Fragility, Conflict, and the Future of Aid in Turbulent Times

As violent conflict, political instability, and aid retrenchment converge across multiple regions globally, fragile states face mounting pressures with significant implications for global security and international humanitarian response. The 2026 IRC Emergency Watchlist comes at an unprecedented moment of global disorder shaped by the far-reaching impacts of the Iran war and the implications for already vulnerable states, particularly amid disruptions to humanitarian assistance, broader economic instability, and regional spillover effects. 

Please join the Global Development Department on Monday, June 8 at 4:00 PM ET for a conversation on fragility, conflict, and the future of aid in turbulent times. Moderated by CSIS Global Development President Enoh T. Ebong, the discussion will feature David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and Dr. Rabih El  Chammay, Head of the National Mental Health Programme in the Ministry of Health in Lebanon. Hosted on the sidelines of the World Bank Fragility Forum, the panel discussion will address key trends shaping fragility and crisis response, including displacement, governance pressures, humanitarian access, donor coordination, and long-term resilience strategies, all in the face of deepening global disorder.

The panelists will examine how changing foreign aid dynamics are reshaping international response efforts at a moment of growing demand and constrained resources, and particularly how governments, multilateral institutions, and humanitarian organizations must adapt to this period of transition and tension. 

This event is made possible through general support to CSIS.