Authors: Callum Harvie, Operations & Risk Manager, Hope for Justice; Phillipa Roberts, Head of Policy & Research, Hope for Justice
‘Strategic Risk Outlook 2025–2026’ is a broad thematic report highlighting key global risk trends, their consequential impacts on both modern slavery and human trafficking patterns, and the risks they pose to the operating context of responding agencies.
Drawing on key risk insights from credible risk leaders including the World Economic Forum, Chatham House, and the Munich Security Conference, this report synthesises complex global phenomena into tangible risks and recommendations for practitioners working in counter-trafficking and related fields. While this report may provide a relatively bleak outlook, given that risk is inherently focused on the negative impact of uncertainty, it is important to consider the positive impact of good prediction and projection, which together facilitate professional foresight and informed strategic thinking. Risk can also be a positive force, as global uncertainty opens new opportunities for counter-trafficking stakeholders to innovate for greater impact.
This report underscores the interconnected nature of risks across security, governance, financial, legal, reputational, and operational domains; and seeks to support organisations in anticipating, mitigating and preparing for external changes on the horizon. This report should serve to empower practitioners in their understanding and response to the most critical global themes of uncertainty and support informed decision-making in global counter-trafficking efforts.
This document is published by Hope for Justice as a contribution to the field of human trafficking and modern slavery. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed are the result of extensive desk research and analysis by the organisation’s risk function, which strives to operate as an independent advisor on risk, as mandated by charitable governance. The intelligence shared is drawn from independent and reliable sources of risk analysis and does not necessarily represent the views, policies, or strategies of Hope for Justice. All stakeholders are encouraged to make their own informed decisions and implement risk mitigations in response to the insights highlighted in this document.
