IFRC Solferino Academy Annual Report

2024

Who we are, what we do and why

Introduction

The IFRC Solferino Academy helps National Societies of the IFRC network transform so they can be more fit for the challenges and opportunities of the future. We aim to help National Societies be more anticipatory, agile and innovative. 

We do this in alignment with the transformation priorities of the IFRC Strategy 2030 and the IFRC Agenda for Renewal. Our three areas of focus are;

1

We help leaders transform for the future

We support leadership in all its forms to develop the capabilities and insights needed to lead transformation, adapt to changing realities and to build systems and cultures for change.

2

We catalyse and promote Innovation

We develop initiatives that help promote innovation and the enabling environments necessary for it to thrive in our network.

3

We are a Think Tank for the IFRC Network

We provide platforms for new thinking and approaches where National Societies can learn from others and strengthen their own strategies and transformation processes.

In 2024, we engaged hundreds of thousands of individuals across the IFRC Network of National Societies, attempting to catalyse insight, momentum and energy. This report reflects our collective efforts and charts the progress we have made toward a more resilient future. We are constantly humbled by the incredible efforts of National Societies at change, hope and humanity in the face of adversity and complexity and are proud to play a small part in their journey.

As always we welcome your input and advice for how we can do better. Write to us directly at solferino.academy@ifrc.org, use the contact form, or leave a comment at the bottom of this report.

Focus Area 01

Leadership for the future

How do we prepare leaders to navigate complexity with anticipation and impact? By fostering curiosity and collaboration, we helped leaders uncover actionable strategies to address emerging challenges while inspiring adaptability.

We prioritized strategic conversations, collaborative learning and reflections. Through immersive programs, we created spaces for leaders to build support networks, rethink strategies, and envision the future of humanitarian leadership.

Leadership for the future

Leadership Study Tours

Senior leaders from Lesotho, Russia, Iraq, Costa Rica, and China embarked on a program to learn from contextual examples of transformation in Kenya, Spain and China. Together we explored areas such as;

Innovative volunteering approaches and transformative thinking on mobilising massive grassroots movements for change

New approaches to community engagement that align with strategic priorities

Digital transformation

The role of leadership in driving innovation, sustainability, and transparency

The tours combined immersive learning with open dialogue, equipping leaders with actionable strategies and fostering sustainable bilateral cooperation. Participants actively used the insights gained from the study tours to inform and guide their own strategies and change programs. We are continuing to monitor the impacts of this contextualised learning approach to change.

“When societies from different ends of the world share their own experiences, the possibility of analyzing and understanding the particularities opens up, but also trying to find that essential link of how we do things and so that it allows us to ask ourselves: Are we making progress? Are we on pause? Are we going wrong? Is this the way or is this not the way?”
Study Tour Participant

Leadership for the future

Leadership Bootcamp — A groundbreaking pilot program

Presidents from 15 National Societies across the Americas engaged in a 3 day intensive program focusing on strategic foresight, innovation systems, and adaptive leadership.

Participants explored systems approaches to enabling innovation, collaboration and new mindsets in their organisations, as well as strategies to build anticipatory decision making, and the skills and capabilities we want to promote in leadership. By the program’s end, leaders pledged to support one another in achieving strategic goals and sustaining peer learning networks.

“My personal learnings? There were many moments. While we are different in geographical context we have similar underlying issues. New methodology, new ideas and perspectives were so meaningful. It’s amazing what we can do when we come together and support each other”.
Bootcamp participant
Focus Area 02

Catalysing Innovation

By focusing on grassroots innovation through initiatives like Limitless and the Innovation Support System, we tried to equip  young leaders and National Societies with the tools to lead change.

We focus particularly on how to enable greater localised innovation.

Catalysing Innovation

IFRC Limitless Youth Innovation Academy

By focusing on grassroots innovation through initiatives like Limitless and the Innovation Support System, we equipped  young leaders and National Societies with the tools to lead change. The innovative projects and systemic changes born from these programs demonstrated the power of local creativity in addressing global challenges.

Young People Trained

Training over 6,700 young people from 142 National Societies in essential skills such as leadership, climate action, and innovation methodologies.

Innovative Projects

More than 2,000 youth have designed and now lead 905 innovative projects in 82 countries.

Community Members Reached

These projects directly impacted over 250,000 people and reached an additional 1.2 million people through community initiatives.

Views on YouTube®

Limitless project videos submitted by young people have now been viewed more than 300,000 times on our YouTube® channel.

High Potential Projects

5 high potential projects were presented to senior leaders at the IFRC General Assembly in Geneva.

Delivered through platforms like WhatsApp® and WeChat® in 14 languages and an innovative bespoke automotive video platform (designed by our friends at Monash University), Limitless ensured accessibility for diverse participants, including those in low-bandwidth areas. By blending hands-on training, mentorship, and technological tools, Limitless cultivated scalable solutions led by youth for a sustainable future.

“Limitless has already promoted the innovation network in my country. Young people have come up with great ideas in innovation, accountability, and inclusion.”
Limitless Participant

Catalysing Innovation

Innovation Support Systems (ISS)

A fantastic appetite has grown among National Societies for approaches to encourage more innovation from staff and volunteers. We developed the Innovation Support Systems (ISS) to respond to this. The ISS program supports National Societies in embedding innovation into their organizational structures to create sustainable, community-driven solutions.

National Societies in Uganda, Portugal, Bolivia, and Colombia successfully implemented their ISS frameworks, with Costa Rica and Honduras progressing toward completion. The ISS empowers staff and volunteers to lead impactful projects and ensure innovation remains a long-term priority.

“The ISS process reignited our passion for change and helped clarify transformative goals for lasting impact.”

National Society Leader
Area of Focus 03

A Think Tank for the IFRC Network

We convene National Societies, external experts and diverse communities all over the world to explore emerging issues, trends and complexities. These global conversations generate actionable insights and intelligence, shaping anticipatory strategies and offering options for governance, systems and structures that can navigate uncertainty.

A Think Tank for the IFRC Network

Strategy 2030 Midterm Review and Forecast

The IFRC Solferino Academy partnered with the Strategy and Planning team of the IFRC to lead the Strategy 2030 Midterm Review and Forecast. The IFRC Solferino Academy was responsible for exploring the changing environment we live in, future trends and what we should prioritise for the coming 5 years of the Strategy period.

Staff and volunteers contributed

4,500 staff and volunteers contributed insights through global consultations. Our Strategy 2030 intelligence centre was visited over 32,000 times

Senior Leaders

A workshop was held during the IFRC General Assembly for 400 senior leaders who examined emerging trends and strategic priorities

Main Outcome

A final report will be published early 2025 and the findings will also inform future efforts of the IFRC Solferino Academy.

Artefact for the  Senior Leaders Workshop during the 2024 Statutory Meetings

Preliminary findings were published in the Everyone Counts report

“Our ability to adapt and innovate in the face of complex crises of today is what will define our success as a global humanitarian network. Systems thinking and systemic leadership are not just strategies; they are imperatives for building resilience.”
National Society Leader

We also facilitated strategic foresight exercises with groups such as the International Cash Hub, the Disaster Crisis Working Group, and the ICG group of International Directors, helping define transformative pathways, strategies and practical plans.

A Think Tank for the IFRC Network

Leadership Think Tanks

Participants

We facilitated Leadership Think Tanks that encouraged leaders to explore a range of topics including the types of characteristics that are required for leaders today and how we can build adaptive National Societies. 

Views

Our Dialogue on Courage and Change, organised together with GlowRed had 500 participants and over 1,000 views on YouTube and connected hundreds of leaders.

Pages viewed

The IFRC Solferino Academy’s websites amassed 526,000 page views from across the world. This milestone reflects the sector’s growing interest in innovative approaches to leadership and the Think Tank’s role as a catalyst for dialogue and transformation in the humanitarian landscape.

A Think Tank for the IFRC Network

Voices of Communities

We recognise the lived experiences of communities as a vital source of knowledge and insight. We played a pivotal role in placing grassroots voices at the heart of the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent and beyond.

Months of dynamic engagement with Movement stakeholders ensured that authentic, diverse community perspectives contributed to discussions on International Humanitarian Law, the Fundamental Principles, and locally-led action.

A team of community journalists from eight countries—Argentina, Cameroon, Egypt, Lebanon, Nepal, Philippines, South Sudan, and Tunisia — gathered stories from their communities. These perspectives, shared through a mini-podcast series on the Solferino Voices YouTube® channel, reached 24,000 followers and garnered thousands of views during the conference.

The International conference opened with a 360° audiovisual experience that brought the voices of those directly impacted by crises and humanitarian work into the spotlight. This powerful soundscape showcased quotes, stories and perspectives from communities all over the world.

These postcards are the ‘Voices of Tomorrow’ a sonic journey through 20 testimonies of humanitarians from different regions around the world. We hear their perspectives on some of the most important and challenging topics facing humanitarian workers today — International Humanitarian Law, fundamental principles, and local humanitarian action.

By amplifying the voices of volunteers and communities, we reinforced the urgency of integrating these perspectives into humanitarian decision-making.

“Each of us has the power to make a difference in our communities and the world at large.”
Volunteer
“Communities are strong and resilient, but they need resources and support to unlock their full potential.”
Volunteer

A Think Tank for the IFRC Network

Blogs and Thought pieces

We published 37 pieces and 46.7K words from thought leaders all over the world, on topics such as humanitarian financing, principles, emerging trends and future scenarios. These pieces were viewed over 290,000 times

Let’s look ahead to 2024 in Asia Pacific from Red Cross and Red Crescent. Dramatic shifts in power in Afghanistan and Myanmar in 2021 put the Asia Pacific region at the forefront of humanitarian attention.

A look ahead to 2024 in Asia Pacific

Alexander Matheou, IFRC Regional Director for Asia Pacific

Like the other National Societies, Costa Rican Red Cross had to adapt and transform during the COVID-19 pandemic. Maycol Alonso Morales Pita, National Executive from Costa Rican Red Cross, reflects on how ‘human talent’, the digital transformation, and mental health of staff and volunteers became key themes for the National Society’s capacity for innovation and resilience.

Sami ñaraki, “We walk together”

Maycol Alonso Morales Pita, National Executive from Costa Rican Red Cross

The humanitarian system has undergone many changes in recent years. These have been triggered by political and economic factors, security considerations, the multiplicity of actors, vulnerable populations at risk, volunteers and new technologies – the last of which has ignited unprecedented innovation in humanitarian affairs.

Three Priorities for the Humanitarian Future

Liana Ghukasyan, Special Advisor to the President at IFRC

A Think Tank for the IFRC Network

Creative Approaches

Collaborating with the University of Cambridge, we built the Forma Futures Market to examine complex crises and catastrophic global risks.

The Fragments of the Future exhibition at the International Conference (asnwer to our Call for Creative Stories and Artistic Pieces) showcased innovative ideas to tackle emerging digital risks. Dicover

Tiniest Souls, Abril Chimal, Lena Tünkers

Tech-enable Resilience, Anubhav Ghimire

ADUS Anti-Drone Umbrella Shield, Jose Hinojo

TruthNode, Dhaval Kothari

Echoguard, Mark Matakili

Conclusion

Across leadership, foresight, innovation, and community engagement, our work in 2024 has shown that navigating complexity requires a commitment to collaboration, hard conversations and intentions to try new ideas.
Whether bringing forward grassroots voices, equipping leaders to adapt or fostering innovative solutions, each initiative brought us closer to answering the question at the heart of our efforts: How do we navigate such complexity with anticipation, impact and hope? As we look to the future, we remain committed to our mission.
A Thousand Thank You’s

Contact Us

15 + 2 =

We are very grateful to all our brilliant, courageous and innovative partners.

the IFRC Solferino Academy is hosted by the Italian Red Cross

The IFRC Solferino Academy Team

Shaun Hazeldine
Shaun Hazeldine

Head Solferino Academy

Gintare Guzeviciute
Gintare Guzeviciute

Senior Advisor Leadership and Transformation (Deputy Head of Solferino Academy)

Sara Panciroli
Sara Panciroli

Officer Amministrazione e Finanza

Henry Cáceres
Henry Cáceres

Global Innovation Officer

Laurent Fernandez
Laurent Fernandez

Projects and information Manager

Ben Holt
Ben Holt

Strategic Foresight Lead

Heather Marie Leson
Heather Marie Leson

Digital Innovation Lead

Yann le Floc’h
Yann le Floc’h

Art Director

Marine Ronzi
Marine Ronzi

Partnership and Communications coordination

Yang Liu
Yang Liu

Intern, digital communications and network engagement

Gaia Nati
Gaia Nati

Strategic Foresight and Innovation Officer

Yeon Park
Yeon Park

Intern, digital communications and network engagement

Hamza Hamwie
Hamza Hamwie

Digital engagement

Sara Gullet
Sara Gullet

Junior Consultancy – Innovation Support Officer

Ben Ramalingam
Ben Ramalingam

Special Advisor, Strategy and Innovation