The United Nations' top humanitarian official issued a blunt warning on Monday about a mounting "age of indifference" as funding for essential aid programs continues to dwindle. Addressing journalists at the UN headquarters in New York, Tom Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, highlighted a critical shortfall in resources and the escalating threats facing humanitarian workers worldwide.
According to Fletcher, the humanitarian sector is currently facing a perfect storm: only 19 percent of the required funding has been received, resulting in a 40 percent drop compared to last year. This has resulted in millions of people going without essential food, healthcare and protection, and hundreds of aid organizations closing down.
The UN relief chief estimated that the humanitarian sector has reduced by 30 percent since he took office ten months ago.
The Global Humanitarian Overview 2025 (GHO), an annual global assessment of humanitarian needs, was launched in December 2024. It aims to support 181 million vulnerable people in 70 countries, out of an estimated 300 million in need of humanitarian assistance worldwide.
While the GHO called for US$44.5 billion, the latest figures show that just under $9 billion has been received to date.
“And as you know, those funding cuts have already meant that we have hyper, hyper-prioritized our planning in order to target saving 114 million lives, which would cost US$29 billion,” Fletcher said.
“Just to put that in perspective, that $29 billion is 1 percent of what the world will spend on defense this year. So what does that mean about the collective priorities?”
UN agencies, such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), anticipate that 6 million more children will be out of school. Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) can only provide food assistance to 1 million of the 3 million Afghans in need, and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) may be forced to cut aid for 11 million refugees.
Beyond these funding challenges, Fletcher emphasized the increasing dangers faced by humanitarian workers.
"Last year, more than 380 aid workers were killed — the highest number ever. Already this year, 270 have been killed. It’s a record that I fear we’ll break again," he said.
He decried the normalization of violence against aid workers, calling it an "age of impunity" and raising questions about the source of the weapons used in attacks.
The UN relief chief emphasized the need for reform, regrouping, and renewal in the humanitarian sector to effectively address this challenge.
Reform involves streamlining UN processes, while regrouping focuses on building coalitions with those most at risk from climate change and conflict.
“We’ve got to build these fresh coalitions around those who really do need what we stand for, those at greatest risk of climate crisis and of conflict and of humanitarian catastrophe, those who most lose out in a strongman world,“ he said.
The renewal process emphasizes idealism and hope for rebuilding a global organization dedicated to saving lives and defending rights.
He discussed the ongoing implementation of the Humanitarian Reset initiative, which involves providing more direct assistance, prioritizing women and girls, streamlining appeals, empowering local leadership, and increasing pooled funds for local organizations.
The Humanitarian Reset, a UN-led reform launched by Fletcher in 2025, was delivered in response to the global crisis in humanitarian funding. It aims to overhaul the aid system. The initiative aims to focus scarce resources on life-saving needs, reduce duplication, and shift more power and funding to local actors.
“So you’ll see more, I hope, direct assistance, cash in people’s hands. You’ll see women and girls at the heart of the response. Simpler, faster appeals,” he said.
“More local leadership. More responsibility and power closer to the communities that we serve. You’ll see us scaling up our pooled funds so that the majority of resources reach local organizations.”
Addressing specific crises, Fletcher highlighted the dire situation in Gaza, where more than half a million people are facing catastrophic hunger amid a man-made famine. This number could exceed 640,000 by the end of the month. He called for the crossings to be opened and for unimpeded, safe passage inside Gaza and functional access to prevent a preventable famine.
“Gaza’s women, elderly, children can’t eat statements of concern,” he stressed.
Fletcher also mentioned Sudan, which is facing the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with more than half a million people experiencing famine-like conditions and 30 million in need of humanitarian assistance. He noted that sexual violence is rampant and that there is a particular focus on lifting the siege of El Fasher, where 900,000 people are in desperate need of life-saving assistance.
He also mentioned the crises in Yemen, Syria, Haiti, and Afghanistan. Funding cuts have hit countries like Haiti, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Afghanistan the hardest, where less than 12 percent of the needed funds have been raised.
Regarding Haiti, he described a crisis compounded by violence, collapsing services, and gender-based violence. He advocated for an end to the violence and increased support for vulnerable populations.
Fletcher stressed the vital role of female humanitarian workers in Afghanistan and condemned restrictions on their ability to operate.
“Our female humanitarian workers and the women that we’re working with in country are absolutely indispensable to the humanitarian response in Afghanistan, and it is intolerable that they’re coming under further pressure […]. We cannot do our work without them,” he said.
Further information
Full text: UN Relief Chief warns of ‘age of indifference’ as humanitarian funding drops, Remarks at the Daily Press Briefing by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, delivered, September 15, 2025
https://www.unocha.org/news/un-relief-chief-warns-age-indifference-humanitarian-funding-drops