On March 9, 2025, David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), visited the Fudan Institute for Global Public Policy (IGPP) and participated in the inaugural session of the “Global Leadership Series.” During the session, Mr. Miliband engaged in discussions with faculty and students on international humanitarian crises, humanitarian aid, and the current global landscape. Vice President Zhimin Chen of Fudan University and Dean Yijia Jing of IGPP welcomed Mr. Miliband. The event was also attended by Benjamin Griffin, Consul at the British Consulate-General in Shanghai.

Mr. Miliband is a prominent British politician who previously served as the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Secretary of State for the Environment, during which he promoted pragmatic cooperation and development in China-UK relations. Following his political career, he became the President and CEO of the IRC, a humanitarian organization founded by Albert Einstein in 1933. The IRC currently provides humanitarian aid in more than 40 war-affected countries and offers refugee resettlement and support programs in over 20 cities across the United States. As the son of refugees who fled to the UK during World War II, Mr. Miliband is deeply committed to international humanitarian relief efforts.

Mr. Miliband delivered the 67th lecture in the Fudan-LSE Lecture Series on “The World’s Flashpoints: Building A United Effort for Humanitarian Action.” He highlighted that 300 million people worldwide are currently in need of humanitarian aid and identified four major imbalances driving the growing crisis: the increasing reliance on conflict rather than diplomacy to resolve disputes, the rising frequency of attacks on civilians, climate injustice and responsibility shifting, and widening economic inequality. In response, international relief efforts should focus on not only providing emergency life support but also on fostering long-term capacity building. He also proposed eight areas to optimize international humanitarian aid and emphasized the need for international humanitarian efforts to transition from a sector to a system to better alleviate suffering, support the most vulnerable populations and address cross-border challenges.

Subsequently, Professor Jing invited Mr. Miliband, Associate Professor Zhian Lu from Law School, Professor Xi Lin from the Fudan Institute of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences, and Associate Professor Chuchu Zhang from the School of International Relations and Public Affairs to participate in a roundtable discussion on “International Humanitarian Aid in a Turbulent World.” The discussion delved into theoretical and practical issues in the paradigm shift of international humanitarian aid, resource challenges posed by populism and the reduction of U.S. international development funding, security risks faced by humanitarian workers in Gaza and other regions, and the increasing participation of Global South countries in humanitarian efforts. Mr. Miliband offered advice to Chinese and global youth interested in humanitarian aid careers, emphasizing the increasing demand for multidisciplinary expertise. He highlighted the growing localization of humanitarian work and encouraged young professionals to complement their academic studies with hands-on experience, advocating for a dual-track approach of “academia + practice.” He also urged young people to integrate diverse professional backgrounds to bring innovative perspectives to humanitarian aid. Students from around the world then engaged with Mr. Miliband and the panelists, contributing diverse viewpoints to the discussion.

After the discussion, Professor Jing presented Mr. Miliband with the book New Development Assistance: Emerging Economies and the New Landscape of Development Assistance and a special issue of Global Public Policy and Governance (Vol. 21, Issue 3) on the protection of migrant and refugee rights.

During the event, Mr. Miliband and his delegation also visited the LSE-Fudan Research Centre for Global Public Policy and IGPP.