Policy Brief No.2 | March 2025
By: Evika Karamagioli, Manos Pikoulis, Chrysafo Arvaniti
The humanitarian discourse increasingly frames global challenges through the lens of overlapping climate, health, and political crises — often described as a “polycrisis.” While this terminology has gained traction in recent years, notably among actors like the World Economic Forum, the dynamics it describes are not unprecedented. Historical crises such as the Darfur conflict and the Sahelian droughts of the 1970s illustrate how environmental pressures, political instability, and communal tensions have long intersected. What is new is the heightened recognition and framing of these intersections by global institutions, albeit often without centring the voices of affected communities. As the number of people in need of urgent assistance is projected to reach 305 million in 2025 — requiring over $47 billion in funding — systemic change remains imperative.
This policy brief offers actionable alternatives to address these pressing challenges by advocating for localized humanitarian responses and system-thinking approaches.
Localization empowers local actors with cultural knowledge and access to affected populations, while systems thinking enables a deeper understanding of feedback loops and interconnections, offering holistic solutions to interconnected crises.
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