MediaHub

Media contacts

CHA’s communications team is available for all media enquiries from Monday to Friday from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm CEST/CET. You can reach us by phone +491590 681 8524 or by email:

Anne Tritschler – anne.tritschler@chaberlin.org

Arvid Radsey – arvid.radsey@chaberlin.org

Digital press kit

Please note that the digital press kit has been released in German only. English version coming soon:

Press release on World Humanitarian Day (as PDF):

Pressemeldung (16.08.2021) (only in German)

Background information on the Centre for Humanitarian Action (as PDFs):

Press photos – Please click on the pictures for higher resolution:

CHA in the media

Here you will find a selection of media interviews, commentaries and press reports.

Afghanistan: Radio interview with Ralf Südhoff
UN aid for Afghanistan will cost at least 4.5 billion euros this year – the largest humanitarian appeal the United Nations has ever made for a country. Philine Sauvageot from SWR2 talks to Ralf Südhoff about the humanitarian situation in the country.
Humanitarian AI Podcast on Humanitarian action and artificial intelligence
How can artificial intelligence be useful for humanitarian action? Ralf Südhoff speaks with Brent Philipps of the podcast series Humanitarian AI Today.
CHA in Der Tagesspiegel
Violence, poverty and no school: in the Middle East, millions of children are growing up in dire need. Does the “lost generation” still have a chance? Can more money help them? asks Christian Böhme from the Tagesspiegel. CHA Director Ralf Südhoff calls on the new German government to expand Germany’s commitment.
CHA on Radio SWR2 about 75 Years UNICEF
The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) was founded 75 years ago. In an interview with SWR2-Journal am Morgen, Ralf Südhoff spoke about Unicef’s role in a world full of crises, its important advocacy work for children’s rights and current challenges in humanitarian action.
CHA in DIE ZEIT
A very worthwhile article in DIE ZEIT in the run-up to the UN World Food System Summit on 23 September explains why hunger is on the rise again worldwide. Ralf Südhoff, Director CHA has his say, criticising that also in food aid too little thought is given to when and how humanitarian action, development policy and conflict prevention should be better interlinked.
CHA in Der Standard
Austria’s federal government strongly opposes taking in endangered Afghans, despite harsh criticism. Instead, it wants to provide aid on the ground. Kim Son Hoang from Der Standard also spoke with CHA Director Ralf Südhoff about this.
CHA AT RADIO SWR2 ON WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY
On the occasion of the World Day of Humanitarian Aid, Ralf Südhoff gave an interview in the culture magazine of radio station SWR2. In the interview with editor Martin Gramlich, the director of CHA warns against the politicization of humanitarian aid.
CHA IN THE SÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG
In the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Thomas Kirchner makes it clear that it was not the welcoming culture that brought more and more refugees to Germany in 2015, but sheer need. He also spoke with CHA director Ralf Südhoff about this.
CHA IN DEUTSCHLANDFUNK KULTUR
On 15 June 2021, German radio channel Deutschlandfunk Kultur published a radio feature in its podcast series Zeitfragen, in which the system of humanitarian aid is being critically questioned. Ralf Südhoff, director of the Centre for Humanitarian Action, is one of the experts cited in the feature.
#WORLDHUMANITARIANDAY AND 5 YEARS “WIR SCHAFFEN DAS”: INTERVIEW WITH CHA DIRECTOR RALF SÜDHOFF
CHA Director Ralf Südhoff interviewed by the Deutsche Welle, WDR 5 Morgenecho and hr-iNFO on the occasion of the World Humanitarian Day and 5 years of "Wir schaffen das".
BETTER STRATEGIES FOR GERMAN HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE – DW RADIO INTERVIEW
Ralf Südhoff was interviewed by Anke Rasper (Deutsche Welle) for a broadcast of the English radio show World in Progress. In this episode, Südhoff elaborated on the questions: Where does German humanitarian assistance stand? What could be Germany’s global role? What do German public & civil actors need to look at? How can think tank CHA contribute to these issues?
HELP WITHOUT CAUSING ANY HARM – RBB RADIO INTERVIEW
In this radio interview CHA director Ralf Südhoff reports on his personal background in the field of humanitarian action. By presenting some of the conflicts he was confronted with in his previous positions, listeners gain insights into the dilemmas of humanitarian principles. He also takes a stand on important topics such as sea rescue and arms exports and shows how the CHA can contribute to improving humanitarian action.

CHA in specialist forums

Here you will find a selection of publications in professional publications.

Basic info: Humanitarian action at the United Nations
Humanitarian action is a core task of the United Nations, anchored in Article 1 of the Charter of the United Nations. But what does humanitarian action mean for the United Nations? Sonja Hövelmann, research fellow at CHA explains it in the UN-BASIS-INFORMATION 64 of the United Nations Association of Germany [German].
INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN SYSTEM
Sonja Hövelmann's paper was published in the March 2021 issue of the journal Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte (APuZ) on the topic of "Bevölkerungsschutz" (Civil Protection).
CRITICAL ARTICLE ON GERMAN HUMANITARIAN AID
CHA Director Ralf Südhoff is quoted in an article in "welt-sichten" magazine on the flawed strategy of German humanitarian aid.
ARTICLE “THE INNOVATION OF HUMANITARIAN ACTION IN SYRIA”
The article by Martin Quack and Ralf Südhoff was published in the journal VEREINTE NATIONEN (3/19), pp. 111-116, DGVN (ed.).

Podcast

COVID-19, climate change, racism, more and more people in need – humanitarian aid is facing major challenges. In the new CHA podcast CHAtroom, practitioners from the humanitarian aid sector speak out and testify how they engage.

CHAtroom #6: Localisation
How does the localisation of humanitarian action work in practice? Don’t we perhaps even have too romantic an idea of local partners? In this sixth episode of the CHAtroom, Kayu Orellana from Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe e.V. provides answers [in German].
CHAtroom #5 - Grand Bargain 2.0
Jan Egeland, Eminent Person of the Grand Bargain was on a panel discussion about the urgent needed reform of the humanitarian system in Berlin in September. CHA-Director Ralf Südhoff asked him about his plans and ambitions to create a new GB 2.0 momentum among humanitarian organizations and at the highest political level. In this podcast episode, we have compiled his answers.
CHAtroom #4: Decolonisation
Why he has been carrying a photo of Che Guevara in his wallet since he was 15, how the decolonisation agenda can be more than just an empty promise and why every voice is a “legitimate voice” is revealed by former MSF staff member and the new Director of the Global Health Centre Tammam Aloudat in the fourth episode of our CHAtroom. The episode is available in English. Listen and share!
CHAtroom #3: Reform project humanitarian aid
In the third episode of CHAtroom, CHA Research Fellow Darina Pellowska explains what the so-called Grand Bargain and localisation of humanitarian aid are all about, what makes an organisation “local” – and what her camera has to do with it.
CHAtroom #2: What next for Syria?
In the second episode of our new podcast CHAtroom, Lena Schellhammer from the Syrian NGO Maram Foundation is our guest. Lena explains what fatal consequences counter-terrorism laws have for aid in Syria, why she focuses on a “Breaking the Silence” in her new CHA Paper and what her daily work in the Syrian border area is like.
CHAtroom – our CHA podcast is out!
The CHAtroom is online – a podcast that makes the people behind humanitarian work visible – or rather audible. In the first episode of CHAtroom, CHA Director Ralf Südhoff reveals how he came to CHA, what happened there in the last two years and what he would like to see in 2021. Prick up your ears and listen!

Newsletter

The CHA newsletter provides you with the latest news from German and international humanitarian aid every six weeks. It includes our Good News, three humanitarian hot spots, event information, reading and listening tips as well as staff changes and job vacancies. So don’t miss out – subscribe now!

The newsletters of the past 6 months will soon be available for download here (as PDF). Please note that the newsletter is in German.

Media contacts

Digital press kit

CHA in the media

Afghanistan: Radio interview with Ralf Südhoff

Humanitarian AI Podcast on Humanitarian action and artificial intelligence

CHA in Der Tagesspiegel

CHA on Radio SWR2 about 75 Years UNICEF

CHA in DIE ZEIT

CHA in Der Standard

CHA AT RADIO SWR2 ON WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY

CHA IN THE SÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG

CHA IN DEUTSCHLANDFUNK KULTUR

#WORLDHUMANITARIANDAY AND 5 YEARS “WIR SCHAFFEN DAS”: INTERVIEW WITH CHA DIRECTOR RALF SÜDHOFF

BETTER STRATEGIES FOR GERMAN HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE – DW RADIO INTERVIEW

HELP WITHOUT CAUSING ANY HARM – RBB RADIO INTERVIEW

CHA in specialist forums

Basic info: Humanitarian action at the United Nations

INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN SYSTEM

CRITICAL ARTICLE ON GERMAN HUMANITARIAN AID

ARTICLE “THE INNOVATION OF HUMANITARIAN ACTION IN SYRIA”

Podcast

CHAtroom #6: Localisation

CHAtroom #5 - Grand Bargain 2.0

CHAtroom #4: Decolonisation

CHAtroom #3: Reform project humanitarian aid

CHAtroom #2: What next for Syria?

CHAtroom – our CHA podcast is out!

Newsletter