Conference: Humanitarian Action at a Crossroads

KUNO and Clingendael join forces to combine strategic thinking and facilitation with practical humanitarian field experience and will organise a full-day working conference for CEOs of humanitarian organisations and senior humanitarian professionals to explore potential ways forward to diverse fundamental humanitarian challenges. 

The context of humanitarianism is changing fundamentally, both globally as well as at a national level. Humanitarian actors face increasing challenges in their capacity to respond to needs, which are enforced by climate change and protracted crises, and fragmentation of human-made conflicts. At the same time, available support falls short of the current and possible exponential needs in the future, thereby creating an urgent need to reflect and rethink the approach of contemporary humanitarian action.

Re-defining the scope of the humanitarian endeavour and what falls outside its scope is essential. Operating in political minefields and preventing aid from becoming instrumentalised demands a careful and collective strategy. However, in the face of current crises, the pressing question to raise is how humanitarian actors can be more effective in influencing those responsible for violations of humanitarian norms. This is all compounded by new challenges in safety for aid workers and their access to reach people in need. Moreover, navigating new power relations within the sector and cooperating with relatively new actors presents both opportunities and challenges. Thinking through new strategies and setting new priorities is imperative to adapt to these evolving circumstances.

Opening (plenary): setting the scene with Keynote Speaker: Hugo Slim – University of Oxford

Breakout sessions: exploring new ways forward

• • Humanitarian Principles: How to protect humanitarian principles amidst growing political pressure and politicisation of aid?  
  • Safety & Access: How to better mitigate violence against, and distrust towards humanitarian actors in increasingly fragmented conflicts?
  • Payers & Players: How to harvest opportunities and tackle risks brought by countries that are becoming more prominent donors and positioning themselves more as key players in humanitarian efforts and diplomacy?
  • Innovation Needed: What are creative approaches to counter the increasing gap between needs and assistance, particularly within protracted crises?

Closing session (plenary): expert panel with key stakeholders to reflect on potential ways forward, the position and role of Dutch actors and Dutch comparative advantages.

Drinks & Networking

Hugo Slim, Senior Research Fellow at the Las Casas Institute for Social Justice, Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford.

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