In a new Workshop Report, our Principal Investigator Prof. Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh critically examines the potential for South–South collaboration in diplomatic and humanitarian responses to ongoing and emerging crises in the Middle East and beyond. The Report presents key insights arising throughout a closed policy workshop co-convened on 26 February 2025 by Professor Fiddian-Qasmiyeh and Dr Ghassan Elkahlout (Director of the Doha Centre for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies) to explore this topic. Held under Chatham House rules, the event brought together representatives from major UN agencies, international NGOs, and academic experts in conflict mediation, humanitarianism, and displacement. The workshop focused on collaborative responses to displacement from Syria, Gaza, and Lebanon.
The Workshop Report examines current and past examples of diplomatic and humanitarian responses by states from the Global South to explore the challenges and opportunities for future South–South or horizontal cooperation. Following the structure of the workshop, the Report is structured around four key themes:
- Multi-scalar Southern Responses to Displacement
- Categories, Labels and Definitions – Understanding Southern and non-traditional responses
- Cooperation or Competition
- Potential for South–South Cooperation
The Report concludes with recommendations for further research and policy engagement. A new Policy Brief co-authored by Dr. Ghassan Elkahlout and Prof. Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh presents key insights and suggestions for policy-makers and practitioners working.
Read the Workshop Report here.
Read the Policy Brief here.
Recommended citations: Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, E. (2025) South-South Collaboration in Diplomatic and Humanitarian Responses to Conflict and Displacement (London: UCL/MRU and Doha: CHS).
Southern Responses to Displacement 
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