iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

So the real question is not how many trucks cross the border, but what a ceasefire actually allows people to do. Keeping people alive was never really meant to be the limit, and recovery can't keep being postponed to some future phase that depends on politics outside Gazans' control.

101

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Meanwhile, the materials needed to repair homes, restore water systems and get farms and businesses running again remain restricted.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

More aid trucks have come in. But earlier this month a war-damaged building collapsed in Gaza City, killing 21 people, children among them. Some 2,000 more buildings are at risk, and winter is approaching.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

A ceasefire is supposed to be the moment when the hard part begins: rebuilding. Nearly a year after the one announced in #Gaza in October 2025, that moment still hasn't arrived for most families.

110

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The question is how central can this diverse group become under the leadership of the next SG, and can their deeply rooted divergences be acknowledged and addressed without becoming a blocker?

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The good news is that middle powers are increasingly dissatisfied with the law of the strong, and civil society is doing its part. Their voices, economies, and geography matter in shaping the new international order.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The modern world knows well what the alternative to diplomacy and multilateralism is. Troops are on standby in all corners of the world and some are engaged in conflict. AI is showing us its benefits but also rapidly blurring the boundaries of humanity and the limits of warfare.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

As prestigious as their title will be, whoever is elected the next UNSG is not to be envied. Being equidistant from all Member States (if that’s achieved) while also having to bring them closer together on some of the toughest regional and gbl challenges is a challenge in itself.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

På tvers av 6 land og 15 språk har mer enn 1100 mennesker som lever midt i kriser fortalt hva de faktisk trenger for å bygge en bedre framtid. Rapporten Voices of Prosperity er nå tilgjengelig på engelsk. 👇 www.prosperglobal.org/voices-of-pr...

prosperglobal.org

The Voices of Prosperity Initiative

010

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Navnet Mercy Corps har tjent oss godt. Fra nå av er vi Prosper Global! www.prosperglobal.org

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Så nydelig, gratulerer med dagen!

010

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Jeg er sikker på at Saint-Exupéry ville ha satt stor pris på å ha møtt en naturlig versjon av slangen og elefanten på Godøya utenfor Ålesund. Helt seriøst, Norge, du er utrolig vakker.

000

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

This is another test for diplomacy and multilateralism, but also for the humanitarian system already under massive strain - one that must somehow maintain the capacity to think, plan, and act at a time when chaos appears to be the new order.

000

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Not withholding the fact that the flexible funding that once enabled such responsiveness precisely for moments like this is no longer available. Can we still be as agile as we need to be? Can we afford not to be?

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Yet only state leaders and parties to the conflict can create the political and security environment in which these preventable needs do not arise in the first place.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Once again, humanitarians are left to pick up the pieces of a failure that was never supposed to happen. Aid actors are accustomed to responding rapidly and with agility.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

The situation in the Middle East is both deeply concerning and, frankly, embarrassing. Embarrassing because the international community, despite decades of commitments, tools, and lessons learned, continues to fall short of preventing predictable civilian suffering.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

The benefits of multilateralism under the UN Charter (far) outweigh any perceived drawbacks. Only at UN General Assembly, regardless of size or wealth, do Member States participate as equals, and only there does their vote become the collective voice of the international community.

000

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

… with renewed faith and commitment to the treaties and conventions that advance global peace and security, protect humanity in war, and remain central to international relations.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

One answer is reform from within. A consistent demand and expectation from Member States and civil society alike. Another is a determined return to consensus-building grounded in international law…

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

The UN Security Council has, of course, had its limitations. The lack of laser-focused diplomacy and the responsible use of voting to prevent and limit the expansion and intensity of armed conflicts will continue to be felt (and remembered) by innocent civilians and aid workers on the frontlines.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 03/01/2026

Mercy Corps and other members of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) urge Israeli authorities to revoke their plan to ban many of the international NGOs operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

120

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

The challenges on the ground, particularly for communities on the frontlines of conflict, are real and necessitate our collective resolve to support people in need through sustained diplomatic effort.

000

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

I conveyed Mercy Corps’ deep appreciation for Türkiye’s important role in the international multilateral system, as well as its steadfast engagement in humanitarian diplomacy and the pursuit of solutions through dialogue and mediation.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

It was an honor to pay a courtesy visit to the Ambassador of Türkiye to Norway and Iceland, H.E. Ms. Gülin Dinç, and the Second Secretary, Mr. Mert Öz.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

A ceasefire that ends the fighting but not the hunger is, at best, unfinished business.

010

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

Member states should spend their political capital to keep the guns silent *and* keep goods moving - expanding commercial access, stabilizing prices, and relieving health facilities drowning under the weight of malnutrition.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

Ending famine means reopening commerce, restoring the flow of fresh produce, whole ingredients, and proteins, and not just the occasional trucks that create the illusion of normalcy.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

“I’ll believe in improvement when I see meat on the shelves,” a colleague in Gaza said recently. Fair point - there’s only so much a ceasefire can do. Trucks can look nice to the outer world, but they can’t replace functional markets or resurrect a gutted economy.

110

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

1 in 5 people in Gaza are at risk of starvation for reasons that are entirely man-made. Humanitarians have continuously warned that the politicisation of aid will only lead to the mass suffering of civilians. The lack of action is unconscionable.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

The aftereffects of war don’t end when the guns fall silent. Without a deliberate effort to include civilian-centered provisions in peace agreements, we risk rebuilding politics on foundations of suffering. Food for thought: www.linkedin.com/posts/samcha...

linkedin.com

Between Politics and Peace: The Humanitarian Void | Samir Chalhoub

The aftereffects of war don’t end when the guns fall silent. Trauma lingers. Infrastructure is shattered. Livelihoods disappear. Displacement becomes protracted. Without a deliberate effort to include...

000

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

Here’s something to keep in mind: Those who drafted the #GenevaConventions, and the states that ratified them, knew exactly what humans are capable of when turned against each other. This is why the rules of war must be louder than the noise of politics.

000

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

5. Humanity: Weapons or tactics that cause unnecessary suffering or superfluous injury are forbidden. Even in war, certain acts remain off-limits.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

4. Military necessity: Attacks must serve a legitimate military purpose (factoring in the other principles). Only those actions offering definite military advantage are allowed.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

3. Precaution: All feasible precautions must be taken to minimize harm to civilians and civilian objects. This includes verifying targets, selecting appropriate means and methods, and providing timely warnings when possible.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

2. Proportionality: An attack must not cause incidental civilian harm that would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated. Even lawful targets can’t be hit at any cost. .

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

1. Distinction: Parties to a conflict should always distinguish between combatants and civilians, and between military objectives and civilian objects (and there are multiple ways to do so). Only military targets can be lawfully attacked.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

PS: #IHL doesn’t eliminate war’s brutality, but establishes clear limits on the way it’s conducted - an obligation for all parties involved.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

Politics and competing narratives can shape how military actions are justified. Is there really a way around international humanitarian law? Let’s break it down by its principles. 🧵

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

Preventing further loss of life is an international responsibility. No matter how strategic, any other priority risks standing on sand, not stone. www.unicef.org/press-releas...

unicef.org

Attack in Sumy reportedly kills at least two children and injures 15

Statement attributable to Munir Mammadzade, UNICEF Representative to Ukraine

000

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

Can talks genuinely progress if the protection of civilians is treated as secondary? It's unconscionable how many lives have already been lost in Ukraine, Gaza, and elsewhere.

110

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

We continue to follow the progress on hostage releases and urge for their immediate and safe return home. Ongoing negotiations should not hinder the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in desperate need across the Gaza Strip. www.mercycorps.org/press-room/r...

mercycorps.org

Gaza Cannot Afford a Return to War: Ceasefire Must Hold, Aid Must Flow

Mercy Corps is deeply alarmed by the suspension of aid and now electricity flowing into Gaza, and

000

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

Over 600,000 people - including our staff - have returned to Gaza City in recent weeks, hoping to rebuild their lives. Instead, they now face the risk of another siege with families entirely cut off from assistance.

100

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

Yes the world is spinning fast, and then there’s this… my mother back in Lebanon sent me pictures telling how she and her friends in the village came together to clean up the roads and give back to nature. And just like that, things feel a little bit lighter, a little bit better.

000

Sami Chalhoub @samchalhoub.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

I'm interested in compiling a thread that highlights such stances, especially those that emphasise compliance with IHL. It’d be fascinating to see how these themes appear in pol. rhetoric & when they don’t, that in itself will be telling. #Ukraine, #Palestine/#oPts, #Israel, #Lebanon…

000