UNGA81: what would a fairer humanitarian system led by displaced people look like?

As world leaders gather in New York for the 81st Session of the High level UN General Assembly, questions about power, leadership and the future of international cooperation are high on the agenda. But what does meaningful leadership look like for people living through displacement? People with lived experience of displacement are often the furthest from the decisions that shape their lives, despite being best placed to understand what their communities need. While international institutions are increasingly creating spaces for displaced people to participate, consultation alone does not necessarily shift who holds power. In this episode of Think Change, we explore how refugee-led organisations are building more democratic and accountable ways of working, why funding remains such a powerful barrier to local leadership and what governments, donors and international institutions would need to do differently to support communities to lead their own responses. Guests share their experiences of challenging existing power structures and making the case for a different model of humanitarian action – one that puts agency, rights and dignity at its centre, and sees local leadership not as a side programme, but as the future of the response. *Through our Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) research and convening on humanitarian crises, we strive to work collaboratively and equitably with local actors and researchers. We believe that close collaboration and equitable partnership are the foundations of meaningful research and impact.*   *In 2026, we sought to formalise this approach by forming a Displacement Advisory Group. The eight members of the group represent diverse geographies, backgrounds and expertise from across policy, practice and academia, but share lived experience of displacement.*  **Guests:** - **Sara Pantuliano,** Chief Executive, ODI Global (Think Change host) - **Sana Mustafa,** Co-Founder of the Resourcing Refugee Leadership Initiative, the first global fund by refugees - **Hafsar Tameesuddin,** Co-Secretary General of Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network - **Ana Maria Diez,** Presidente of Coalición por Venezuela **Related Resources:** - What refugee-led organisations teach us about measuring impact in displacement settings - Refugee-led organisations and Lebanon’s displacement crisis - From commitment to action: financing refugee leadership in an era of cuts