Conference: “Navigating the Humanitarian Landscape: Access, Disinformation & Criminalization”

As 2026 begins, there are over 239 million people in need of humanitarian aid. Under severe cuts in funding, humanitarian actors have to navigate an increasingly complex situation to secure access to those in need. Jean-Raphaël Poitou, Institutional Relations Desk Officer for the Middle East in Action Against Hunger-Spain (ACH-Spain), will talk about the challenges posed by legal, security, and financial restrictions to the provision of aid in Gaza and beyond. In these context, the deliberate use of disinformation has become a threat to humanitarian action, putting the life, work, and reputation of aid workers at risk. Join us to learn how ACH-Spain navigate this complex humanitarian landscape to continue delivering aid.

Speaker: Jean-Raphaël Poitou began his career in the private sector (insurance) before joining the field of international cooperation and humanitarian action in 2004. He has worked for organisations such as Afrane and Handicap International, and has been with Action Against Hunger since 2007. He has held strategic positions within the organisation: first as Head of Operations for the Middle East and Asia, leading the planning and supervision of programmes in complex contexts, and currently as Head of Policy Advocacy for the Middle East. He has extensive experience in managing international teams, negotiating with governments and multilateral organisations, and implementing humanitarian policy frameworks. He has lived in Panama, the United States, the United Kingdom, Vietnam and Afghanistan, and regularly travels to the field for operational monitoring and political dialogue.