The Bellwether is back with another episode! The fourth episode features Dirk Druet, a researcher, policy adviser and former official in international peace and security at the United Nations. He is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations of the International Peace Institute and an Affiliate Researcher at McGill University’s Centre for International Peace and Security Studies. This year, he taught a complexity seminar the Max Bell School of Public Policy called "Trade-Offs in International Policy"
Joined by Dirk are MPP students Michael Kynaston and Chloe Aboud. In this episode, they discuss the resilience of international aid organizations, specifically, the multifaceted challenges that UNRWA faced following funding withdrawals by donor nations in January 2024. It explores the complexities of maintaining aid in conflict zones like Gaza and the trade-offs faced by UN leadership in upholding core organizational principles.
If you want to learn more about this topic, Arwa Emhemed and co-host Chloe Aboud wrote about UNRWA's funding cuts in the Bell newsletter. You can read their op-ed here.
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