The Power and Pitfalls of Narratives in Humanitarian Action: Lessons from Ukraine

At Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW), Maryana Zaviyska, CEO and Research Portfolio Lead at Open Space Works Ukraine, joined colleagues from ODI’s Humanitarian Policy Group, Alliance UA CSO, and the British Red Cross to explore how narratives have shaped the humanitarian response to the war in Ukraine — and how those narratives must evolve.

Maryana shared insights from our joint research with HPG, reflecting on the power and consequences of narratives in humanitarian action. She emphasized that Ukrainians have often been portrayed as both resilient and vulnerable — a framing that mobilized solidarity, but also overshadowed less visible needs and masked the mental and emotional toll on frontline responders.

She questioned the fragility of solidarity-fueled responses, warning that narratives rooted in political and emotional momentum are highly susceptible to shifts in public opinion, media framing, and donor priorities — as seen in recent US aid cuts.

Maryana also spoke about the application of humanitarian principles like neutrality in the Ukrainian context. For many local actors, neutrality was not a meaningful operational tool — it was imposed bureaucratically and often contradicted the lived experience of those responding under fire. She called for deeper awareness of how narratives shape funding, legitimacy, and power dynamics — and for greater inclusion of local actors in both leading the response and defining its story.

Other powerful reflections came from fellow panelists and the audience:

John Bryant (HPG) emphasized that narratives aren’t just media tools — they actively shape policy, fundraising, and operational decisions. In the Ukraine case, solidarity-based narratives were pivotal in mobilizing support, but they also created tension with traditional humanitarian principles like neutrality and independence. He challenged the sector to be more critical of its own role in constructing and sustaining these narratives.

Olha Shevchuk-Kliuzheva (Alliance UA CSO) underlined that true localization means transferring power, not just resources. She stressed that Ukrainian civil society has the experience and expertise to lead — and should not be reduced to an “implementer” role. Her three key advocacy messages:

1. Dignity means decision-making power
2. Expertise means recognition, not just funding
3. Localization means partnership rooted in equity and shared responsibility

Silvia Colona (British Red Cross) reflected on how the Ukrainian Red Cross became a model of how solidarity and neutrality can coexist in national humanitarian response. She called on the sector to embrace complexity and avoid false binaries — like local vs international, or neutral vs political — and emphasized the need to amplify local voices, especially in shaping public communications and advocacy.

Audience questions and reflections raised critical points:

1. Who has the power to set narratives — and why do they still come mostly from the global North?
2. Are humanitarian agencies willing to abandon flawed narratives, even if they are effective for fundraising?
3. Does a solidarity-based response risk being conditional, fragile, and politically manipulated over time?

One comment especially struck the room:

“When agencies continue to use narratives they know are false to get funding — in other sectors we’d call that fraud.”

As funding shrinks and the sector faces major structural shifts, the Ukraine response offers lessons — and warnings — about how narratives influence whose needs get seen, whose voices get heard, and whose leadership gets recognized.

Let’s move toward communications rooted in context, complexity, and trust — and create space for local actors to not just be represented, but to author the narratives.

#HNPW #HumanitarianAction #Narratives #Ukraine #Localization #CivilSociety #Leadership #Resilience #Solidarity #HumanitarianPrinciples #ODI #OpenSpaceWorksUkraine