Countering the weaponisation of humanitarian aid & restoring the humanitarian space in Palestine. Perspectives from the Australian humanitarian sector

This discussion is a part of the Shadow Syllabus, Emergency! Humanitarian Aid Under the Spotlight. See more after speaker bios

The Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories was presented to the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly on 18 November 2024. The key findings show a critical undermining of international humanitarian laws and assistance. This includes the government of Israel intentionally inflicting collective punishment by causing death, starvation and serious injury. This is conducted by blocking humanitarian aid, targeting and killing civilians and aid workers. It is using starvation as a method of war. By early 2024, the equivalent of two nuclear bombs had been dropped on Gaza, destroying infrastructure including hospitals, homes, water, energy, sanitation, and agricultural food systems. Combined with toxic pollution and ecological destruction, the findings show that the “consequence will have lasting health impacts” owing to the “lethal mix of crises that will inflict severe harm on generations to come.”

In this seminar, speakers from the diverse Australian humanitarian and development sector will reflect on what Australia and the Australian public can do to restore humanitarian space in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Humanitarian aid is the ‘provision of basic life-saving food, water and sanitation, shelter and health services to those within or in the aftermath of conflict or other crisis, such as natural disaster’*. While ‘humanitarianism’ has historically existed in varied forms in all societies, the present international humanitarian system that enables the provisioning of aid emerged in the aftermath of the Holocaust and World War II. Although the system is critiqued as in need of reform for various reasons, it enables a space for state signatories to uphold their obligations under the Geneva Convention and international humanitarian law, which in turn give rise to the (at times contested) principles underpinning humanitarian aid provision: humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. Beyond state signatories, diverse actors including those from Australia’s vibrant and diverse humanitarian aid sector, must work within the parameters of these laws and conventions. Yet, as stated in Australia’s newly released Humanitarian Aid policy, ‘​​​​Respect for international humanitarian law is severely undermined, with consequences for current and future conflicts.

Speakers:

Beth Eggleston - Co-Founder & Director, Humanitarian Advisory Group

Beth has braved the acronym filled world of large international NGOs, small local NGOs and the United Nations. Beth co-founded Humanitarian Advisory Group in 2012 and she now revels in the dynamic energy of a nimble team. Beth has extensive experience working in the humanitarian civil-military coordination space in Afghanistan and Liberia. Beth was a Fulbright Scholar in 2019 allowing her to spend three months at the US Naval War College with the Humanitarian Response Program team. Beth is the host of HAG’s podcast ‘I Think You’re on Mute’ which elevates voices from the Indo-Pacific on humanitarian issues. She specialises in Civil-Military Relations, Humanitarian Reform, Humanitarian Coordination and Advocacy

Dr Bushra Othman - Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, and the Palestinian Australian and New Zealand Medical Association (PANZA)

Dr Bushra Othman is a General Surgeon with a subspeciality interest in colorectal surgery. She is passionate about medical education and is involved in teaching medical students via Monash University, as well as surgical trainees via the RACS Skills courses and Fellowship preparation course. She has a strong interest in Global Health, and has been involved in teaching south pacific junior surgical doctors in Fiji as well as online. She volunteered with the Palestinian Australian New Zealand Medical Association (PANZMA) and spent 3 weeks on a medical mission in Al Aqsa Hospital in Gaza in June/July 2024. Since returning, she has dedicated her time and effort into advocacy for the human rights and dignity of the Palestinian people.

Richard Simpson -  Course Coordinator & Associate TrainerRedR, Independent Consultant.

Richard has worked in the humanitarian sector for over 20 years and is currently working independently. During his time working with Oxfam Richard has worked throughout Africa and the Middle East focusing much of his work on Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and also in the Horn of Africa response in 2012. He was Oxfam Australia’s response coordinator for the Nepal Earthquake and Country Director in Sri Lanka. Since leaving Oxfam Richard has been working with RedR as course coordinator and trainer and has undertaken consultancies, leading on humanitarian evaluations, and strategic planning. He has recently returned from Palestine where he was the INGO Coordination body - AIDA. He also set up the CARE office and country representative in Ukraine in 2022. Previous to his work at Oxfam, Richard was a regional coordinator for the Afghanistan Elections and was Chief of Operations for the Iraqi elections in Iran and Australia. He has also worked with the United Nations and Medicos Do Mundo, and lectured in Latin American History at Melbourne University.

Priya Dhanani - PhD Candidate, ARC Centre of Excellence for The Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEVAW), Australia

Priya Dhanani (she/her) is a queer feminist and social justice activist affiliated with CEVAW at Monash University in Melbourne. Her research focuses on feminist movements in Fiji on building and sustaining power and resources to shift gender norms, catalyse policies and programs, and promote healthy masculinity to prevent violence against women and girls and LGBTQIA+ persons. Prior to joining Monash, Priya was the Assistant Director at The Asia Foundation overseeing the portfolio to prevent gender-based violence (GBV). She has worked in East and West Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands to advance the women, peace, and security agenda, address GBV in conflict, and integrate trauma-informed and survivor-centred approaches. Priya started her career at a grassroots organisation called FAIR Girls as a case manager providing direct services to survivors of human trafficking, where she became the Director of Prevention Education. Further, she served as the Board President for the Asian / Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project and the Diversity and Communications Chair for the Coalition of Feminists for Social Change. In 2023, Priya received the National Security & Foreign Policy LGBTQIA+ Out award, which recognizes members of the LGBTQIA+ community working in development and security.

Facilitator: 

Dr Samanthi J. Gunawardana, Monash University

Samanthi J. Gunawardana is a Senior Lecturer in Gender and Development in the School of Social Science in the Faculty of Arts. From 2013-2022, Samanthi was the Course Director for the Master of International Development Practice which embeds learning on humanitarian principles into coursework. She was a Steering Committee member of the Monash Gender, Peace and Security Centre (2016-2023) and is on the Steering Committee of the Monash Global Peace and Security Centre. 

About Emergency! Humanitarian Aid Under the Spotlight Shadow Syllabus

As wars and conflict escalate and climate change intensifies, the world faces complex, overlapping crises that demand urgent and just responses. In 2024, the funding gap for global humanitarian aid continues to deepen, even as military expenditures surge. The title Emergency! reflects the immediate funding crisis, the escalating need for effective humanitarian action, and the centrality of emergency conditions in so many lives around the world today. This seminar series also calls attention to the urgent need for solutions that reflect Australia’s commitments to international humanitarian law and can keep pace with the scale of humanitarian disasters – both engineered and natural. It will centre lived experience, and bring together  academics, professionals, and policymakers to discuss the most urgent questions: Is today's humanitarian system fit for purpose? Is Australia’s new humanitarian policy enough to address global needs? What is the impact on aid workers?

This seminar is a part of a Shadow Syllabus of the Liberatory Practices Collective.  A shadow syllabus is an informal or supplementary guide to a formal program. This shadow syllabus, consisting of a series of online webinars, is open to all and offers an informal learning environment for considered reflection.  

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