“It's what we call a new world disorder: 60 wars, 120 million people - refugees and displaced, 300 million people hungry, plus another 45 million according to the World Food Program as a result of the constrictions in the Strait of Hormuz. That's a disordered world. And people can inveigh against international institutions as much as they like, but the problem we're facing is not that there's too strong an international system - it's too weak.”
Caitríona Perry speaks to David Miliband, President of the International Rescue Committee.
Miliband, who was previously British Foreign Secretary, first took up the post in 2013, overseeing the New York-headquartered organisation whose humanitarian relief operations are active in over 40 war-affected countries.
As the world navigates multiple conflicts across the Middle East and Africa, in places such as Sudan, Lebanon and Gaza, humanitarian crises continue to grow.
They are further compounded by cuts to international aid, the breakdown of the rules-based order, plus trade and shipping difficulties due to the conflict in Iran.
This means aid organisations like the IRC are increasingly having to adapt how they respond.
The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with the World Health Organisation’s Hanan Balkhy; former US Ambassador to the UN, Samanthan Power; and humanitarian chef José Andrés. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.
Presenter: Caitríona Perry
Producers: Ben Cooper and Chloe Ross
Editor: Damon Rose
Get in touch with us on email [email protected] and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.
(Image: David Miliband. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)
