World
Disasters
Report
2026
Truth, Trust and Humanitarian Action in the Age of Harmful Information
Harmful information has become a defining challenge of humanitarian action.
In crises today, rumours, manipulation and dehumanising narratives can spread faster than aid itself — shaping how people perceive risk, whether they seek help, and whether humanitarian workers can safely operate.
The World Disasters Report 2026 explores how harmful information is reshaping disaster response, trust and humanitarian access around the world.
Produced by the IFRC Solferino Academy, this flagship report brings together evidence from global crises, insights from communities and practitioners, and recommendations for governments, technology companies and humanitarian organisations.
Acknowledgements
Translation costs for the Chinese edition were generously provided by the International Academy of Red Cross in China while the Russian translation was carried out by the Russian Red Cross Linguistic Centre.
Lead Editor and Author: Charlotte Lindsey Curtet
Designer: Yann le Floc’h
Project Manager: Heather Marie Leson
Copyeditor: Jen Claydon
The World Disasters Report 2026 features over 100 written contributions from more than 60 practitioners and researchers across the humanitarian sector, as well as from governments, academia, civil society and beyond. These contributions appear throughout the report in Contributor Insight boxes, acknowledging the individual authors and their respective organizations.
The IFRC Solferino Academy led a two-month rapid community intelligence study with 40 volunteers and staff from 10 National Societies. Acting as community researchers, they interviewed 132 volunteers and community members affected by humanitarian crises. Findings were synthesised by volunteer academics from the University of Michigan, Northumbria University and Open Lab (Newcastle University), ensuring that local nuance was preserved. Selected quotes appear throughout the report.
Through Red Lenses
At first, the red filter glasses feel like a playful visual trick. Put them on and parts of the image disappear while others stand out more clearly. The design of the World Disasters Report 2026 uses layered imagery so that, through the red lens, certain elements — including humanitarian actors — can vanish from view.
Nothing in the image actually changes; only the lens does. This simple effect reflects the report’s central message: in today’s crises, information itself can act as a filter, shaping what people see, believe and trust — sometimes hiding critical parts of reality.
Experience the Red Lenses
Explore the Interactive Playbook
A crisis within a crisis
About the World Disasters Report
For over three decades, the World Disasters Report has been the flagship publication of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), examining emerging risks and challenges shaping humanitarian action.
The 2026 edition focuses on a rapidly growing but often overlooked threat: harmful information.
False narratives, rumours, manipulation and dehumanising discourse are increasingly undermining trust, obstructing humanitarian access and putting both communities and aid workers at risk.
Drawing on research, field experiences and global case studies, the report shows how information environments now shape the outcomes of crises as profoundly as physical hazards.
It also argues that trustworthy information is not a communications issue alone — it is a core humanitarian capability.
Read the Worlds Disasters Report
Or deep dive in one of our articles on harmful information and humanitarian action
A Project Led by the IFRC Solferino Academy
The IFRC Solferino Academy led the development of the World Disasters Report 2026 as part of its mission to explore the future of humanitarian action and support innovation across the Red Cross and Red Crescent network.
Through research, foresight and global dialogue, the Academy works with practitioners, researchers and communities to understand emerging challenges and help shape more resilient humanitarian responses.
The 2026 report builds on this work by bringing together voices from across the humanitarian ecosystem — including volunteers, local actors, policymakers and technology experts — to examine how harmful information affects crises and what can be done about it.
Miss Nothing
