After 10 years of conflict in Syria, thousands of people are missing, hundreds of thousands are dead, and millions of people are displaced. The past 12 months has seen millions more Syrians pushed into deeper hunger and poverty.

For young people especially, this has been a decade of savage loss, marked by missed milestones, stolen futures, immense economic hardship and a profound psychological toll.

In this episode, Intercross brings you part one of a special two-part series, hearing directly from those affected by a decade of brutal and unrelenting conflict, and about the efforts made by the ICRC and our partners over the past decade.

We are introduced to two young Syrians living in Aleppo, Mouna Shawakh and Rami Asfar, who we met when the ICRC surveyed thousands of young Syrians earlier this year, to ask how their lives changed trajectories. What are their most pressing needs? And, crucially, what are their hopes for a more normal future?

Long after returning home to the US, a staggering number of veterans suffer from untreated depression, PTSD, trauma and other mental health conditions, which in some cases, run deep. A connection is unclear, but some of these veterans also become incarcerated and must learn to cope with these issues behind bars. The American Red Cross is seeking to help them through a resiliency program that sends trained facilitators into prisons to provide mental health support to incarcerated veterans. For this episode, we'll learn how the American Red Cross supports some of the 180,000 incarcerated military veterans in the US today, building new skills for life in — and outside — of prison.

World leaders have converged on the Scottish city of Glasgow for COP26—the United Nations climate change conference. The stakes could not be higher. Sea levels are rising. Heatwaves, droughts, floods, and wildfires are more frequent, more intense, and threatening the survival of humanity. In a brand-new episode of Intercross, we hear from our communications colleague in London, Sam Smith, who's been closely following this story for the past year, writing about the very real human impacts of climate change in a conflict zone. He starts in Somalia with ICRC's Abdikarim Abdullahi. Three decades of conflict have weakened the country's institutions and left some 2.9 million people internally displaced. Somalia is ranked as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change when it comes to its ability to improve resilience. The recurrent nature of climatic shocks, such as droughts and floods, and the instability created by conflict, meaning herders and pastoralists—several of which share their stories—have little chance to recover and build resilience. Sam then turns to Mali. Since 2012, armed conflict has profoundly disrupted the lives of Malians, spreading from the north to central regions, causing death, displacement and economic failure. At the same time, Mali is becoming hotter and drier, while the Sahara Desert, which already makes up two thirds of the country, is expanding. He speaks with Dr. Catherine-Lune Grayson, ICRC's Policy Advisor and author of the recent report, When Rain turns to Dust, to learn why the countries affected by conflict are among those deemed to be the most vulnerable to climate change. They discuss what exactly about insecurity that undermines states ability to help their communities adapt to climate and the main commitments ICRC is hoping to come out of COP26.

World leaders have converged on the Scottish city of Glasgow for COP26—the United Nations climate change conference.

The stakes could not be higher.

Sea levels are rising. Heatwaves, droughts, floods, and wildfires are more frequent, more intense, and threatening the survival of humanity.

In a brand-new episode of Intercross, we hear from our communications colleague in London, Sam Smith, who’s been closely following this story for the past year, writing about the very real human impacts of climate change in a conflict zone.

He starts in Somalia with ICRC’s Abdikarim Abdullahi. Three decades of conflict have weakened the country’s institutions and left some 2.9 million people internally displaced. Somalia is ranked as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change when it comes to its ability to improve resilience. The recurrent nature of climatic shocks, such as droughts and floods, and the instability created by conflict, meaning herders and pastoralists—several of which share their stories—have little chance to recover and build resilience.

Sam then turns to Mali. Since 2012, armed conflict has profoundly disrupted the lives of Malians, spreading from the north to central regions, causing death, displacement and economic failure. At the same time, Mali is becoming hotter and drier, while the Sahara Desert, which already makes up two thirds of the country, is expanding. He speaks with Dr. Catherine-Lune Grayson, ICRC’s Policy Advisor and author of the recent report, When Rain turns to Dust, to learn why the countries affected by conflict are among those deemed to be the most vulnerable to climate change. They discuss what exactly about insecurity that undermines states ability to help their communities adapt to climate and the main commitments ICRC is hoping to come out of COP26.

Digital technologies – both their presence and absence during crises – are impacting humanitarian action and civilians' lives. They are also impacting the means and method of warfare - leading to a "digitalization of armed conflicts". In this podcast, Intercross host Elizabeth Rushing speaks with Saman Rejali, ICRC Law and Policy Advisor based in Geneva, and Yannick Heiniger, Deputy CEO of swissnex San Francisco, on their views about digital technologies and humanitarianism, exiting the echo-chambers of both the public and private sector to exchange views on using "tech for good", balancing risks and opportunities brought forth by digitalization, the relevance of international humanitarian law in the digital age, and establishing bonds of trust – with affected people and across sectors - amidst the COVID-19 pandemic through digital diplomacy and more.

Digital technologies – both their presence and absence during crises – are impacting humanitarian action and civilians’ lives. They are also impacting the means and method of warfare - leading to a “digitalization of armed conflicts”.

In this podcast, Intercross host Elizabeth Rushing speaks with Saman Rejali, ICRC Law and Policy Advisor based in Geneva, and Yannick Heiniger, Deputy CEO of swissnex San Francisco, on their views about digital technologies and humanitarianism, exiting the echo-chambers of both the public and private sector to exchange views on using “tech for good”, balancing risks and opportunities brought forth by digitalization, the relevance of international humanitarian law in the digital age, and establishing bonds of trust – with affected people and across sectors - amidst the COVID-19 pandemic through digital diplomacy and more.

The average time that the ICRC has been present in its ten largest operations is 42 years. With these seemingly endless wars come layers of humanitarian consequences, including the cumulative effects of hostilities on infrastructure and healthcare systems, prolonged displacement, increased barriers to accessing essential services, and interruptions to education. The duration of humanitarian operations in protracted conflict settings has caused organizations like the ICRC to re-think their way of working. In light of the humanitarian imperative to respond to the needs of people affected, the International Review of the Red Cross recently dedicated an edition to protracted conflict. In this podcast, Intercross host Elizabeth Rushing speaks with ICRC's Policy Advisor Filipa Schmitz Guinote and ICRC's Special Envoy on Humanitarian and Development Affairs Colin Bruce about the stress points and blind spots of the so-called 'humanitarian-development divide' in protracted conflict settings.

The average time that the ICRC has been present in its ten largest operations is 42 years. With these seemingly endless wars come layers of humanitarian consequences, including the cumulative effects of hostilities on infrastructure and healthcare systems, prolonged displacement, increased barriers to accessing essential services, and interruptions to education. The duration of humanitarian operations in protracted conflict settings has caused organizations like the ICRC to re-think their way of working.

In light of the humanitarian imperative to respond to the needs of people affected, the International Review of the Red Cross recently dedicated an edition to protracted conflict. In this podcast, Intercross host Elizabeth Rushing speaks with ICRC’s Policy Advisor Filipa Schmitz Guinote and ICRC’s Special Envoy on Humanitarian and Development Affairs Colin Bruce about the stress points and blind spots of the so-called ‘humanitarian-development divide’ in protracted conflict settings.

Contemporary crises and armed conflicts are increasingly complex, with humanitarian needs made even more acute by the protracted and urban nature of conflicts, the challenges of influencing the behavior of warring parties, and the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. With 20,000 staff present in 104 countries, the ICRC is mandated by the international community, through the Geneva Conventions and its Additional Protocols, to assist and protect people affected by armed conflict and violence, including through the promotion of respect for humanitarian law. In this special edition of the podcast, two ICRC Directors – Helen Durham, Director of International Law and Policy, and Dominik Stillhart, Director of Operations – discuss today's operational and legal challenges and how to overcome them to reach the people affected.

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned nearly every aspect of society on its head. Law enforcement agencies and services play a crucial role in their countries and communities supporting national authorities in various ways, including to control the disease alongside their normal daily duties of serving and protecting their communities. In this podcast, Intercross host Elizabeth Rushing speaks with Calum McDonald, ICRC's Regional Delegate for Relations with Police and Security Forces, and Maciej Polkowski, Head of the Health Care in Danger initiative at the ICRC, to unpack and examine the challenges of policing during a pandemic, the legal framework and tools that could help police officers navigate the humanitarian consequences, and the lessons learnt from other contexts such as the Ebola epidemic