Humanitarianism and Solidarity Amidst Global Crises

Dear Colleagues,

Humanitarianism and international solidarity are facing profound challenges. In recent times, reductions in humanitarian and development funding, the rise of populist and nationalist politics with explicit anti-migration agendas, and the increasing militarization of aid have reshaped the global humanitarian landscape. At the same time, contemporary armed conflicts increasingly target civilians, produce mass displacement, and generate protracted humanitarian crises. While some emergencies attract sustained political and media attention, others remain underfunded and largely forgotten, raising fundamental questions about selectivity, responsibility, and global solidarity.

This Special Issue seeks to examine how humanitarianism is being reconfigured under these circumstances. It asks how international organizations, states (including non-traditional donors and states with limited sovereignty), civil society actors, and affected communities respond to overlapping crises of conflict, displacement, and development. Particular attention is further given to the roles of international institutions, such as the United Nations and the European Union, and to the ways in which state interests, security concerns, and governance structures shape their humanitarian action, but also how they respond to the current organizational and principled crises the humanitarian sector is facing.

The Special Issue welcomes theoretical, comparative, and empirical contributions that draw on diverse social science perspectives and methodologies. It encourages contributions to critically assess the evolving nexus between humanitarianism, development, security, and human rights. By focusing on both global governance frameworks and specific regional or conflict contexts, the issue seeks to illuminate how humanitarian practices are governed, contested, and transformed from both traditional and non-traditional humanitarian actors. Ultimately, the collection aims to advance scholarly debates on the future of humanitarianism and international solidarity in an era marked by geopolitical fragmentation, inequality, and recurring crises.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to,

• The humanitarian–development–security nexus
• (Evolving?) Governance of humanitarian aid in international and regional institutions
• Humanitarianism, migration, and human rights
• State policies shaping humanitarian action and solidarity
• Empirical studies of regions or conflicts marked by severe and protracted humanitarian crises
• Debates on neutrality, impartiality, and politicization of aid

Prof. Dr. Charlotte Dany
Mr. Alexandre Piron
Guest Editors

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