February 2026 Edition

Global Engagement News

Dear friends,

This month’s stories reflect the many ways Yale engages internationally — from advancing data-driven approaches to humanitarian challenges to convening leaders for critical policy dialogue. Across these efforts, our community is contributing knowledge where it matters most.

Together, these highlights underscore the importance of teaching, archival discovery, and collaboration across regions — reminding us that sustained engagement rests on intellectual rigor and meaningful partnership.

I hope you’ll explore this issue and learn more about the people advancing that work.

With best regards,
Sunil Amrith

Vice Provost for International Affairs
Henry R. Luce Director, Whitney & Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies
Renu and Anand Dhawan Professor of History
Yale University

Using everyday data to deliver aid more effectively

In Bangladesh, Yale’s Mushfiq Mobarak and his team used machine-learning models applied to mobile phone records to identify the poorest households — faster and at far lower cost than traditional surveys. As global support for large-scale data collection declines, the research highlights how innovative use of existing data can help close information gaps and better target assistance.

Annual Brazil Meetup strengthens campus connections

At Yale’s annual Brazil Meetup, hosted by the Office of International Affairs, more than 160 students and scholars gathered for an afternoon celebrating Brazilian culture and building community. Remarks at the event highlighted Yale’s longstanding academic partnerships with Brazil and the importance of sustained collaboration. Now in its ninth year, the Meetup has become a campus tradition of exchange and engagement.

Revolutionary Barcelona’ history comes to life in the Beinecke archives

In the fall course “Revolutionary Barcelona,” Yale undergraduates explored letters, feminist magazines, cartoons, and propaganda posters from the Spanish Civil War. Drawing on the Beinecke Library’s rich collections, students engaged history hands-on — examining nearly century-old materials that illuminate Barcelona’s enduring legacy as a locus of revolution.

UN report on Sudan cites Yale Humanitarian Research Lab’s evidence

A new UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission report concludes that Rapid Support Forces committed genocide against non-Arab Indigenous groups during the siege of El-Fasher in Sudan, Africa. The findings draw extensively on satellite imagery analysis by the Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health, which uses open-source data and geospatial tools to document mass atrocities and support accountability efforts.

Convening leaders at Munich Security Conference to address grey-zone activity

Yale’s Blue Center for Global Strategic Assessment partnered with NATO’s Allied Special Operations Forces Command to convene senior defense and intelligence leaders at the 2026 Munich Security Conference. The session examined the role of special operations in countering Russian activities in the ambiguous space between peace and war — advancing transatlantic security dialogue and policy engagement at Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs.

Faculty Fellows Program strengthens Yale’s international community

The MacMillan Center’s new Faculty Fellows Program brings together incoming faculty to spark transdisciplinary collaboration across regions and disciplines. Profiles of three fellows highlight how the program advances Yale’s international efforts — connecting scholars through shared programs and opportunities for engagement beyond departmental boundaries.