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World Disasters Report Table of Contents

Synthesis
Synthesis

Synthesis

At crisis point: Countering harmful information, defending humanity

  1. Foreword By Jagan Chapagain
  2. Synthesis - At crisis point: Countering harmful information, defending humanity
  3. Harmful information is not background noise
  4. Asks, aims and recommendations
  5. Trust, truth and preparedness
  6. Asks, aims and recommendations
  7. Navigating humanitarian action in a post-trust information era
  8. Asks, aims and recommendations
  9. Navigating a hostile information landscape
  10. Asks, aims and recommendations
  11. A collective responsibility for preserving principled humanitarian action
  12. Asks, aims and recommendations
  13. From communication to collaboration
  14. Asks, aims and recommendations
  15. Principled action requires more than declarations
  16. Asks, aims and recommendations
  17. The role of data in humanitarian decision-making
  18. Asks, aims and recommendations
  19. Roadmap for resilience: Core pillars
  20. Prerequisites and crosscutting enablers
  21. Systemic support needs
  22. Together, we can uphold and reclaim space for humanity
  23. Endnotes
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Acronyms
Acronyms

Acronyms

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Introduction
Introduction

Introduction

At crisis point: Countering harmful information, defending humanity

  1. Endnotes
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Crisis, chaos and confusion: Understanding harmful information in humanitarian contexts
Chapter 01

Crisis, chaos and confusion: Understanding harmful information in humanitarian contexts

  1. Introduction
  2. Defining harmful information
  3. The evolving information ecosystem
  4. Who are the threat actors?
  5. Information integrity in crisis situations
  6. From broadcast to two-way engagement
  7. Who is most vulnerable to harmful information – and why?
  8. What is the impact of harmful information?
  9. Artificial intelligence and harmful information
  10. Narratives shape perception, trust and action
  11. Controlling accessibility and content moderation
  12. Analysis and monitoring of harmful information
  13. Concluding remarks: harmful information is not background noise
  14. Asks, aims and recommendations
  15. Endnotes
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Harmful information and the erosion of trust in humanitarian response: The role of truth, trust and technology
Chapter 02

Harmful information and the erosion of trust in humanitarian response: The role of truth, trust and technology

The shifting ground of trust

  1. Incentivised to Hostility
  2. Trust: What is Being Lost?
  3. Trust in Institutions
  4. Integrity, Perception and the Fragile Foundation of Trust
  5. Decline of Expertise and its Impact on Trust
  6. Community Engagement: A Bridge to Trust
  7. Facts and Feelings: A Perception Challenge
  8. Responding to Harmful Information: Building Trust in Crises
  9. Transparency and Identifiability: Foundations for Trust
  10. Concluding Remarks: Trust, Truth and Preparedness
  11. Endnotes
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Global and local: Dynamics of harmful information in a connected world
Chapter 03

Global and local: Dynamics of harmful information in a connected world

Harmful narratives that thrive

  1. Introduction: Harmful narratives that thrive
  2. Local and global interplay
  3. When words harm: The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s call to action
  4. The evolving nexus between cyberattacks and harmful information
  5. Addressing harmful information, strengthening early warning and response
  6. Risk communication and community engagement
  7. Concluding remarks: Navigating humanitarian action in a post‑trust information era
  8. Asks, aims and recommendations
  9. Endnotes
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From context to consequence: Humanitarian sector voices on the impact of harmful information
Chapter 04

From context to consequence: Humanitarian sector voices on the impact of harmful information

Harmful information and operational realities

  1. Introduction: Harmful information and operational realities
  2. Narratives of harm
  3. Harms and impacts of harmful information on humanitarian action
  4. Do no harm in a harmful information age
  5. Vulnerabilities and amplifiers
  6. From fragmentation to focus: Avoiding overwhelm and building humanitarian capacity
  7. When viruses go viral: Building resilience against harmful information in a pandemic
  8. Concluding remarks: Navigating a hostile information landscape
  9. Asks, aims and recommendations
  10. Endnotes
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Navigating regulation, rights and societal resilience
Chapter 05

Navigating regulation, rights and societal resilience

Information landscape and humanitarian contexts

  1. Introduction: Information landscape and humanitarian contexts
  2. Defining harmful information: A strategic and contextual challenge
  3. The risks of information control in emergencies
  4. Digital ceasefires and harmful information
  5. Sovereignty in cyberspace
  6. Media as a pillar of societal resilience
  7. A threat to humanitarian action and to humanity itself
  8. Red Cross and Red Crescent Appeal to States
  9. UN action on AI and information integrity
  10. Content moderation and the power of platforms
  11. From self‑regulation to state oversight: The evolving governance of online content
  12. Framing a response: Supply and demand solutions to disinformation
  13. Civic trust and societal resilience
  14. Concluding remarks: A collective responsibility for preserving principled humanitarian action
  15. Asks, aims and recommendations
  16. Endnotes
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Rooted in resilience: Community-first approach to harmful information
Chapter 06

Rooted in resilience: Community-first approach to harmful information

The importance of community for resilience

  1. Introduction: The importance of community for resilience
  2. Determining community
  3. Community engagement and accountability
  4. What communities say: Primary research insights
  5. Community-led solutions
  6. Unpacking risk: A gender and diversity lens
  7. Building sustainable information resilience
  8. The community within: How volunteers build trust and humanitarian reach
  9. Effective communication in the context of harmful information
  10. Critical reflections: Challenges in practice
  11. Concluding remarks: From communication to collaboration
  12. Asks, aims and recommendations
  13. Endnotes
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Upholding humanitarian principles in the age of echo chambers
Chapter 07

Upholding humanitarian principles in the age of echo chambers

Outpaced – humanitarian action in the era of instant narratives

  1. Introduction: Outpaced – humanitarian action in the era of instant narratives
  2. Reaffirming and applying humanity in an age of distrust
  3. Dehumanization in the digital age
  4. Promoting tolerance in diverse and divided societies
  5. Neutrality at a cost: The price of not taking sides
  6. Patriotism and humanitarian principles
  7. Independence as a condition for trust
  8. Impartiality as a compass
  9. Organizational integrity: Internal alignment with principles
  10. A framework for applying humanitarian principles in the information age
  11. Influencers: Connectors and dividers
  12. Reaffirming humanitarian principles in the age of digital tools
  13. Concluding remarks: Principled action requires more than declarations
  14. Asks, aims and recommendations
  15. Endnotes
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Truth, trust and resilience in the humanitarian sector
Chapter 08

Truth, trust and resilience in the humanitarian sector

The high stakes of the information crisis

  1. Information as aid: 20 years on
  2. Why connection matters in humanitarian response
  3. What’s ahead? Evolutions and known unknowns
  4. Defining humanitarian resilience in the information age
  5. Trust brokers – the human bridge to credibility
  6. Humanitarian principles as a compass
  7. Recommendations for resilience
  8. Prerequisites and crosscutting enablers
  9. Conclusion: Together, we can uphold and reclaim space for humanity
  10. Endnotes
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Annex 1
Annex 1

Glossary

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Annex 2
Annex 2

The role of data in humanitarian decision-making

  1. Why data matters: Informing decisions, guiding action
  2. Recent trends
  3. Concluding remarks: Lessons and looking ahead
  4. Asks, aims, and recommendations
  5. Endnotes
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