Yves Daccord, Visiting Fellow and former Director General of the International Committee of the Red Cross, was special guest speaker at the Oxford Martin School on Monday 6 March 2023. Yves delivered a thought-provoking lecture on the topic 'Can international humanitarian organisations adapt to face the challenges of this century?' which was followed by a lively question and answer session covering a wide range of subjects including the war in Ukraine, the global food crisis, and the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
The session was chaired by Professor Sir Charles Godfray, Director of the Oxford Martin School, and the questions were directed by Nuffield Professorial Fellow Andrew Thompson, who last year published a ground-breaking report on the future of international NGOs (non-governmental organisations), in collaboration with Nuffield Honorary Fellow Mike Aaronson. Their ‘INGOs and the Long Humanitarian Century’ project included interviews with the CEOs of 50 of the world’s largest NGOs, discussing their views on the change in the humanitarian landscape as major crises continue to emerge while day-to-day constraints increase.
During his lecture, Yves reflected on this dilemma for major international NGOs and explored how – and indeed whether – they should adapt for the future.
This public lecture was recorded and is available to view here.
