Document Type

Editorial

Publication Date

2024

DOI

10.3389/fhumd.2024.1508123

Publication Title

Frontiers in Human Dynamics

Volume

6

Pages

1508123 (1-3)

Abstract

[Introduction] The papers in this Research Topic contribute to the growing body of knowledge on citizen-led initiatives responding to disasters and humanitarian emergencies globally. From conflict and climate change to increased migration and the COVID-19 pandemic, the world faces humanitarian challenges of unprecedented scope and scale. With the globalization of news, travel, and crowdfunding, these crises have become more visible to ordinary citizens, prompting some to start their own aid initiatives. These small, often spontaneous organizations, sometimes referred to as Citizen Initiatives for Global Solidarity (CIGS), emerge to address urgent needs. Our team has studied the phenomenon of citizen-led aid over the past decade, exploring how ordinary citizens have increasingly become influential humanitarian actors. Their rapid entry (and often exit) into the aid landscape presents challenges regarding governance, sustainability, and resource efficiency (Frydenlund et al., 2020; Clark et al., 2021). Yet they can also offer alternative solutions, participate in coordinated local efforts (Shults et al., 2021), fill gaps in aid (Frydenlund et al., 2023) and serve as watchdogs over traditional aid actors (Haaland and Wallevik, 2019).

Rights

© 2024 Frydenlund, Haaland, Padilla and Wallevik.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution, or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Original Publication Citation

Frydenlund, E., Haaland, H., Padilla, J. J., & Wallevik, H. (2024). Editorial: Citizen initiatives for global solidarity (CIGS) in disaster and humanitarian response. Frontiers in Human Dynamics, 6, 1-3, Article 1508123. https://doi.org/10.3389/fhumd.2024.1508123

ORCID

0000-0002-7694-7845 (Frydenlund)

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