The International Humanitarian Studies Association is a network of people engaged in the study of humanitarian crises caused by natural disaster, conflict or political instability. Humanitarian studies concern how humanitarian crises evolve, how they affect people and their institutions, communities and societies, and the responses they trigger.

IHSA forms a platform for the different disciplines that address humanitarian studies, including international relations, international law, development studies, anthropology, conflict studies, public health and forced migration studies. It offers a venue where these scholarly communities can meet and debate their different insights and understanding of humanitarian crises, in dialogue with policy actors and implementing agencies. IHSA equally welcomes academic scholars, consultants, policy researchers, and reflective practitioners among its membership.

IHSA was formed in February 2009 at the first World Conference of Humanitarian Studies that was held in Groningen, the Netherlands. The second WCHS took place in June 2011 in Medford, MA, USA, and the third is scheduled for 2013.

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