The Middle East Crisis and Its Cascading Impacts for European Philanthropy
Philanthropy and Crisis will host “The Middle East Crisis and Its Cascading Impacts for European Philanthropy” online on 20 March.
The Middle East is entering a dangerous new phase of instability and unpredictability. The US-Israeli strikes against Iran have quickly spiralled into a broader regional confrontation, with hostilities spreading across the region to Lebanon, Iraq and the wider Gulf. Escalating military operations, displacement of civilians and disruptions to global shipping routes signal that this is not a short-lived crisis but a structural turning point in the region’s geopolitical landscape.
For Europe, the consequences are likely to unfold over multiple time horizons. In the short term, humanitarian needs across the region are expanding rapidly while in the medium term, Europe may experience renewed migration pressures, volatility of the energy markets, and heightened political polarisation linked to the conflict. Over the longer term, the crisis risks reshaping the geopolitical order across Europe’s southern neighbourhood, weakening fragile states and amplifying security risks.
This session will discuss the role of European philanthropy in reacting to this crisis, will reflect on the immediate humanitarian needs that have arisen and will investigate the role of anticipation and longer-term assessment around the unfolding crisis.
Taking place under the Chatham House rule, the session will seek to understand how this crisis may reshape Europe’s social, political and economic landscape, and how philanthropy can support resilience, civil society capacity and peace-building initiatives in both the Middle East region and Europe itself. It will help to explore the impacts of the war on the longer-term impact of the war on the longer term and how philanthropy can prepare.
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