Nuffield Fellow plays leading role in UN Forum
Professorial Fellow Andrew Thompson, who is also Co-Director of the Nuffield Humanitarian Forum, played a leading role as the Moderator of the 2026 Global Humanitarian Policy Forum on Navigating Global Risks: Priorities for the Future of Humanitarian Action. The forum was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 15 June 2026.
Jointly hosted by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the College, the Forum brought together Member States, academics, and humanitarian practitioners from across the world to discuss the future of humanitarian action in an increasingly complex, chaotic and challenging global environment.
Andrew moderated the discussions throughout the Forum, and he also contributed a historical perspective on the evolution of the international humanitarian system since the establishment of OCHA in 1992. Drawing on his research on humanitarianism and international cooperation, he reflected on how the humanitarian system has adapted to changing patterns of conflict, crisis and global governance over the past three decades.
The Forum's outcomes highlighted the changing political economy of humanitarian aid and the growing importance of collaborative, locally led responses to global challenges.