Angelus Novus Paul Klee’s Angelus Novus, created in 1920, is a small artwork with a very life. The image, now in the collection of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, became widely known mostly because of the German philosopher Walter Benjamin, who bought it in 1921 and later interpreted it as the “angel of history.” The angel in the image appears startled, fragile, and suspended. Its eyes are wide open, its wings are wide raised, and its body seems caught between movement and st

Authors: Owen Gow, Bushra Afreen, Lenio Myrivili, Mihir R. Bhatt and Khayal Trivedi On the 19th formation day of the National Disaster Management Authority in India, HOISA presented its fourth panel discussion on observing heatwaves differently within South Asia. In continuation with previous panels that looked at the challenges concerning adaptation, mitigation and future of heatwaves, this edition focussed on the planning for extreme heats, and what lessons and recommendati

Contributions from: Aparna Tandon, Isber Sabrine, Paola Jani, Mihir R. Bhatt and Khayal Trivedi What place does cultural heritage protection have within the humanitarian efforts while planning for aid and relief? How must we protect the invaluable world heritage during times of crisis? And how do we manage the risk, and provide first-aid to cultural heritage during emergencies? Conflicts, disasters and climate change stand as major threats to human civilisation, its systems

Contributions from: Susanne Jaspars, Marga Fekadu Angerasa, Behaylu Giram The Sudanese conflict has plunged the region into another cycle of instability and crisis. It therefore becomes critical to look at the situation from a regional perspective to analyse and prepare for how this could affect a much larger population in the region, and what lessons South Asia can learn from it. In one of the webinar sessions in 2023, HOISA discussed the challenges for the humanitarian net

Contributions from: Prabodh Chakrabarti, Pradnya Paithankar, Achyut Luitel, Barkat Ullah Maruf, Mihir R. Bhatt and Khayal Trivedi South Asia is one of the most diverse and densely populated regions in the world with one fourth of the world’s population in merely one fifteenth of the geographical area. Having witnessed some of the worst humanitarian crises - from famines to wars, migration, child mortality, poverty, hunger, and disasters such as floods, earthquakes etc, it has

Authors: Alistair Hobday, Moira Reddick, Vineet Kumar, Anup Karanth, Mihir Bhatt and Khayal Trivedi Marking the commemoration of the devastating Odisha Cyclone of 1999, HOISA conducted a panel discussion that invited presentations on marine heat waves and their impact on cyclones, the integration of science into decision-making and early-warning systems, changes in disaster risk reduction and response, and the importance of regional exchange of best practices and gender-sensi

Authors: Dr. M.V. Ramana Murthy, Flora Bawi Nei Mawi, Sourav Kumar Biswas and Khayal Trivedi According to a 2020 report by the UN, more than 7000 extreme events have been identified since 2000 resulting in a sharp increase in floods and droughts globally. With the accelerating climate change, warmer weather, and frequent marine heatwaves, our coasts are particularly at a greater risk of facing frequent flooding, soil erosion, and loss of agriculture and natural defense system

Authors: Dr Ajit Tyagi, Dr. Niladri Gupta, Akash Goenka, Mihir Bhatt Heatwaves are turning out to be a major hazard for taking sound, sustained, and substantial adaptation and mitigation measures in South Asia. This is odd, because most science-driven and related observations lead to upcoming catastrophic loss and damage to human life, ecosystems, and economic sectors in South Asia. HOISA’s second panel (Click here) brought together key experts from the region to collectively