New UN paper on the current status of international humanitarianism
The paper is based on the work of Professorial Fellow Andrew Thompson, who moderated the 2025 UN Global Humanitarian Policy Forum
A new working paper produced by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in partnership with Nuffield College, draws on the work of Professorial Fellow Andrew Thompson as moderator of the 2025 UN Global Humanitarian Policy Forum.
Andrew’s moderating role at the 2025 event drew directly on his forthcoming Oxford University Press book entitled Humanitarianism on Trial: How a Global System of Aid, Development and Human Rights emerged from the End of Empire (forthcoming, 2027).
The paper, titled ‘Is the international humanitarian system fit for purpose in a changing world?’, answers a series of questions that Andrew also discusses in his forthcoming book, including an overview of today’s risks and trends in international humanitarianism, the potential future role of funding cuts and a collapsing global order, and the changes that the global humanitarian system needs to make to thrive.
For more about the 2025 UN Global Humanitarian Policy Forum, see our news story, ‘Nuffield Fellow plays leading role in UN Forum’