PROTECTION IN ACTION: DELIVERING IMPACT IN TIMES OF CONSTRAINT
The humanitarian landscape continues to undergo significant transformation. Severe funding cuts, reforms under the Humanitarian Reset, and increasing hyper-prioritised humanitarian responses, alongside a global political pushback on gender and a seeming erosion of support for the multilateral system and its norms, are happening against a backdrop of escalating conflicts, widespread violations, and growing risks faced by civilians. These trends are compounded by a persistent lack of accountability for violations of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law and growing impunity, which further undermines the protection of civilians. At the same time, protection actors are being called upon to demonstrate greater impact and efficiency, maintain attention to specialized areas of protection, and strengthen collective accountability for protection outcomes within an environment of contracted resources.
The Global Protection Cluster (GPC) is pleased to convene the first Global Protection Forum following the consolidation of the Protection Cluster and the former Areas of Responsibility. The Forum brings together partners and country coordination teams to reflect on emerging challenges, lessons learned, and opportunities to strengthen the protection of people affected by conflict, violence and disasters. It provides a space for the consolidated GPC, including Child Protection, Gender-Based Violence, and Mine Action thematic areas, to engage with the broader protection community, foster dialogue and visibility, and promote joint-action on current protection priorities.
This year’s Forum will focus on ‘protection action and impacts’ – the interventions, programming and collective actions that are driving forward contributions to people’s protection amidst conflict and disasters. Through engaging sessions, partners and experts, including local and national actors at the forefront of protection action, those engaging in specialized areas such as child protection, GBV, mine action, or inclusion as well as protection champions in other sectors reflect on their successes, challenges and lessons learnt on how we can shift power, enhance accountability and drive collective efforts to achieve greater protection impact.
The 2026 Global Protection Forum will take place virtually from 02-06 November 2026, through an online platform with simultaneous interpretation in English, Arabic, French, and Spanish.
