War is at a tipping point – but what are the implications for humanitarianism? The possibility of big war spread across new domains, and intense computerised warfare with its distinct ethical challenges around AI, fought out in the context of deep interlocking megatrends like climate change, urbanisation and increasing infectious diseases, is fundamentally remaking humanitarian efforts. 

In a recently launched book, Solferino 21: Warfare, Civilians and Humanitarians in the 21st Century, Hugo Slim discusses these developments. Slim contends that humanitarian response is also evolving - fast. 'Big Aid' demands more and more money, while aid workers try to digitalise, preparing to meet the ever-growing needs of the new wars and climate crisis of the future—but maybe humanitarians are trying to cover too much ground?  

Inspired by A Memory of Solferino (1862), the foundational text of the Red Cross movement written by  Henri Dunant on the basis of his experiences wandering in a 19th century battlefield, Solferino 21 tracks the big global shifts already underway and still to come. It explores the implications for humanitarianism in our century, while examining the humanitarian eco-system and proposing more localised solutions to the future. 

The Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), CARE Denmark and the Danish Red Cross will host an event to bring together humanitarian, defence and academic experts to engage with Hugo Slim on his analysis of the emerging global challenges; and what that means for protection of civilians and the humanitarian system.