Panel participation: Türkiye's Humanitarian Diplomacy and Assistance in the Peaceful Resolution of Conflicts, Johannesburg, 21 November 2025

The Inclusive Society Institute participated in a high-level panel discussion titled “Türkiye’s Humanitarian Diplomacy and Assistance in the Peaceful Resolution of Conflicts”, organised by the Communication Directorate of the Türkiye Presidency and held in Johannesburg on 21 November 2025 on the margins of the G20 Leaders’ Summit. The event formed part of South Africa’s G20 Presidency programme, which is anchored in the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.” The panel explored Türkiye’s growing role in humanitarian diplomacy, its experience in mediation, and the emerging opportunities for deeper South–South cooperation in addressing global crises.

The session brought together leading academics, policy practitioners and civil society voices. The panel was moderated by Prof. Dr. Kılıç Buğra Kanat (Penn State University), with contributions from Prof. William Gumede, Prof. Dr. Erman Akıllı, Dr. Liaqat Alli Azam, Dr. Tunç Demirtaş and Mr. Daryl Swanepoel, Chief Executive Officer of the Inclusive Society Institute.

The discussion examined Türkiye’s evolving humanitarian diplomacy model, which in recent years has become a central pillar of its foreign policy. The panel contextualised Türkiye’s increasing international footprint, from its role in peace facilitation in regions such as Karabakh, Libya, Syria and Ukraine, to its leadership in humanitarian operations through institutions like AFAD, TİKA and the Turkish Red Crescent. The Black Sea Grain Initiative was highlighted as an example of how results-oriented diplomacy can generate practical, confidence-building outcomes.

The panellists also reflected on the shrinking humanitarian capacity of the United Nations system, with global need expanding faster than the resources available to the multilateral system. This widening gap has created space, and necessity, for middle-income countries (MICs) to assume more proactive roles in humanitarian action and crisis mediation.

Contribution by the Inclusive Society Institute

ISI CEO Daryl Swanepoel delivered substantive remarks focusing on the opportunities emerging for greater middle-income country leadership in humanitarian diplomacy. Drawing on the South African and Turkish experiences, he emphasised that as the UN system comes under increasing fiscal and operational strain, middle-income countries must show greater solidarity with one another and step forward to help fill the vacuum in global humanitarian leadership.

Mr. Swanepoel described Türkiye’s humanitarian diplomacy model as practical, agile and impactful, noting its visible interventions during crises such as the Syrian refugee emergency and its rapid mobilisation capacity in humanitarian response. He placed this within the broader African context as South Africa hosts the G20 for the first time on the continent.

Importantly, he underscored that humanitarian action serves both moral and national-interest objectives. While the primary beneficiaries are people in crisis, countries that step up gain durable diplomatic relationships, soft power, regional stability and opportunities for cooperation in peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction.

A proposal for Middle-Income leadership

In his remarks, Mr. Swanepoel tabled a concrete proposal for elevating MIC cooperation through a Türkiye-South Africa Humanitarian Solidarity Initiative, open to participation by other willing middle-income partners. The proposal comprises three pillars:

• A joint humanitarian and mediation platform, combining diplomatic networks, analytical capacity and mediation experience to support peace efforts and humanitarian corridors in regions where MICs countries have longstanding ties.

• A South–South humanitarian facility, co-sponsored by Türkiye and South Africa and other interested MICs, focused on “forgotten crises” that receive limited attention from major donors. Contributions may include funding, logistics, medical teams, engineering support and training.

• A capacity-building partnership among think tanks, universities and civil society to train young diplomats and humanitarian professionals in mediation, negotiation and crisis response.

He emphasised that such a platform would not replace the UN but complement it, providing agility and regional insight that traditional institutions sometimes lack.