Collaborative Change in Humanitarian Action

Driven by conflict, climate change, COVID-19 and global economic volatility, humanitarian need is on the increase. These are ‘wicked’ global problems—socially and culturally complex, interconnected and very difficult to solve—that require collaborative solutions practised on a planetary scale if we are to free all humanity from unnecessary hardship and discrimination. I begin by expressing my philosophical grounding and the journey of personal transformation I undertook as I led the Humanitarian Department of SCUK to pursue a strategy of systemic collaboration. Next, I describe the varied theories and approaches adopted and the key lessons learned and successfully put into practice along the way. Finally, I draw on my experiences of operating simultaneously in the centre of the ‘northern aid metropolis’ and at the collaborative ‘outer edge’ of the global humanitarian system and look ahead to a future in which all humanitarians are more critically reflective, self-compassionate and adept at eco-systemic leadership.