World Disasters Report 2026: Truth, Trust and Humanitarian Action in the Age of Harmful Information
Deep Insights
"The World Disasters Report 2026 calls on governments, humanitarian actors, media, technology companies and communities, to recognise that the trustworthiness of information is a matter of life and death. Just as we plan for logistics, shelter and health care in emergencies, we must also plan for the information environment. This requires investing in community engagement, prioritizing listening over speaking, building resilience against harmful narratives and consistently upholding humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence in every interaction and message. In 2024, 32 Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers and staff were killed while on duty; in 2025, a further 27 lives were lost. This is a painful reminder of the risks borne by those who put humanity first, often in the most dangerous circumstances. Their deaths underscore the urgent need to protect humanitarian staff and volunteers, and to safeguard the space they need to save lives. Anything that deepens mistrust, fuels hostility or turns the emblem of protection into a target must be confronted with urgency. Honouring their memory compels us to meet this crisis with urgency and resolve. Hope must also be part of our response. Harmful information thrives on fear and confusion, but hope – rooted in trust, solidarity and human dignity – can be just as contagious. Balancing threats with hope and fostering narratives of agency and possibility offers a vital counterforce. Around the world, communities respond to crises not only with resilience but also with creativity and compassion, often leading the way in finding solutions. By amplifying authentic stories and voices, we do more than counter falsehoods: we inspire action, strengthen trust and remind people that even in the darkest moments, there are paths forward. The IFRC and its member Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have always worked at the heart of communities, earning trust through presence, transparency and respect. In today’s information crisis, this role matters more than ever. Our commitment is clear and unwavering: act with humanity and based on evidence, uphold trust and put people in need first – so that in moments of fear and uncertainty, the voices that carry furthest are those that heal, aid and protect. Each of us has a role to play. By staying informed, questioning, verifying and amplifying only what is trustworthy and constructive, we strengthen the information environment and ensure that hope speaks louder than harm." (Foreword)
"The World Disasters Report 2026 features nearly 100 written contributions from more than 60 practitioners and researchers across the humanitarian sector, as well as from governments, academia, civil society and beyond. These contributions appear throughout the report in Contributor Insight boxes, acknowledging the individual authors and their respective organizations." (Page 10)
1. CRISIS, CHAOS AND CONFUSION: UNDERSTANDING HARMFUL INFORMATION IN HUMANITARIAN CONTEXTS, 29
Defining harmful information -- The evolving information ecosystem -- Who are the threat actors? -- Information integrity in crisis situations -- From broadcast to two way engagement -- Who is most vulnerable to harmful information – and why? -- What is the impact of harmful information? -- Artificial intelligence and harmful information -- Narratives shape perception, trust and action -- Controlling accessibility and content moderation -- Analysis and monitoring of harmful information -- Harmful information is not background noise
2. HARMFUL INFORMATION AND THE EROSION OF TRUST IN HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE: THE ROLE OF TRUTH, TRUST AND TECHNOLOGY, 69
The shifting ground of trust -- Incentivized to hostility -- Trust: What is being lost? -- Trust in institutions -- Integrity, perception and the fragile foundation of trust -- Decline of expertise and its impact on trust -- Community engagement: A bridge to trust -- Facts and feelings: A perception challenge -- Responding to harmful information: Building trust in crises -- Transparency and identifiability: Foundations for trust -- Trust, truth and preparedness
3. GLOBAL AND LOCAL: DYNAMICS OF HARMFUL INFORMATION IN A CONNECTED WORLD, 103
Harmful narratives that thrive -- Local and global interplay -- When words harm: The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s call to action -- The evolving nexus between cyberattacks and harmful information -- Addressing harmful information, strengthening early warning and response -- Risk communication and community engagement -- Navigating humanitarian action in a post trust information era
4. FROM CONTEXT TO CONSEQUENCE: HUMANITARIAN SECTOR VOICES ON THE IMPACT OF HARMFUL INFORMATION, 137
Harmful information and operational realities -- Narratives of harm -- Harms and impacts of harmful information on humanitarian action -- Do no harm in a harmful information age -- Vulnerabilities and amplifiers -- From fragmentation to focus: Avoiding overwhelm and building humanitarian capacity -- When viruses go viral: Building resilience against harmful information in a pandemic -- Navigating a hostile information landscape
5. NAVIGATING REGULATION, RIGHTS AND SOCIETAL RESILIENCE, 167
Information landscape and humanitarian contexts-- Defining harmful information: A strategic and contextual challenge -- The risks of information control in emergencies -- Digital ceasefires and harmful information -- Sovereignty in cyberspace -- Media as a pillar of societal resilience -- A threat to humanitarian action and to humanity itself -- Red Cross and Red Crescent Appeal to States -- UN action on AI and information integrity -- Content moderation and the power of platforms -- From self regulation to state oversight: The evolving governance of online content -- Framing a response: Supply and demand solutions to disinformation -- Civic trust and societal resilience -- A collective responsibility for preserving principled humanitarian action
6. ROOTED IN RESILIENCE: COMMUNITY-FIRST APPROACH TO HARMFUL INFORMATION, 211
The importance of community for resilience -- Determining community -- Community engagement and accountability -- What communities say: Primary research insights -- Community-led solutions -- Unpacking risk: A gender and diversity lens -- Building sustainable information resilience -- The community within: How volunteers build trust and humanitarian reach -- Effective communication in the context of harmful information -- Critical reflections: Challenges in practice -- From communication to collaboration
7. UPHOLDING HUMANITARIAN PRINCIPLES IN THE AGE OF ECHO CHAMBERS, 257
Outpaced – humanitarian action in the era of instant narratives -- Reaffirming and applying humanity in an age of distrust -- Dehumanization in the digital age -- Promoting tolerance in diverse and divided societies -- Neutrality at a cost: The price of not taking sides -- Patriotism and humanitarian principles -- Independence as a condition for trust -- Impartiality as a compass -- Organizational integrity: Internal alignment with principles -- A framework for applying humanitarian principles in the information age -- Influencers: Connectors and dividers -- Reaffirming humanitarian principles in the age of digital tools -- Principled action requires more than declarations
8. TRUTH, TRUST AND RESILIENCE IN THE HUMANITARIAN SECTOR, 301
The high stakes of the information crisis -- Why connection matters in humanitarian response -- What’s ahead? Evolutions and known unknowns -- Defining humanitarian resilience in the information age -- Trust broker: the human bridge to credibility -- Humanitarian principles as a compass -- Recommendations for resilience -- Prerequisites and cross cutting enablers -- Conclusion: Together, we can uphold and reclaim space for humanity
Defining harmful information -- The evolving information ecosystem -- Who are the threat actors? -- Information integrity in crisis situations -- From broadcast to two way engagement -- Who is most vulnerable to harmful information – and why? -- What is the impact of harmful information? -- Artificial intelligence and harmful information -- Narratives shape perception, trust and action -- Controlling accessibility and content moderation -- Analysis and monitoring of harmful information -- Harmful information is not background noise
2. HARMFUL INFORMATION AND THE EROSION OF TRUST IN HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE: THE ROLE OF TRUTH, TRUST AND TECHNOLOGY, 69
The shifting ground of trust -- Incentivized to hostility -- Trust: What is being lost? -- Trust in institutions -- Integrity, perception and the fragile foundation of trust -- Decline of expertise and its impact on trust -- Community engagement: A bridge to trust -- Facts and feelings: A perception challenge -- Responding to harmful information: Building trust in crises -- Transparency and identifiability: Foundations for trust -- Trust, truth and preparedness
3. GLOBAL AND LOCAL: DYNAMICS OF HARMFUL INFORMATION IN A CONNECTED WORLD, 103
Harmful narratives that thrive -- Local and global interplay -- When words harm: The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s call to action -- The evolving nexus between cyberattacks and harmful information -- Addressing harmful information, strengthening early warning and response -- Risk communication and community engagement -- Navigating humanitarian action in a post trust information era
4. FROM CONTEXT TO CONSEQUENCE: HUMANITARIAN SECTOR VOICES ON THE IMPACT OF HARMFUL INFORMATION, 137
Harmful information and operational realities -- Narratives of harm -- Harms and impacts of harmful information on humanitarian action -- Do no harm in a harmful information age -- Vulnerabilities and amplifiers -- From fragmentation to focus: Avoiding overwhelm and building humanitarian capacity -- When viruses go viral: Building resilience against harmful information in a pandemic -- Navigating a hostile information landscape
5. NAVIGATING REGULATION, RIGHTS AND SOCIETAL RESILIENCE, 167
Information landscape and humanitarian contexts-- Defining harmful information: A strategic and contextual challenge -- The risks of information control in emergencies -- Digital ceasefires and harmful information -- Sovereignty in cyberspace -- Media as a pillar of societal resilience -- A threat to humanitarian action and to humanity itself -- Red Cross and Red Crescent Appeal to States -- UN action on AI and information integrity -- Content moderation and the power of platforms -- From self regulation to state oversight: The evolving governance of online content -- Framing a response: Supply and demand solutions to disinformation -- Civic trust and societal resilience -- A collective responsibility for preserving principled humanitarian action
6. ROOTED IN RESILIENCE: COMMUNITY-FIRST APPROACH TO HARMFUL INFORMATION, 211
The importance of community for resilience -- Determining community -- Community engagement and accountability -- What communities say: Primary research insights -- Community-led solutions -- Unpacking risk: A gender and diversity lens -- Building sustainable information resilience -- The community within: How volunteers build trust and humanitarian reach -- Effective communication in the context of harmful information -- Critical reflections: Challenges in practice -- From communication to collaboration
7. UPHOLDING HUMANITARIAN PRINCIPLES IN THE AGE OF ECHO CHAMBERS, 257
Outpaced – humanitarian action in the era of instant narratives -- Reaffirming and applying humanity in an age of distrust -- Dehumanization in the digital age -- Promoting tolerance in diverse and divided societies -- Neutrality at a cost: The price of not taking sides -- Patriotism and humanitarian principles -- Independence as a condition for trust -- Impartiality as a compass -- Organizational integrity: Internal alignment with principles -- A framework for applying humanitarian principles in the information age -- Influencers: Connectors and dividers -- Reaffirming humanitarian principles in the age of digital tools -- Principled action requires more than declarations
8. TRUTH, TRUST AND RESILIENCE IN THE HUMANITARIAN SECTOR, 301
The high stakes of the information crisis -- Why connection matters in humanitarian response -- What’s ahead? Evolutions and known unknowns -- Defining humanitarian resilience in the information age -- Trust broker: the human bridge to credibility -- Humanitarian principles as a compass -- Recommendations for resilience -- Prerequisites and cross cutting enablers -- Conclusion: Together, we can uphold and reclaim space for humanity
