Leadership and humanitarian change — why more collaboration and transformation is needed

The humanitarian sector is stretched and faces an increasing number of sector-specific, global, and systemic challenges. More people are vulnerable to natural disasters and conflict, while the gap between needs and funding continues to grow. The demands on leaders in today’s crises are more challenging and complex than ever before.

While there are a lot of trainings and exchange possibilitites for humanitarian staff in general, there are almost none on leadership level. In November 2022 the Global Executive Leadership Initiative (GELI) and the Centre for Humanitarian Action (CHA) brought together German top leaders and key international think tanks to discuss humanitarian leadership issues. The analysis of six research institutions on key leadership topics provided the platform for a round table discussion of German humanitarian leaders and government representatives to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges that you face, the support you require, and the skills and competencies you need to lead collaboratively, effectively and courageously.

This publication is a compilation of the studies presented in this context and was made possible with the kind support of the German Federal Foreign Office.