15th RDR Annual Conference - Where is the ‘Human’ in Humanitarianism?

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Where is the ‘Human’ in Humanitarianism? Navigating This Evolving Digital and Political World

The 15th RDR Annual Conference will examine the critical intersection of humanitarianism and disaster risk reduction in the era of digital innovation. In times of unprecedented digital advancements and complex political dynamics, the landscape of humanitarianism is rapidly evolving. This conference seeks to explore how humanitarian actors can remain committed to prioritising human dignity, compassion, and protection while adapting to the digital age and navigating the shifting geopolitical landscape. From the rise of artificial intelligence and big data in crisis response to the growing challenges posed by nationalism, populism, and state sovereignty, the humanitarian field faces both new opportunities and significant ethical dilemmas.

Sessions will represent a wide range of disciplines, including but not limited to humanitarian studies, disaster management science, political science, international relations, crisis information systems, digital ethics, and peace studies to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

2025 is an important year for the humanitarian and disaster risk reduction sectors, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the Sendai Framework and the 10-year mark of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Join us as we bring together diverse perspectives from practitioners, researchers and policymakers to explore more effective, human-centred approaches to disaster risk reduction and humanitarian response.

Keynote Speaker

Christina Bennett

Chief Executive Officer
Start Network

Keynote Address: The Future of Aid

Christina Bennett's Biography

Christina Bennett is Chief Executive at Start Network, a membership of 100 local, national and international NGOs working to change how humanitarian aid is designed, resourced and delivered. She has more than 20 years of experience in humanitarian policy and practice has lived and worked in Afghanistan, Pakistan and South Sudan. Before joining Start Network, Christina was Head of the Humanitarian Policy Group at the Overseas Development Institute in London, leading policy research on local humanitarian action, counterterrorism, humanitarian reform, refugee livelihoods and private finance. In an earlier role, Christina was the Chief of Policy Analysis and Innovation at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), where she led OCHA’s work on aid effectiveness, cash assistance, humanitarian reform and the protection of civilians. While at the UN, Christina also led the Secretary-General’s Task Force on the Global Food Crisis of 2008 and worked as a spokesperson for the Emergency Relief Coordinator and for the Deputy Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan. Christina is a frequent writer and speaker on conflict and humanitarian aid.

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Conference Sessions

Session 1: AI and Digital Innovation in Humanitarian Action – Ensuring Alignment for a People-Centric Approach

Chair: Dr Saman Ghaffarian

This conversation will explore how to ensure we keep human values and focus on individuals while developing technological solutions, including AI and other digital tools; and the growing role of AI, digital tools, and technological innovations in humanitarian response. Are we breaking or creating barriers to improvement? 

Session 2: Knowledge, Politics and Human Relationships in Humanitarianism

Chairs: Dr Estella Carpi and Dr Femke Mulder

As a result of a growing focus on the co-production of knowledge in the world of practice, horizontal communication and trust-building are now considered key factors for sustainable partnerships and the decolonisation of the humanitarian and DRR sectors. This panel explores knowledge production and human relationships in humanitarianism and disaster risk reduction (DRR), also considering AI’s role today. Experts will discuss the importance of collaborative partnerships between local communities, government agencies, NGOs, and academia to create context-specific, actionable knowledge. The panel’s focus will vary from the value of integrating indigenous knowledge to human challenges in power dynamics and data ownership, calling for more equitable knowledge-sharing practices.

Speakers

Juliet Parker - Director, ALNAP

Juliet Parker is ALNAP's Director. She is responsible for working with the Secretariat to coordinate strategy and ensure the coherence, implementation and impact of ALNAP's work. Juliet has 20 years’ experience of humanitarian programming and senior level strategic management in NGOs with a particular focus on performance and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL). Juliet joined ALNAP from Action Against Hunger UK where she was their Director of Operations. She has worked on the design and delivery of humanitarian response and resilience programmes across the world, and is passionate about the role of evidence, learning and uptake in improving the effective delivery of humanitarian aid.

Myfanwy James - Assistant Professor in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies, LSE

Myfanwy James is an Assistant Professor in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies. Her work examines the politics of humanitarian intervention in contexts of violent conflict, with a focus on the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Using ethnographic and historical methods, she has conducted research on how humanitarians negotiate their access with armed groups, the experience of locally hired humanitarians in security management, structures of inequality in aid, as well as the contested legitimacy of medical research in epidemic contexts. Myfanwy previously worked as a Lecturer at the Oxford Department of International Development at the University of Oxford, and as a Research Fellow at the Department of Global Health and Development at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She has also worked as an external research consultant for Médecins Sans Frontières. She holds a PhD (DPhil) from the University of Oxford.

Session 3: Continuum of Violence – How Humans Are Impacted by Conflict, Humanitarianism and Disaster Risk Reduction

Chair: Dr Punam Yadav

This panel will examine how unequal power dynamics—past and present—drive a continuum of violence, creating vulnerability and marginalisation in conflict, humanitarian crises and disaster-affected communities. It will explore how grassroots-led, context-specific strategies can reshape preparedness and response efforts, paving the way for more equitable and sustainable outcomes.

Working Labs

An opportunity for the conference delegates to break into groups to discuss key questions related to the panel sessions.

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