by Sema Genel Karaosmanoğlu, Hayata Destek Derneği / Support to Life (STL), member of the Advisory Panel on the Future of Humanitarian Action and former Chair of NEAR’s Leadership Council
When we first came together as the Advisory Panel on the Future of Humanitarian Action, I remember thinking: what exactly are we trying to do here? A dozen people from across the world – with experience from academia, public work, civil society, the UN, and beyond – all carrying different experiences, perspectives, and power dynamics. No clear process, no neat plan. Just the ambition to ask hard questions about where humanitarian action is heading.
That uncertainty was uncomfortable, but also exciting. It pushed us to carve out our own space. As NEAR, we had side conversations, compiled some of our ideas, and brought them into the room. That preparation mattered – it gave us confidence and helped shift the discussion.
Over time, the purpose of the panel has become clearer. This is not about another technical reform blueprint. It is about creating an independent space to say what many already know: that humanitarian action is not one system but an ecosystem – made up of equal and interconnected parts of a diverse, dynamic and networked universe. And if this ecosystem is to have legitimacy, it must be locally led, internationally supported, and globally principled.
PHOTO CAPTION: Four members of the Advisory Panel on the Future of Humanitarian Action. From left to right: Sema Genel Karaosmanoğlu, Natalie Samarasinghe, Yves Daccord, and Adelina Kamal.
For me, the real strength lies in the mix of voices. Global South leaders bring grounded realities that cut through abstraction, while others bring the inside view of state and UN politics. With NEAR and ODI’s convening power, we are reaching not just donor governments but aid recipient states and non-traditional donors, pulling in new actors who have been undermined yet are vital pieces of the ecosystem.
Several months in, I find myself more hopeful. Even now, just at the start, the panel is already making waves – connecting conversations that are usually kept apart, and showing the power of a truly diverse collective voice.
In the coming months, our task is to sharpen these ideas into something donors and system leaders cannot ignore: a vision that challenges them to stop tinkering at the edges and start addressing the political choices at the heart of humanitarian action. With resources shrinking, conflicts multiplying, and legitimacy in question, this moment demands more than business as usual. That is why this panel matters – to speak plainly, to unsettle where needed, and to offer a compass for a system at risk of losing its way.
For more information on the Advisory Panel on the Future of Humanitarian Action, please see NEAR’s page: https://www.near.ngo/advisory-panel-on-the-future-of-humanitarian-action