At Solferino 2026, humanitarian leaders, youth and partners came together to explore one pressing question: what role can humanitarian organizations play in building peace? Through honest dialogue, the launch of the Light in the Darkness campaign and a renewed commitment to action, participants reaffirmed that peace is central to the humanitarian mission.
Research from Bolivia shows that trust can collapse when communities receive confusing or false information during crises. Yet local communities are also creating solutions, from sharing verified updates to building local communication networks. These insights echo the World Disasters Report 2026: trusted, community-led communication is now essential to effective humanitarian action.
Truth, Trust and Humanitarian Action in the Age of Harmful Information The World Disasters Report 2026 warns harmful information as...
From the frontlines of Yemen’s crisis, Hammam Al-Dakhla recognized a silent killer: misinformation. Through the IFRC Solferino Academy, he launched The Digital Shield, a youth-led chatbot that counters harmful rumors with life-saving health truths. This is a story of human-centered innovation, transforming digital tools into a local community’s strongest defense.
Leaders from 26 Mediterranean National Societies convened in Acireale on 26–27 March 2026 to address a rapidly shifting humanitarian landscape. Amid rising political polarization and evolving migration dynamics, discussions highlighted growing pressures on leadership, neutrality, and trust. The meeting emphasized the need for collective direction, stronger cooperation, and principled leadership to navigate increasing complexity across the region.
The IFRC launches the third edition of the Limitless Youth Innovation Leadership Academy – Peace Edition in Rome on 12 February. Limitless places youth leadership and locally driven innovation at the centre of peacebuilding, equipping young people across the Red Cross and Red Crescent network to lead change in their communities.
The IFRC Solferino Academy’s Think Tank in Rome gathered Red Cross, Red Crescent leaders and sector experts to explore how humanitarian action can keep pace with a rapidly changing world. Emphasizing decisive optimism, adaptive leadership, and trust in communities, the event reframed uncertainty as a shared opportunity for innovation and solidarity.
Supported by the IFRC Solferino Academy’s Limitless program, Nalukwago Naswirah founded Bassattu Innovations to transform Ugandan livelihoods. Her initiatives, Fuel Her with Waste and Herharvest, provide cleaner cooking solutions and climate-smart seeds. Read how youth innovation is driving health, resilience, and economic stability for rural and refugee families.
Youth innovators from the IFRC Solferino Academy’s Limitless Youth Innovation Academy are transforming water access in Nigeria. Through the Geotek Geo-WaterGuard project at the University of Jos, young people improve safe water, WASH, resilience, inclusion, and community health by using real-time water quality monitoring and youth-led local innovation.
The Global Innovation Partnership between the IFRC Solferino Academy and Monash University Malaysia formalises a long-standing collaboration that connects academic expertise, humanitarian innovation and the creativity of young people across the Red Cross Red Crescent network. Launched at Monash University Malaysia on 25 November, the partnership creates new opportunities for students, researchers, volunteers and humanitarian practitioners to co-design anticipatory, community-led and evidence-informed solutions to emerging humanitarian risks.
IFRC Solferino Academy supports the Swedish Red Cross to accelerate innovation, responsible AI, and digital transformation, strengthening strategic foresight, anticipatory governance, agile ways of working, user‑centred design, and data‑informed decisions. This collaboration advances Strategy 2030, builds leadership capability, and enables ethical, trusted, community‑centred technologies to meet emerging humanitarian challenges at scale.
Youth Volunteer Natukunda Bernard leads an innovative blood donation awareness project in Uganda’s refugee settlements. Supported by IFRC Solferino Academy, this community-driven initiative leverages AI technology, translation tools, and digital storytelling to combat misinformation, promote safe blood donation, and strengthen humanitarian community engagement and local innovation.