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In January 2026, TNH convened a discussion with humanitarian and peacebuilding thought-leaders along with the Centre on Armed Groups, and the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding.
TNH CEO Tammam Aloudat was joined by: Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories; Sweta Velpillay, Co-Director of Conducive Space for Peace; and David Harland, Executive Director of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.
The discussion began by confronting how current shifts in the global order are driving the rising crises across the world. Albanese shared her assessment that 2025 laid bare the end of multilateralism and the rise of a new, lawless order in which power rules and war is the natural state of affairs. In her view, Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza marked “a point of no return” for the legitimacy of the global order, demonstrating that Western governments are willing to disregard the demands of their citizens and prioritise their geopolitical interests over international law and human rights.
Looking further back, Velpillay highlighted that for the majority of the world, the post-war neoliberal world order “didn’t apply as something universal”, and that people in poorer, less powerful countries “have lived through its hypocrisy, impunity, and double standards for a very long time”.
Whilst recognising its hypocrisy and acknowledging that the old system was not perfect, Harland emphasised that the current period is a particularly dangerous one, as states compete to determine what the new system will look like. “The international system is collapsing all around us… [and] is going to get worse before it gets better,” Harland observed.
The panellists agreed that in a multipolar world without common rules and norms, violence and instability are likely to continue rising as countries compete to shape a new world order that serves their interests, rather than those of their rivals.
Resistance at the grassroots
Despite the sobering outline, the speakers found reasons for hope, highlighting that social and grassroots movements have been gaining strength, from civic protests and workers’ strikes to citizens’ assemblies.
In 2025, there was a rise in protest movements across the world, with citizens, particularly youth, taking to the streets to demand accountability from their governments. In places like Bangladesh, Madagascar, and Nepal, youth-led protests brought down their governments, inspired by and inspiring similar movements from Kenya to Togo to Sri Lanka.
Unlike the fragmentation among states, citizen-led movements have become more unified, finding common cause across borders.
Albanese underlined the importance of what she referred to as the “Palestine effect”, with Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza catalysing a sense of solidarity across different movements as people recognise themselves in each other’s struggles. Climate activists in Western countries have adopted slogans like ”no climate justice without a free Palestine”, demonstrating how the Palestinian cause has been integrated into wider global movements.
“These movements have increasingly articulated a shared understanding that struggles for climate justice, social justice, an end to the occupation and apartheid in Palestine, are part and parcel of resistance to neo-imperialism, neo-colonialism, and corporate greed,” Albanese said.
What role for international actors?
From the articulation of bottom-up resistance around the world, the discussion turned to the question of how international actors and organisations should support these movements.
Velpillay challenged attendees to think about how international actors can “strengthen the collective powers of people” in a way that “decentres ourselves” and creates the conditions to help people “create civic agency on their own terms”, without being guided by externally enforced mandates or priorities.
Aloudat highlighted that, within the humanitarian sector, there are “new and exciting discussions going on about how we can meet the next generation of challenges” in a fractious, multipolar world.
However, while humanitarian organisations increasingly speak of centring local communities and supporting local knowledge and capabilities, tangible progress has been limited, the panellists noted. Many of these changes remain performative, with humanitarian actors saying the right things, but stopping short of implementing the changes required to reimagine and transform how aid is delivered.
Peace actors, too, have been slow to adapt. Harland argued that a paradigm shift is needed if they are to remain relevant and effective within the changing international system. While the world is likely to continue getting more violent, the impulse and incentives to mitigate and resolve violence through mediation will also endure, he said, calling on peace mediators to “intelligently reposition” themselves in order to increase their impact, by working “with the new set of interests and the new system which is evolving”.
In conclusion, the panel agreed that humanitarians and peace actors do have a role to play in shaping a new, more citizen-centred and citizen-led world – but a supporting one. It is not their place to lead, but rather to support grassroots resistance movements at local and global levels by providing them with the political backing and resources they require to take action to influence the decisions that are being made about their lives. These sectors, the speakers agreed, should create the space and the conditions for citizens to be able to drive more open, democratic, and inclusive forms of governance, which put people – rather than governments – at the centre.
Watch the full event here:
For more background and context, read:
Ten humanitarian crises that demand your attention now
Given aid cuts, often scant media attention, and lack of political will, many of those affected by these crises receive little to no assistance.
Ten humanitarian trends to keep an eye on in 2026
Here are some of the key factors and themes likely to worsen lives for millions in crisis hotspots over the coming year.
What’s shaping aid policy in 2026
Big tech, shrinking funds, weird partnerships, drones and influencers, new models, climate progress, ending well: Humanitarian trends for the year ahead.
