Summit 2025 — Circle of Young Humanitarians

Join the third Young Humanitarian Summit

March 21-23, 2025

At Kraftwerk and Frame Cinema in Zurich, Switzerland

In a world shaped by transformation, where conflicts span continents, the timeless ideals of ICRC founder Henry Dunant and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) are as relevant as ever.

Held under the patronage of the ICRC, the Circle of Young Humanitarians proudly presents the third Young Humanitarian Summit (YHS). The YHS 2025 promotes intergenerational and interdisciplinary exchange, and empowers young people to reflect on humanitarian principles and integrate them into their everyday lives.

Over two and a half days, we invite young people of all backgrounds to connect and engage with high-level speakers and inspiring thought leaders from the humanitarian world and beyond.

Get your ticket now

Everything from Friday to Sunday - movie screening, catering, program and theater performance - is included in the ticket.
If you are in need of financial assistance for a ticket, please reach out to us by e-mail at info@young-humanitarians.ch.
If you wish to only attend the We Dare To Dream screening and Q&A with the award-winning Syrian filmmaker Waad al-Kateab at Frame Cinema, you can purchase a ticket for Friday evening.
If you wish to only attend on Saturday, this ticket includes catering, the Saturday program and the Malaika Theater performance.
Tickets for Saturday evening’s Malaika Theater performance can also be purchased separately (pay what you want).
If you wish to only attend on Sunday, this ticket includes catering and the Sunday program.
This ticket includes everything from Saturday and Sunday, including catering, the program on those two days, as well as the Malaika Theater performance on Saturday evening.

Check out our program

Meet the Speakers & Moderators

Ambassador Patricia Danzi

DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE SWISS AGENCY FOR DEVELOPMENT AND COOPERATION
Prof. Gilles Carbonnier

VICE-PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS (ICRC)
Luzia Tschirky

JOURNALIST AND EXPERT ON UKRAINE AND RUSSIA
Waad al-Kateab

FILMMAKER, ACTIVIST, CO-FOUNDER OF ACTION FOR SAMA
Carlos Alvarez Pereira

SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE CLUB OF ROME
Karen Tse

FOUNDER AND CEO, INTERNATIONAL BRIDGES TO JUSTICE
Zoya Miari

PEACE AMBASSADOR AND FOUNDER OF WAVES TO HOME
Joëlle Germanier

DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRE OF COMPETENCE ON HUMANITARIAN NEGOTIATION
Seán Binder

CRIMINAL BARRISTER
Christina Zhang

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ARCHITECTURE AT LEHIGH UNIVERSITY, CO-FOUNDER OF IDEATION WORLDWIDE
Jürg Kesselring

NEUROLOGIST, FORMER ICRC DELEGATE AND ASSEMBLY MEMBER
Marie-Ursula Kind

PASTOR IN ST. MORITZ AND ASSOCIATE EXPERT AT SWISSPEACE, FORMER EMPLOYEE AT THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT FOR FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
Melissa Kiehl

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION, INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS (ICRC)
Frédéric Ham

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM ADVISOR, MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES (MSF)
Leslie Jessen

EARTH OBSERVATION TECHNICAL LEAD, MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES (MSF)
Florence Fischer

JOURNALIST AND PRESENTER
Catherine Thommen

TV CORRESPONDENT BASEL-STADT AND BASEL-LAND
Jessica Eberhart

OPEN SOURCE INTELLIGENCE REPORTER AT NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG, CO-FOUNDER CIRCLE OF YOUNG HUMANITARIANS
Matthias Bachmann

SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR IN THE DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND ENVIRONMENT DIVISION OF THE SDC, MEMBER OF THE SWISS DELEGATION TO THE UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE
Saman Soltani

OLYMPIAN (PARIS 2024 REFUGEE OLYMPIC TEAM), MODERATOR AND COACH
Fiona Terry

HEAD OF THE CENTRE FOR OPERATIONAL RESEARCH AND EXPERIENCE, INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS (ICRC)
Lukas Bärfuss

AWARD-WINNING SWISS AUTHOR
Christine Maier

ENTREPRENEUR AND MODERATOR
Lai-Ling Lee Rodriguez

DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL, EXTERNAL AFFAIRS & FIELD OPERATIONS, MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES (MSF)

The Venues

Saturday & Sunday, March 22 & 23

Kraftwerk
Selnaustrasse 25, 8001 Zurich

Kraftwerk is a unique space fueling innovation and collaboration. The former power station is in walking distance to Zurich HB and provides an event hall, flexible workshop space, and a lively café with an inspiring atmosphere.

Friday, March 21

Frame Cinema
Europaallee | Lagerstrasse 104, 8004 Zürich

Frame Cinema is an intimate venue that brings storytelling to life. Located in the heart of Zurich, it offers a cozy atmosphere and a thoughtfully designed space, making it the perfect setting to enjoy a memorable movie screening experience.

Workshops

"Bridging Generations for Impact – Rethinking Humanitarian Communication and Engagement with Donors and Supporters "

INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS (ICRC)
Join passionate young leaders and seasoned humanitarians to explore fresh strategies for donor engagement and public inspiration. This workshop fosters collaboration, innovation, and diverse insights to strengthen connections in a rapidly changing world.
Hackathon (no coding skills needed) - with follow-up dates!

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"Map for Impact: Become a Missing Maps Contributor with MSF"

MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES (MSF)
Join our hands-on Mapathon (mapping workshop) and support MSF in delivering critical aid. Learn how digital mapping helps humanitarian missions in crisis areas and directly contribute to communities in need.
Mapathon - with follow-up dates!

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"Dialogues On Humanity"

SWISS AGENCY FOR DEVELOPMENT AND COOPERATION (SDC)
Humanitarian crises around the world make headlines every day, and images of tragedies are often blurred by cyberattacks and misinformation. We address the challenges of feeling helpless and overwhelmed by discussing the changing perception of humanity and creative ideas for Humanitarian Education.
Hackathon (no coding skills needed) - with follow-up dates!

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"From Knowledge to Action: Interactive Methods for Teaching and Exploring the Rules of War"

SWISS RED CROSS
How can the principles and rules of International Humanitarian Law be made accessible and engaging for young people? This workshop will present innovative tools and methods developed by the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Experience how interactive approaches promote and inspire understanding, reflection, and action.

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"From Barriers to Bridges: Reimagining Integration Together"

HAND 4 HAND - SUPPORTED BY GLOBAL SHAPERS
This workshop sheds light on the unseen barriers faced by migrants and refugees in Switzerland. Through discussions and activities, we’ll explore how cultural differences, emotional struggles, and systemic challenges shape their journey and how we can create meaningful change together!

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"Inner Change for Outer Action"

TransformAction Lab (HEKS/EPER)
Explore your inner resources through your body. Enhance your capacity to give the best of yourself to the world and build your resilience by cultivating skills needed for meaningful outer transformation to make a difference in the world, which we believe is impossible without inner change.
Important: This is an embodied workshop - be ready to move. All bodies are welcome, regardless of physical ability.

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"Imagining Home in War and Peace"

SASKIA KEELEY
The photography workshop will explore concepts of home and safety in two differing contexts: the realities of the West Bank in the Middle East and the actualities of the participants in Zürich. Working in pairs, sharing and listening, participants use photographs to attempt a greater understanding of home.

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"Learning Across Fractures for Planetary Reconciliation - An Invitation by The Fifth Element Programme of The Club of Rome"

THE CLUB OF ROME
Explore the collective learning to build your own pathways towards wellbeing for all on a healthy Earth. We build on the momentum of youth to foster mutual transformation across status, generations, disciplines, cultures, and geographies. For instance, what if we consider refugees as the vanguards of humanity?

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