In 2023 it is estimated that more than 339 million people will need humanitarian assistance or protection.

A new Humanitarian Studies Centre (HSC) has been opened in the Netherlands with the aim to study the causes and impact of humanitarian crisis, and how people, communities and authorities respond to them.

The HSC will be a hive for academic and applied research, networking and other activities, seeking to bridge humanitarian research and practice, and to strengthen the field of humanitarian studies in the Netherlands and abroad. The HSC will have a special focus on promoting research and education in crisis-affected and vulnerable areas.

The HSC was officially launched on 31 August 2023 in The Hague. As part of the opening, NCHS Director, Antonio De Lauri (Research Professor, Chr. Michelsen Institute) shared his experiences setting up and leading a humanitarian studies network in Norway.

The HSC is established as part of the Spinoza Prize awarded to Thea Hilhorst (Professor of Humanitarian Studies) in 2022 and will be based at the International Institute of Social Studies at the Erasmus University Rotterdam.