Episode #18 - Randolph Kent

Randolph Kent started his humanitarian career as the Chief of Emergency Prevention and Preparedness in Ethiopia in the late 1980s. He led the UN’s humanitarian response in Rwanda during the genocide in 1994. He also held multiple UN leadership positions, including in Kosovo, Somalia and Sudan. In this episode, Randolph Kent takes us back to early 1990s and UN’s humanitarian response in Rwanda following the genocide as his role as the Humanitarian Coordinator there. Kent also debates the blurred lines between humanitarianism and military operations and coordination between the two, through his experience in Kosovo and the post-cold war era. Disclaimer: The opinions and memories expressed in the “I Was There” podcast series are those of each individual speaker and do not imply the expression of any opinion or responsibility on the part of UN OCHA.