A changing geopolitical environment, constrained resources, and growing humanitarian needs are reshaping how organisations approach the funding, delivery, and leadership of aid. This conference brings together diverse perspectives to explore how the sector can navigate systemic change, growing data and protection risks, and complementaries between international, national, and local actors.

Join the conference and gain insights from experts and leading voices across the global humanitarian sector. Among the organisations represented will be VOICE EU, ODI Global, CALP Network, ALNAP, The New Humanitarian, Support to Life, Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The conference is supported by ESTDEV – Estonian Centre for International Development Cooperation. 

Secure your spot!

Registration is open until 2 November, or until all available spaces are filled. Secure your spot today.

Tallinn Humanitarian Conference

Featured topics

Reform or Retreat? The Future of Humanitarian Action After the Reset

Is the “Humanitarian Reset” a genuine reform agenda, or is it the language the sector now uses to make underfunding, shrinking mandates and harder prioritisation sound strategic? What kind of reform do we really need, and is the sector actually able to reform itself?

No Consent in a Food Line? Data Protection and Power in Humanitarian Aid

Humanitarian organisations increasingly need interoperable data systems to coordinate, reduce duplication and deliver at scale. But if beneficiary data becomes a target, when does collecting more data stop being responsible?

Sidekicks, Leaders, or Subcontractors? Rewriting the Humanitarian Division of Labour

As humanitarian reform shifts from localisation to complementarity, this panel asks whether local actors, INGOs, the UN and donors can build a more honest division of labour – or whether the new language simply masks hierarchy, retreat and risk transfer.

  • 9:15–9:45 Welcome and registration
    9:45–10:00 Opening of the conference
    10:00–10:30 Keynote speech
    10:30–12:00 Panel 1 | Reform or Retreat?
    12:00–13:00 Lunch
    13:00–14:30 Panel 2 | No Consent in a Food Line?
    14:30–15:00 Coffee break and networking
    15:00–16:30 Panel 3 | Sidekicks, Leaders, or Subcontractors?
    16:30–16:45 Closing remarks

Please note that photos and recordings will be made during the conference and may be used by the Estonian Refugee Council for communication and documentation purposes.

Stay updated

Find the conference on Facebook and LinkedIn to mark your attendance, get updates and share the event. In case of any questions, reach out to us via conference@refugeecouncil.ee. 

Previous conferences

Tallinn Humanitarian Conference

2025

The third edition of Tallinn Humanitarian Conference focused on institutional reform and the funding crisis, digital transformation, and access to crisis-affected communities.
Tallinn Humanitarian Conference

2024

The second edition of Tallinn Humanitarian Conference was centered on critical themes at the intersection of ethics, anticipatory action, and innovation in humanitarian action.
Tallinn Humanitarian Conference

2023

The first Tallinn Humanitarian Conference delved into macro trends in humanitarian action, focusing on cash-based assistance, data-driven and digital approaches, and localisation.