Global humanitarian needs are at an unprecedented level. Right now an estimated 141 million people across 37 countries require humanitarian assistance, and the number keeps rising. In a landscape marked by protracted conflicts, natural disasters, and over 65 million displaced persons, the international community faces the daunting challenge of providing both immediate live-saving, emergency relief and long-term support for risk reduction and disaster mitigation.

Improving humanitarian assistance is a foreign policy priority. The complex, multilateral humanitarian response system is stretched and in need of reform. Funding challenges remain a primary concern, as increased humanitarian demand is far outpacing global contributions.

Please join us for a discussion on global trends in the humanitarian space as part of the official launch of the Humanitarian Agenda, a new, center-wide CSIS program created in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). The launch is an opportunity to reflect on evolving trends in humanitarian assistance and to discuss how the global community can more effectively deliver humanitarian aid.

Speakers will explore emerging challenges and share innovative solutions. How will fragile states and protracted conflicts impact domestic priorities, foreign policy, and the international landscape? Will the United States remain the global leader in humanitarian response? What are the best practices to prepare and respond to sequential natural disasters? What are the major gaps on-the-ground and what critical new capacities do we have to create to address them?