Abstract

Humanitarian crises in the Middle East are increasingly shaped by political decisions as much as by humanitarian need. This public seminar discusses the policy frameworks that govern how international actors respond to conflict, displacement, and large-scale human suffering in the region. The discussion will examine how governments, international organisations, and donors design humanitarian responses under conditions of ongoing conflict and political constraint. Key themes include the role of sanctions and counterterrorism policies, negotiations over humanitarian access, coordination between humanitarian and diplomatic actors, and the trade-offs between emergency relief, stabilisation, and longer-term development strategies. Using examples from recent crises in the region, the seminar will highlight the practical limits of humanitarian policy and the ethical and political dilemmas faced by decision-makers. This seminar encourages critical thinking about how humanitarian action fits within broader foreign policy objectives and international crisis management. It offers a policy-focussed insight into one of the most pressing challenges in contemporary international governance with implications for state and non-state actors across the world from Europe to Asia.

About the Speaker

Ms Sigrid Kaag is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. During her visit, Ms Kaag will be affiliated to the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme, Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS). Ms Kaag brings a wealth of experience in political, humanitarian, development and financial affairs. She led her political party, D66, to a successful electoral outcome in 2021 and served as the First Deputy Prime Minister and first female Minister of Finance in the Dutch government (2022-2024), Minister for Trade and Development Cooperation (2017-2021), and Minister for Foreign Affairs (2021).

Ms Kaag has held a wide range of senior positions in the United Nations system. Most recently, she served as the UN’s Under-Secretary General for the Middle East Peace Process and Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza (2024-2025). Ms Kaag was also UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon (2015-2017) and Special Coordinator of the Joint Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations Mission in Syria (2013-2015).  She served as Assistant Secretary-General with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (2010-2013) and as Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Jordan (2007-2010). She also held senior positions in the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Ms Kaag is presently Associate Professor at Sciences Po in Paris and Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of the UN Foundation amongst other public and private sector engagements.