Against a backdrop of growing global crises, the 2025 Human Rights and Humanitarian Forum convened on May 7, 2025, at UCLA, and drew a diverse and passionate group of activists, policymakers, academics, and humanitarians from over 30 countries. Co-hosted by the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA Law, this landmark event was part of Aurora’s 10th anniversary celebration and focused on a resonant theme: “At the Crossroads: Driving Integrated Action for a Resilient Future.”
“We are so honored to have some of the most eminent thinkers and scholars in the human rights and humanitarian fields here today, as well as the many Aurora Luminaries and Laureates from around the globe,” said Catherine Sweetser, Interim Executive Director of the Promise Institute, in opening remarks at the Forum. She was followed by Armine Afeyan, CEO of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, who delivered a compelling call to action: “We’re gathering in a moment of great need in the world. We need foresight, long-term vision, stronger leadership, and cross-sector experience. We need more partnerships to get the most out of constrained resources, attention, time, and funding. Along with these pressing needs, I’ll add more: compassion, more empathy, more humanity.”
Their messages set the tone for a day centered on not just identifying global issues, but on supporting, sustainably and flexibly, those working on the frontlines of humanitarian response and defense of human rights. This year’s forum marked UCLA’s second time co-hosting the event and underscored the urgency of collaborative, cross-sector approaches to marshalling effective, locally led responses to the world’s most urgent crises.
The first session, “Global Pulse Check,” brought together top global thinkers to reflect on the current state and direction of the world.
“Every year, we say Aurora has never been more necessary—but this year, it’s more true than ever,” moderator Nickolas Kristof, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist at The New York Times, began, referencing the United States’ government’s efforts to deport migrants to places where atrocities such as rape and torture continue unchecked.
“Today the ‘inhumanitarians’ are winning,” Noubar Afeyan, Co-Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and Founder and CEO of Flagship Pioneering, responded with a striking neologism. “Now with institutional support diminishing rapidly for [those impacted by] conflicts, it puts even more pressure on individuals to act both on the philanthropy side, but also in the field, actually saving the lives of others.” He stressed the importance of ‘paranoid optimism’ for a better future, saying that if a person can keep both mindsets alive in their mind, it positions them to face the dangers of the moment while still being able to do what it takes to thrive.
“Some of the behavior of autocratic regimes—they’re a replication of what we’ve seen for centuries.” Eric Esrailian, Co-Founder of The Promise Institute for Human Rights; Co-Founder of the next chapter and Board Member of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and Chief of UCLA Vatche & Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, acknowledged the repeating patterns of history. But today, he added, the tools for action are more powerful than ever and it’s harder to hide barbaric approaches towards people. He pointed to Artsakh, where Armenians have faced displacement and aggression by Azerbaijan. “At some point there can be a change, and I think it’s up to people like all of you who are here and are building networks that can support you to remember that it’s always kind of darkest before the dawn.”
“I was a student at the time of the Rwandan genocide,” Comfort Ero, President and CEO of the International Crisis Group, offered a stirring reflection on the failures of political memory. “Every leader said, ‘Never again.’ Then Darfur. Then Israel-Palestine. We keep repeating these words that will never repeat the past. And the past is with us every single day.” Her words were a sobering indictment of global leadership and the systems meant to prevent atrocity. “The question is to make the case—the business case, unfortunately—as to why a particular country should provide assistance to another country. The idea that you can live in isolationism, I think there are enough examples in history where it does come to bite you in the end, where you decide to ignore another country’s plight.”
Gayle Smith, Board Member of Skoll Foundation, former CEO of ONE Campaign and former USAID Administrator, emphasized the devastating consequences that recent global cuts to humanitarian funding—particularly U.S. cuts—will have on the most vulnerable populations. Still, she stated, there is reason for hope. “I’ve worked with many members of Congress, both from Democrats and Republicans. Some of them were more cynical about the U.S. doing anything on humanitarian aid or development than you can imagine. [But] when they met real people and saw real things, they flipped. They saw the humanity of it. So, I think it’s on all of us to figure out how, in building a new constituency, we tell more stories of people like all of you because at the end of the day that’s the most persuasive thing.”
In closing, Nicholas Kristof offered a poignant reminder: “Side by side with the worst of humanity, you find the very best. When people are truly tested, they are capable of incredible things.”