On 5 March 2026, Ms Sigrid Kaag, Distinguished Visiting Fellow at RSIS, Associate Professor, Sciences Po Paris, France; and Former First Deputy Prime Minister of The Netherlands; delivered a seminar titled “From Europe to Asia: Responding to Humanitarian Crises in the Middle East”. It was moderated by Dr Alistair D. B Cook, Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the HADR Programme.
According to Ms Kaag, we are seeing a rupture of the rules-based order. However, the context in which we are seeing this rupture is not new, with echoes of the 1990s/early-2000s visible in discussions of conditionality, donor framing and double standards. On the other hand, this rupture has become more pronounced by the behaviour of the US which had previously been the biggest supporter of the rules-based world order after the Second World War. This has also been heightened by a dysfunctional United Nations Security Council. While it may be the foremost entry point into peace and security discussions in the international arena, there has been little unanimity in pushing such an agenda.
Rather than a humanitarian emergency, Gaza should be understood as a stress test for contemporary international governance. It is increasingly clear that humanitarian protection mechanisms cannot function under such a fragmented multilateral order and increasing geopolitical polarisation. The current events have called the standing of the UN system into question, particularly around effectiveness, efficiency and credibility. However, it is also important to look at UN member states first and foremost as shareholders and stakeholders who have to uphold the system. Going forward, there is a need for international actors to take responsibility for inaction. Rather than looking at humanitarian aid as a side note, it should be integrated early into the diplomatic framework when states engage with each other.
This seminar concluded with a Q&A session, where questions from the attendees included the current rise of great power entrapment and the need for states to be realistic without disavowing international rules and norms, the challenges of working with non-traditional humanitarian actors such as the private sector, as well as the recently formed Board of Peace and its aims in Gaza through the Gaza Executive Board.
