On November 2, 2026, World Renew joined a group of Canadian civil society leaders in Ottawa for a roundtable with Tom Fletcher, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. The gathering created an opportunity for humanitarian and development organizations to speak directly with a UN leader about challenges facing communities around the world and the role of civil society in responding.
Humanitarian leadership in Canada and beyond
Peter Timmerman, Executive Director of World Renew Canada, represented World Renew alongside organizations including the Aga Khan Foundation, Oxfam, Canadian Foodgrains Bank, and several of its member organizations. The small-group format allowed participants to raise specific questions and share perspectives on the future of humanitarian assistance, multilateralism, peacebuilding, diplomacy, and international cooperation.
For Timmerman, being part of the conversation was especially meaningful because of the United Nations’ role in convening humanitarian organizations during crises. Across many of the countries where World Renew and its partners work, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) helps bring humanitarian actors together to coordinate responses and address urgent needs.
The discussion also provided an opportunity to emphasize the importance of maintaining a needs-based approach to humanitarian relief and development at a time when governments are balancing international responsibilities with significant pressures at home.
“I think it’s so important for faith-based organizations to be present in these spaces because our Christian faith calls us to care for people beyond our own borders, even when there is nothing in it for us,” said Timmerman. “Jesus instructs us to be a neighbour to those in need. We are definitely called to this. Just like the Good Samaritan; it was somebody from another place and people group. You could argue that it wasn’t his place to help, but he did.”
Bringing community voices into decision-making spaces
For World Renew, participating in humanitarian leadership in Canada is an opportunity to bring the experiences of the communities and local partners we work with into spaces where decisions are made, while encouraging Canadian supporters and the international community to continue investing in humanitarian assistance, development, peacebuilding, diplomacy, and multilateral cooperation.
In a time of considerable global uncertainty, World Renew remains committed to working alongside others toward a world in which people facing hunger, conflict, disaster, and poverty are not forgotten, but are treated as neighbours whose dignity, rights, and well-being are foundational to our own faith and flourishing.
Learn more about our work around the world and discover how you can join us in building a more just and compassionate future.
