Nine years after the peace accord between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was signed, the humanitarian situation in Colombia is still marked by large scale internal displacement and insecurity due to armed violence, with 10.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2026. The country has endured more than half a century of intense armed conflict, perpetuated by widespread illegal drug production and trafficking and rooted in territorial control by armed groups. The increased impact of natural hazards related to climate change and the integration of 2.9 million Venezuelan refugees are also driving humanitarian needs in Colombia.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is warning that more than 41,000 people in central and northern regions of the Central African Republic (CAR) will lose access to vital healthcare services by June due to funding shortfalls. The UN's primary health partner, the International Medical Corps, which assists displaced individuals in these regions, is expected to cease operations due to a lack of funding.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has described the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) as "a United Nations success story." I couldn't agree more. Since its creation seventeen years ago, the Fund has proven to be one of the fastest and most effective ways to finance global humanitarian action. It would be very welcome if more people were aware of the Fund and would donate to CERF. The Emergency Response Fund finances humanitarian aid that goes where it is needed most urgently.
The Syrian conflict has caused immense human suffering for people both inside and outside the country. Since 2011, hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed and maimed, and millions have been forced to flee their homes. In December 2024, Syria experienced a dramatic turn of events when rebel forces took control of the capital, Damascus, and President Bashar al-Assad resigned and fled the country following a swift offensive across Syria. This raised hopes that the 14-year civil war was coming to an end. Although Syria entered a new era in 2025, the humanitarian crisis is far from over.
Donating and paying attention are closely linked. Around the world, there are millions of people suffering, far from the limelight, hidden from the eyes of the global public. Many of these people are in urgent need of international support to survive. Forgotten crises are humanitarian emergencies that do not make the international headlines and do not attract enough political attention, so that the people affected receive no or insufficient aid.
United Kingdom for UNHCR or UK for UNHCR is the UN Refugee Agency’s national funding partner for the United Kingdom. The non-governmental organization (NGO) is one of ten UNHCR National Fundraising Partners worldwide. The NGO helps refugees and other displaced people by advocating for their protection and raising funds to enable UNHCR to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced families in need around the world.
Australia for UNHCR is the United Nations Refugee Agency’s national funding partner for Australia. The non-governmental organization (NGO) is one of ten UNHCR National Fundraising Partners worldwide. The NGO helps refugees and other displaced people by advocating for their protection and raising funds to enable UNHCR to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced families in need around the world.
Canada is home to numerous humanitarian organizations that focus on a diverse range of issues, including but not limited to poverty, health, education, human rights, and emergency response. DONARE has selected 18 prominent Canadian humanitarian organizations that respond to humanitarian crises around the world. The nonprofits on this list have a significant impact on humanitarian efforts worldwide. There are many more Canadian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), charities and aid groups working both domestically and internationally to address a wide range of challenges.
Global hunger levels remain alarmingly high. At least 37 million people are on the brink of famine or are already experiencing famine conditions. Although the world produces more than enough food to feed everyone, more than eight percent of people worldwide still go hungry. In 2024, over 295 million people were acutely food insecure and in urgent need of assistance, with armed conflict being the primary cause of acute hunger.
The United Nations and humanitarian partners on Monday launched the 2025 humanitarian and refugee response plans for Sudan, appealing for a combined US$6 billion to support nearly 26 million people inside the country and in the wider region. Nearly two years of war have created a catastrophic crisis, uprooting more than 12.6 million people inside Sudan and across borders into other countries.
The people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are suffering from one of the most complex and protracted humanitarian crises, with 21.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2025. At the same time, the DRC faces one of the world's most neglected displacement crises, with more than 8 million women, children, and men in the country forced to flee their homes. For decades, the DR Congo has endured multiple, overlapping crises, mainly driven by conflict and forced displacement, both of which are having devastating consequences. Since the start of 2025, the longstanding instability and insecurity in eastern DRC has escalated as the M23 rebel group stepped up fighting and seized large territory in North and South Kivu provinces.
Faith-based organizations, particularly Christian charities, play a significant role in providing humanitarian assistance around the world. If you prefer donating to a faith-based organization as opposed to a secular humanitarian organization, DONARE has selected thirteen charity organizations and one alliance that deliver emergency humanitarian aid needed in crises worldwide.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says it is deeply dismayed that repeated calls to rescue and safely disembark people stranded on boats in the Andaman Sea and Strait of Malacca are not being heeded. UNHCR warned in a statement Friday that inaction from states to save lives is resulting in more human misery and tragedies, each and every passing day.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned on Tuesday that over 165,000 people have fled increasing tensions and conflict in South Sudan in the past three months, seeking safety both within the country and across borders, thereby deepening an already dire humanitarian situation across the region. With more than 2.3 million South Sudanese living as refugees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Sudan, South Sudan remains one of the largest displacement crises in Africa.
Armed groups, including one linked to the Armed Forces of the Central African Republic (CAR), have committed grave human rights violations in the Haut Oubangui region in the south-east of the country, mainly against Muslim communities and Sudanese refugees and asylum-seekers, according to a new UN report. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in CAR remains critical as the population continues to face insecurity, while the ongoing war in Sudan exacerbates the situation.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is warning that the number of children requiring emergency treatment for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh has surged by 27 percent in February 2025 compared to the same period last year, pushing more young children into life-threatening hunger. The warning comes as severe cuts in food and nutrition assistance loom, putting the lives of thousands of boys and girls at risk.
The European Union (EU) announced on Friday €63 million (US$75 million) in humanitarian aid to help millions affected by the ongoing conflict in Myanmar, as well as nearly 1.2 million Rohingya refugees living in neighboring countries, primarily Bangladesh. The European Commission’s allocation comes as the crisis sparked by the military coup in Myanmar enters its sixth year.
With the conflict in Sudan entering its second month, the United Nations and its humanitarian partner organizations have called Wednesday for US$3 billion to help millions of people in the country and hundreds of thousands fleeing to neighboring countries, saying 25 million people in Sudan are in need of humanitarian aid and protection. As the death toll mounts, humanitarian needs soar, and displacement grows, the UN is launching two revised response plans to provide food, health care, shelter, protection and other critical assistance.
More than 60,000 Somalis, mainly women and children, have fled to Ethiopia’s Somali region in the past few weeks to escape violent clashes and insecurity in the city of Laascaanood (Laas Caanood), in Somalia’s Sool region, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports. More than half of them arrived earlier this week, UNHCR spokesperson Olga Sarrado Mur said Friday at a news conference in Geneva.
