An international non-governmental organization (NGO) warned Monday that a large-scale plague of locusts is ravaging northern Afghanistan and could destroy 1.2 million metric tons of wheat, almost one-quarter of the country's annual harvest. The locust outbreak comes as funding shortfalls have cut off food aid for 8 million people in Afghanistan in the past two months.
With the full-scale war in Ukraine about to enter its second year, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today have jointly appealed for US$5.6 billion (€ 5.24 billion) to ease the plight of millions of people affected. The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, launched the appeal Wednesday in Geneva.
Who is the world's largest humanitarian donor? From year to year, the numbers vary on how much money governments and supranational organizations contribute to global humanitarian emergencies. Some countries give much more than others, while many governments keep a low profile. But there were also some stable trends over several years up to 2025. Different calculations lead to slightly diverging results. DONARE's rankings are based on financial data provided by the United Nations.
Amid the ongoing humanitarian and human rights crisis in Afghanistan, United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are urgently calling for international support as the country faces one of the largest return movements in recent history. According to the latest UN figures, more than 2.2 million Afghans returned or were forced to return from Iran and Pakistan in 2025 alone. Over 1.8 million came from Iran and nearly 400,000 arrived from Pakistan.
The non-governmental organization (NGO) Save the Children says more than 140,000 people in the Malian town of Menaka, including 80,000 children, face malnutrition and disease due to a blockade by Islamic State-linked insurgents. The humanitarian organization warns that the months-long blockade has driven supplies to alarmingly low levels as aid agencies and Malian government programs struggle to deliver basic necessities.
As world leaders gather in New York for the 79th United Nations General Assembly and the threat of a wider regional escalation looms, the world's humanitarian leaders are demanding an end to the appalling human suffering and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. "These atrocities must end," they said in a statement signed Monday by the heads of UN agencies and representatives of the world's non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) says its staff are continuing to deliver aid to people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, who depend on them "for their very survival," days after an Israeli parliamentary ban on its activities went into effect. As the humanitarian operation in Gaza continues, UNRWA says it is committed “to stay and deliver until it is no longer possible to do so.”
Almost 4.2 million people in Malawi are estimated to experience high levels of acute food insecurity between May and September 2024, including 56,000 people in IPC Phase 4 (emergency) and 4.1 million people in IPC Phase 3 (crisis), according to the latest IPC analysis. The analysis, released on Friday, warns that most people facing crisis or emergency levels are unable to produce enough of their own food and rely on market purchases.
Two weeks after 7.7 and 6.4 magnitude earthquakes struck Myanmar, the United Nations and humanitarian partners on Friday launched a $275 million flash appeal as an addendum to the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) to reach 1.1 million people with urgent assistance. The devastating earthquakes have killed at least 3,600 people and left 2 million in critical need of assistance and protection.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is gravely concerned that recent drone attacks in Port Sudan, the main entry point for humanitarian aid into Sudan, threaten to increase humanitarian needs and further complicate aid operations in the war-torn country. In a statement issued by his spokesperson on Wednesday, Guterres warned that this major escalation could lead to large-scale civilian casualties and further destruction of critical infrastructure.
The latest acute food insecurity report (IPC report) on Somalia issued Tuesday finds famine in that country has been narrowly averted for now due to the response efforts of humanitarian organizations and local communities to the crisis. While famine has not been officially declared in Somalia, the United Nations (UN) says the underlying crisis however has not improved and even more appalling outcomes are only temporarily averted.
Some 7,000 Rohingya refugees, including at least 4,200 children, are homeless after the first large devastating fire of the year swept through a camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said in a statement Sunday that humanitarian agencies are responding to the latest inferno that ravaged through Camp 5, one of the 33 camps that make the largest refugee camp in the world.
Founded in 1933 with the aim of helping the politically persecuted, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the largest non-governmental organizations (NGO) focusing on the support of refugees worldwide. The NGO provides emergency aid and long-term assistance to refugees and those displaced by war, persecution, or natural disaster. Its international headquarters are based in the United States. The IRC helps people affected by humanitarian crises to survive and rebuild their lives. IRC UK is based in London.
Part of the European Union system, ECHO is the short name for the European Commission's Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection. The short name is derived from European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations. Established in 1992, ECHO is one of the world's largest players in the field of humanitarian assistance. Its responsibilities include both humanitarian aid and civil protection. In the case of humanitarian aid, ECHO shares competence with European Union member states.
As the current hostilities in Sudan are entering the third month, the humanitarian situation across the country continues to deteriorate and a catastrophic food crisis looms, if fighting does not stop. Since the clashes started on April 15, more than 2.1 million people have been displaced, including nearly 1.7 million within the country and about half a million to neighboring countries. Among the displaced are more than 1 million children.
CARE is an international humanitarian organization fighting global poverty and providing assistance in emergencies. Its Canadian branch is called CARE Canada. The non-governmental organization (NGO) focuses on empowering women and girls. CARE nowadays stands for "Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere". The NGO is one of the largest and oldest humanitarian aid organizations focused on fighting global poverty and social injustice.
Tearfund is an evangelical Christian non-governmental organization (NGO) based in the United Kingdom, which partners with churches in more than 50 of the world’s poorest countries. The name "Tearfund" is an acronym derived from "The Evangelical Alliance Relief Fund". Founded in the UK in 1968 to help the people affected by war in Biafra, the NGO’s primary focus is on supporting those in poverty and providing disaster relief for disadvantaged people.
The humanitarian organization International Rescue Committee (IRC) has expressed concern about the humanitarian impact of growing insecurity in northwest Nigeria due to conflict between various armed groups. In Zamfara and Sokoto states, armed attacks in March and April have displaced more than 10,000 people and killed at least 92, while many others have been kidnapped, the IRC said.
Save the Children is a global organization that works to improve the lives of children around the world, addressing issues such as education, health, and protection in emergencies. The non-governmental organization (NGO) was founded in 1919 by the teacher and social reformer Eglantyne Jebb in Britain. It campaigns for the rights and protection of children and delivers urgent humanitarian assistance for children worldwide. Save the Children UK is the British branch, and one of the most successful aid organizations in the United Kingdom.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) was founded in 1933 with the aim of helping politically persecuted people. Today, it is one of the largest non-governmental organizations (NGO) that focuses on supporting refugees worldwide. The NGO provides emergency aid and long-term support for refugees and people who have been displaced by war, persecution or natural disasters. The international headquarters of the organization are located in the United States. The IRC helps people affected by humanitarian crises to survive and rebuild their lives.
