GAWB at the 2025 Human Rights and Humanitarian Forum: Spotlight on Local Leadership and Cross-Sector Collaboration

Dr. Akesson attended the Aurora Human Rights and Humanitarian Forum in Los Angeles with GAWB partner Dr. Iftikher Mahmood of Hope Foundation for Women and Children in Bangladesh. Click here for more information.

Earlier this month, GAWB was honoured to take part in the 2025 Human Rights and Humanitarian Forum and Humanitarian Summit at UCLA, a two-day convening co-hosted by the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA Law. Representing the GAWB research group, Dr. Bree Akesson attended alongside long-standing partner and collaborator Dr. Iftikher Mahmood of the Hope Foundation for Women and Children in Bangladesh.

This year’s gathering brought together over 80 grassroots leaders, activists, academics, policymakers, and philanthropists from 30 countries—creating a rare environment where research, practice, and policy dialogue could intermingle at eye level. For GAWB, whose work is grounded in partnerships with frontline practitioners and communities affected by conflict, displacement, and crisis, the Forum offered both inspiration and renewed urgency.

Humanitarian Summit: Navigating Frontline Challenges

The first day—focused on the Humanitarian Summit—spotlighted the realities of frontline work amid an escalating global funding crisis. Opening remarks from Armine Afeyan, CEO of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, set the tone: optimism grounded in action.

Forum Highlights: Integrated Action and Local Power

Day two, the Human Rights and Humanitarian Forum, convened under the theme “At the Crossroads: Driving Integrated Action for a Resilient Future.” Journalist Nicholas Kristof moderated a “Global Pulse Check” featuring global thought leaders such as Comfort Ero (International Crisis Group) and Gayle Smith (former USAID Administrator). Their insights underscored the need for research-driven interventions that can keep pace with geopolitical shifts.

Panels throughout the day spoke directly to the questions at the heart of GAWB’s work:

• How can collaboration across local, national, and global levels strengthen resilience?

• What models of partnership best elevate local knowledge and leadership?

• How can we protect human dignity amid rising misinformation, displacement, and inequality?

Sessions such as “The Future of Human Rights” and “Modern-Day Heroes” spotlighted both the fragility and endurance of rights-based work, with dialogue led by practitioners and prize laureates from around the world.

A TED-style series featuring young activists further reinforced the importance of intergenerational collaboration—an area where GAWB continues to contribute through participatory research.

Local Leadership and Health Justice

Of particular relevance to GAWB’s collaboration with Dr. Mahmood was the panel “Health and Human Rights: Grassroots Approaches for Lasting Impact.” The conversation centered on how community-led approaches are transforming health outcomes in under-resourced and crisis-affected regions. These themes reflect the Hope Foundation’s work in Bangladesh and parallel GAWB’s research on family well-being in high-stress contexts.

Closing Reflections

The closing keynote—“Local Power, Global Change”—featured Chelsea Clinton, Peter Laugharn, and Leymah Gbowee, who issued a compelling call to invest in frontline leadership, address misinformation with integrity, and strengthen partnerships rooted in trust.

For GAWB, the Forum reaffirmed the value of pairing rigorous research with practitioner partnerships like those with the Hope Foundation. Dr. Akesson’s participation alongside Dr. Mahmood underscored the importance of co-creating knowledge that responds to real-world constraints while amplifying local agency.

As the humanitarian landscape shifts and funding models tighten, the conversations in Los Angeles serve as both a challenge and an invitation: to generate evidence that informs practice, to bridge academic and community voices, and to reaffirm our commitment to the people and places at the center of humanitarian response.

GAWB looks forward to deepening its collaborations and contributing to the integrated, locally driven approaches highlighted throughout the Forum.