The Challenges of Our Time: Robert Cohen on the Rethinking Development Podcast

Rain Barrel’s Director Robert David Cohen speaks to the Re-thinking Development Podcast about working as a poet and journalist, serving as speech writer for Jim Grant, the power of language, communication for development, the negotiations that took place behind the ratification of the Convention of the Rights of the Child, participatory processes, unintentional harm, the existential challenge that is climate change, multilateralism, unjust economic and political models, shifts in social systems, the COVID-19 pandemic and more.

"I am optimistic of the good in most people, and we are social animals — evolution shaped us to cooperate in order to survive, and I believe we will find ways to save the planet. Mother Nature will help us in that because of the great resilience she has, that nature has. But we’ve got to act decisively, and it’s gonna require absolute shifts in social systems, economics and the structures and dynamics of international cooperation. — Robert David Cohen

The Rethinking Development Podcast, created by Rain Barrel associate Safa Shahkhalili, is dedicated to speaking with international development and humanitarian aid practitioners and leaders about ethics, challenges, lived experiences and personal reflections on systemic issues in the industry and globally. The second season has recently launched and can be listened on your preferred podcast platforms. 

“As a Rain Barrel associate it was my pleasure to recently interview co-founder and director, Robert David Cohen, for the first episode of the second season.

In the first season, I similarly had the privilege of interviewing RBC associate Paula Claycomb who spoke to us about about the importance of dialogue and participation of effected populations in communication for development, the need for long term campaigns, working in the context of genocide and the evolution of humanitarian thinking, mine risk education, simultaneously being an activist and a staff member, increasing resources for communication, and the importance of learning from past mistakes, amongst other topics.” — Safa Shahkhalili

You can find the podcast episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and others.