<p>Research on the role of international organizations (IOs) during the Second World War has traditionally emphasized their supposed insignificance and failure. However, during the global conflict, a number of IOs demonstrated a notable capacity for resilience and inventiveness, adapting their practices and methods to continue fulfilling their mandates. In this context, this study proposes to re-examine the role of IOs during the Second World War through the example of the International Bureau of Education (IBE). As a young and small organization, dedicated to international cooperation and research in education, the IBE found itself with limited resources and opportunities at the outbreak of war. Not only was education a politically divisive issue, but the IBE’s practical and institutional capacities were also constrained by the global conflict. In this situation, the IBE found a new raison d’être in providing intellectual assistance to prisoners of war (POWs), sending books, educational material, and organizing university courses. How did the IBE’s staff justify and carry out this humanitarian turn? What international and local political, educational, and humanitarian resources and networks did they mobilize to achieve these objectives? Particular emphasis will be placed on the IBE’s capacity to leverage a local and global network of political, educational, and humanitarian actors, some of whom ultimately overcame rivalries and coordinated their efforts through a joint mechanism.</p>