United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday warned of information received this week by UN agencies, as well as many humanitarian and development non-governmental organizations (NGOs), about severe cuts to humanitarian and development funding by the United States. The consequences, he said, will be particularly devastating for vulnerable people around the world. The announced radical funding slashes come at a time when global crises are intensifying, with millions of people at risk of hunger, disease and displacement.
Amid crushing global humanitarian needs and as hunger, disease and displacement continue to drive humanitarian disasters around the world, top United Nations officials on Wednesday underscored how the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) serves as a lifeline in urgent and underfunded crises. At the Fund’s annual pledging event, forty donors have announced contributions of more than US$419 million for CERF for 2024.
The United Nations and humanitarian aid agencies launched the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) for Yemen on Wednesday, appealing for US$2.47 billion to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to 10.5 million people in need. More than half of the country's population - 19.5 million people - are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection this year, with Yemen's most vulnerable and marginalized groups, including women and girls, at greatest risk.
Syria is experiencing a wave of violence not seen since 2020, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria warned in a report released Monday. Across multiple fronts, parties to the conflict have attacked civilians and infrastructure in ways that likely amount to war crimes, while an unprecedented humanitarian crisis is plunging Syrians into deepening despair, the Commission said.
The head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, warned Monday that displacement crises in Lebanon and Sudan could worsen, but said tighter border measures, outsourcing and externalization are not the answer, calling them ineffective and often in violation of international legal obligations. Grandi said an unprecedented 123 million people are now displaced around the world amid other persisting conflicts.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports that forced displacement around the world has reached historic highs, driven by conflict, persecution, human rights abuses, the climate crisis and other events disturbing public order. In a report released on Thursday, UNHCR said the number of forcibly displaced people continued to rise this year and now stands at 120 million.
Global hunger levels remain alarmingly high. Currently, more than 20 million people are on the brink of famine or already experiencing famine conditions. While the world produces more than enough food to feed everyone, one in thirteen people still goes hungry. It is estimated that 645 million people experienced hunger in 2025, accounting for around 7.8 percent of the global population. Meanwhile, some 266 million people in 47 countries and territories experienced high levels of acute food insecurity last year.
The European Commission and the European Union's top diplomat have launched comprehensive set of new measures designed to strengthen and reform its humanitarian aid efforts. The aim is to ensure that life-saving assistance reaches those grappling with unprecedented global crises. According to a Joint Communication adopted on Wednesday, the package outlines how the bloc intends to maintain its role as a 'reliable and principled donor' despite sharp pressure on the international aid system.
Military strikes and counter-strikes continue across the Middle East region as the United States and Israel wage war on Iran causing thousands of civilian deaths and injuries. On Friday, UN chief António Guterres warned that "the situation could spiral beyond anyone’s control. " Meanwhile, Tom Fletcher, the UN relief chief, described the current state of affairs as one of "grave peril," appealing for urgent protection of civilians.
United Nations investigators warn that the humanitarian crisis in Syria is threatening to spiral out of control as violence increases and the collapsing economy keeps the population mired in poverty and hopelessness 13 years after civil war broke out in the country. Across Syria, 16.7 million people - more than 70 percent of the population - are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, with women and children particularly affected.
With an estimated 300 million people in need of humanitarian aid in 2024, the European Union (EU) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the world's most vulnerable people. The European Commission (EC) announced on Monday that it had approved an initial annual humanitarian aid budget of more than €1.8 billion (US$1.93 billion) for this year, a slight increase of about €100 million compared to the previous year. In 2023, the European Union's (EU) initial humanitarian aid budget was €1.7 billion.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has instructed UN agencies, funds and programs to suspend all activities in Yemen's Houthi-controlled Saada governorate for security reasons, his spokesperson said on Monday. The measure follows the recent detention by Houthi rebels of eight more United Nations staff members, including six working in the governorate.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has on Friday urged an end to the “illogic of escalation that has been building up, to the detriment of the human rights of Palestinians and Israelis”. Record numbers of Palestinians were killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2022, which also saw the highest number of Israeli fatalities inside Israel and the West Bank in years.
As humanitarian crises around the world outpace the available funding to address them, senior United Nations officials rallied the international community on Tuesday to urgently mobilize more support for the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) at an annual pledging event in New York marking the Fund's 20th anniversary.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is warning that severe disruptions to six of its most critical humanitarian operations are expected by the end of the year due to dwindling global funding, which could push millions into emergency levels of hunger and endanger the lives of millions of vulnerable people. This warning comes at a time when overall global humanitarian funding is drying up, with less than a quarter of this year's appeal being funded, and hunger reaching record highs.
Lebanon is facing a severe humanitarian crisis following massive Israeli airstrikes and ground operations since March 2, 2026, triggered by a broader regional escalation after the US-Israeli launch of a war on Iran and subsequent rocket and drone launches by Hezbollah. Despite a reduction in hostilities due to several nominal ceasefires, the humanitarian situation remains fragile. Ongoing Israeli attacks continues to endanger civilians, impede the safe return of displaced people, and prolong humanitarian needs.
Alarming new food security data from South Sudan shows that 57 percent of the population will be acutely food insecure by the 2025 lean season. Three United Nations agencies warned on Monday that those fleeing war in Sudan, as well as young children, face some of the highest levels of hunger and malnutrition in South Sudan, as economic pressures, climate extremes and the effects of the conflict in Sudan drive a worsening hunger crisis.
United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk has strongly criticized politicians and some media outlets for scapegoating migrants, refugees, and minorities during election campaigns in countries such as Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Speaking at the opening of the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, Türk urged all voters to be vigilant and warned against "strongman" politicians.
The United Nations and its aid partners launched their 2026 global humanitarian appeal on Monday to raise a total of US$33 billion to support 135 million people in need through 23 country operations and six plans for refugees and migrants. The appeal aims to save millions of lives in some of the world's most crisis-stricken regions, including those affected by war, hunger, climate disasters, earthquakes, and epidemics.
Children from displaced families are dying of starvation in parts of Yemen, according to the United Nations, as extreme hunger and malnutrition take hold. Over 17 million people in Yemen are acutely food insecure, a figure expected to surpass 18 million by February 2026 amid a critical crisis in humanitarian funding.
