the facts. Interviews with the main MSF protagonists at the time of the events also provide insight into, and analysis of, the positions adopted, including personal reflections which offer fresh perspectives.
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MSF Speaking Out Case Studies (SOCS) is a series of case studies that openly examines and analyses the MSF’s actions and decision-making process during humanitarian emergencies that have led it to speak out or not. The SOCS project assists all MSF members, and a growing external audience in understanding how speaking out articulates with humanitarian interventions.↲
Find all 14 SOCS in English or French available for download on: https://www.msf.org/speakingout/all-case-studies
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The MSF Speaking Out podcasts are a series adapted from the original Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Speaking Out Case Studies (SOCS). Like the case studies, the podcast series examines the challenges and dilemmas surrounding speaking out. The series offers an in-depth look into these humanitarian dilemmas through the narration of extracts from MSF documents and press archives to help establish the facts. Interviews with the main MSF protagonists at the time of the events also provide insight into, and analysis of, the positions adopted, including personal reflections which offer fresh perspectives.
***
MSF Speaking Out Case Studies (SOCS) is a series of case studies that openly examines and analyses the MSF’s actions and decision-making process during humanitarian emergencies that have led it to speak out or not. The SOCS project assists all MSF members, and a growing external audience in understanding how speaking out articulates with humanitarian interventions.↲
Find all 14 SOCS in English or French available for download on: https://www.msf.org/speakingout/all-case-studies
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 3: Advocacy without access
With hostilities in Chechnya flaring up again in what the Russian Federation terms as “anti-terrorist operations”, MSF leaders decide to take advantage of the ceremony of the reception of Nobel Peace Prize to call on the international community to intervene. But MSF teams are struggling to work in a Chechnya facing all-out war and dangerous security problems. Instead, MSF starts support refugees in the neighbouring republics where they collect first-hands accounts. Inside Chechnya, operations are run through staff members from the Caucasus who are trained, supported, and managed from afar by international teams in the region. MSF is in a difficult situation that raises many questions: Should MSF be speaking out based on refugees’ testimonies if there are no operational activities with international staff permanently on the ground sin Chechnya? When dealing with a regime in denial of the realities of a war, why is it important to use the word ‘war’? Is it up to MSF to call for this qualification?
This podcast series is written, produced and mixed by Andrea Rangecroft. Interviews are recorded by Lucy Dearlove.
Editorial direction is from Nancy Barrett, Laurence Binet and Rebecca Golden Timsar.
The narrator is Nick Owen.
Extracts are read by Didi Bellos and Matthew Wade.
The voiceovers are by Lucy Dearlove and Mark Fairclough.
The music is by Lost Harmonies and Peter Sendberg.
Photo credits: © Sandra Aslaksen
A special thanks to Dr Alain Devaux.
This podcast is adapted from the case study “War Crimes and Politics of Terror in Chechnya, 1994 – 2004”. Over 9 episodes, it explores the challenges and dilemmas MSF faced during the two wars in Chechnya between 1994 and 2004. These wars raised many questions for MSF on when and how the organisation should speak out publicly about the war crimes its staff witness and the chilling effects of the politics of terror on the Chechen people.
Through MSF press releases, internal reports, speeches, and news articles of the time as well as eyewitness testimonies from MSF staff, this podcast series examines the challenges MSF faced when access to those in need was repeatedly blocked by the Russian authorities, forcing international staff to operate and train Caucasus teams at a distance. Later on, when staff members were kidnapped, MSF was confronted with a new dilemma - whether to raise a voice or lay low until their colleagues were released?
To read the full study and discover other case studies, please go to our website: msf.org/speakingout
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.