To Be Silent or Transparent? Reputational Crisis Communication in Humanitarian and Development Organisations

Lunch Seminar by

Rilian Agunos, Visiting scholar, University of Guelph

How do humanitarian and development organisations communicate when their own reputation is at risk? Drawing on my professional experience in international communications and my PhD research at UCL, this talk explores the practical and ethical challenges organisations face during reputational crises. It will consider the tension between transparency and silence, the gap between internal decision making and public expectations, and the pressure to respond quickly in digital environments. Using examples from practice and emerging research findings, I will discuss what effective crisis communication can look like in a sector where trust, accountability, safeguarding and organisational reputation are closely connected.