United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called on all parties on Tuesday to take urgent steps toward de-escalation amid the precarious situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Recent fighting between the Ethiopian army and regional forces has highlighted the risk of a deepening human rights and humanitarian crisis in northern Ethiopia.
As the brutal war in Sudan shows no signs of ending after nearly three years of raging conflict, UN human rights chief Volker Türk called on the international community on Monday to intervene immediately and stop mass killings and other flagrant war crimes against civilians. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, UN aid agencies warned that famine and malnutrition continue to spread across Sudan, with children wasting away while the world looks away.
At least 53 migrants and refugees, including two babies, died or went missing in the latest tragic incident off the Libyan coast, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). On Friday, a rubber boat carrying 55 people capsized north of Zuwara, Libya, leaving only two Nigerian women alive. One survivor reported losing her husband, and the other reported losing her two babies.
The United Nations, its humanitarian partners, and the Chadian government launched the 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) in N'Djamena, Chad's capital, on Friday, with the goal of supporting millions of people across the country. The plan requests US$986 million, including $540 million for refugees, to assist 3.4 million of the most vulnerable people in Chad.
The United Nations and its humanitarian partners, along with the Central African Republic government, launched the 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) this week, calling for US$264 million — the lowest requested amount in recent years — to help 1.3 million of the most vulnerable people in the country. Although humanitarian needs remain staggeringly high, aid organizations are forced to focus on the most urgent, life-saving priorities due to a global collapse in funding.
Due to a series of attacks on a WFP river convoy and escalating violence impacting humanitarian organizations across South Sudan, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has suspended operations in Baliet County in Upper Nile State. Separately, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported that an airstrike attributed to government forces struck one of its hospitals in Jonglei State, while another facility was looted.
The World Health Organization (WHO) launched its 2026 Global Health Emergency Appeal on Tuesday to ensure that millions of people living in humanitarian crises and conflicts have access to healthcare. The appeal seeks nearly US$1 billion to respond to 36 emergencies worldwide, including the world’s most severe crises, ranging from sudden-onset to protracted crises where health needs are critical.
South Kordofan State is now the epicenter of the war in Sudan, which has caused the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, warned the international humanitarian organization Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) on Monday. Civilians in this part of southern Sudan face intensified hostilities and a nearly total blockade of humanitarian supplies after a year of starvation and bombardment, said NRC Secretary General Jan Egeland at the end of his visit to South Kordofan.
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.
The United Nations and its humanitarian partner organizations, alongside the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), launched this year's Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) on Wednesday. They are calling on donors across the world for a funding total of US$1.4 billion, which would provide assistance to 7.3 million people in a country where nearly 15 million still need humanitarian aid — a figure that is widely considered underestimating the actual need.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the humanitarian situation in South Sudan's Jonglei State is deteriorating rapidly due to escalating conflict. This conflict is forcing people to flee their homes and shrinking access for aid workers. Since the end of December, renewed clashes in Jonglei have displaced more than 250,000 people, according to local authorities.
The United Nations and its humanitarian partners, along with the Somali government, launched the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) on Monday to support millions of people across Somalia this year. The launch comes at an unprecedented time for the country, as funding shortfalls are squeezing humanitarian programs while the country is facing a severe drought.
The United Nations, alongside its humanitarian partners and the Nigerian government, is urgently appealing for US$516 million to respond to the most critical needs of 2.5 million people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states in north-east Nigeria this year. Women and children are particularly affected by the humanitarian crisis, accounting for eight out of ten people in immediate need.
Amid the launch of the US administration’s “Board of Peace” and ongoing reconstruction talks on the Gaza Strip, United Nations aid agencies insisted on Friday that Gazans need immediate relief from the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. People across the territory continue to struggle to meet their basic needs as Israel's ongoing violations of international law severely obstruct the humanitarian scale-up.
A new report by Action Against Hunger reveals that Nigeria, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC/DR Congo) are among the ten most critical hunger hotspots globally. The report shows that two out of three people suffering from acute food insecurity worldwide live in just ten countries, with over 196 million facing crisis, emergency, or catastrophic levels of hunger.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that more than 600,000 people have been affected by recent floods in Mozambique. The catastrophic flooding has caused massive disruption to lives and livelihoods across the country, increasing the risk of disease and exposing urban areas to crocodiles.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warns that Yemenis are silently suffering from hunger and malnourishment amid a severe lack of funding and ongoing insecurity that are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. Yemen is one of the most food-insecure countries in the world and now has the highest number of people facing emergency levels of hunger.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warns that, without urgent resources and action, the most vulnerable people in the Sahel region are headed for another dire year. A staggering 53 million people in the region are expected to experience crisis-level hunger, or worse, during the lean season from June to August 2026. Over 13 million children are also expected to suffer from malnutrition.
As the war approaches its fifth year, the UN and its humanitarian partners on Tuesday launched the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP), which calls for US$2.3 billion to provide life-saving aid to more than 4 million people across Ukraine. An estimated 10.8 million people in Ukraine will require humanitarian assistance this year, including internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other populations affected by the war.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is warning of a rapidly escalating global hunger crisis, as nearly 318 million people are currently facing crisis levels of hunger or worse. On Monday, WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain called for immediate action from world leaders to address the root causes of food insecurity and end man-made famines.
Aid agencies marked 1,000 days of war in Sudan on Friday, issuing a stark reminder that the conflict has caused the world's worst hunger crisis and largest emergency of forced displacement. Every day, civilians have been paying "the price for a war they did not choose," said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, renewed conflict and airstrikes in Jonglei State have forced over 100,000 people to flee, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The majority of those displaced are women, children, and older people. The insecurity has also led several humanitarian organizations to relocate their staff, disrupting essential activities.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that a snowstorm has affected thousands of displaced people in Syria, while humanitarian funding continues to shrink. Last week, the storm hit 90 displacement sites in the north of the country, affecting over 150,000 people. According to aid agencies, two infants died due to the extreme cold in Harim, a town in northern Idlib.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the UN Security Council on Monday that there must be "full respect" for the UN Charter in the face of a US military intervention in Venezuela, as well as the seizure and abduction of President Nicolás Maduro. Guterres also expressed deep concern about the possible intensification of instability in Venezuela, the potential impact on the region, and the dangerous precedent this intervention could set for international relations.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has expressed extreme concern over the impact of escalating violence on civilians in Sudan, especially in Kordofan and North Darfur. On Friday, OCHA reported that the humanitarian situation in the besieged towns of Dilling and Kadugli in South Kordofan has continued to deteriorate.
Following the Israeli government's announcement on Tuesday to suspend the operations of leading international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the Gaza Strip, UN agencies and over 200 international and local NGOs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) called on the authorities to reconsider this decision. The aid agencies stressed that international NGOs play a critical role in delivering life-saving assistance and that suspending them would severely undermine the humanitarian response.
Since the last attack on El Fasher in Sudan’s North Darfur State at the end of October, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports that tens of thousands of refugees and returnees have crossed into neighboring Chad. The Saharan nation is currently hosting approximately 903,000 Sudanese refugees who escaped the conflict that began in Sudan in April 2023.
The United Nations and the United States government signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday, in which the US committed a meager US$2 billion to UN-managed humanitarian funds in 2026. It comes after the United States slashed its contribution to global humanitarian aid by more than $10 billion in 2025, leaving millions without lifesaving aid and dismantling the world's largest government aid agency.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that drought continues to impact millions of people across Somalia. Somali authorities estimate that more than 4.6 million people, or around a quarter of the population in Somalia, are being affected by the ongoing drought, with more than 104,000 people displaced in November alone due to the extreme dry conditions.
United Nations relief chief Tom Fletcher allocated US$13.5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) on Wednesday to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, DR Congo). In the midst of a severe funding crisis, $10 million will support the delivery of immediate, life-saving assistance for displaced people in DRC, while $3.5 million will bolster urgent refugee response efforts in neighboring Burundi.
As the flames of war continue to engulf Sudan, the United Nations Security Council was urged Monday to prevent the horrors of this conflict from recurring and to stop those enabling the violence from spreading instability further across the region. Escalating violence in Sudan is placing civilians at extreme risk and triggering new waves of displacement, particularly in the Kordofan region.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), hostilities in Ukraine this weekend resulted in additional civilian casualties and widespread damage to critical infrastructure. Between Friday and early Monday morning, Ukrainian authorities reported that more than a dozen civilians were killed and over 70 others were injured, including two children. Disruptions to basic services were reported in over 270 towns and villages.
Ethiopia's government, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and the UN World Food Program (WFP) issued a warning on Friday that the refugee response in Ethiopia is on the verge of collapse. Without an immediate injection of funds, essential life-saving services, including food, water, and healthcare, for over 1.1 million refugees will cease within weeks.
According to the latest findings by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), there have been notable improvements in food security and nutrition in the Gaza Strip following the ceasefire in October and a significant reduction in conflict. Yet, the situation remains critical. In August, the IPC Famine Review Committee (FRC) had confirmed a human-made famine in the Gaza governorate, where over half a million people were experiencing famine.
The humanitarian organization International Rescue Committee (IRC) released its annual Emergency Watchlist this week, which identifies the 20 countries most at risk of experiencing worsening humanitarian crises in 2026. Sudan, the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), and South Sudan top this year's dire ranking and offer stark examples of the devastating impact of what the IRC calls a "New World Disorder."
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday that the scale and severity of hunger and malnutrition in Afghanistan is worsening. New food security figures from the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report show that over 17 million Afghans are facing acute hunger this winter — three million more than last year.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that, despite severe funding shortages, the UN and its humanitarian partners are continuing to respond to urgent needs in southern Syria, where they are delivering vital aid to communities amid harsh winter conditions. The US$3.2 billion humanitarian response plan for Syria is currently only 30 percent funded, with $953 million received as of mid-December.
Deep concerns persist for the tens of thousands of people believed to be trapped in the town of El Fasher, located in the western Darfur region of Sudan. However, United Nations aid agencies believe they may soon gain access to the embattled city, where famine has been confirmed. Meanwhile, in South Kordofan State, drone strikes in and around the state capital, Kadugli, and the town of Dilling, point to a rapidly deteriorating security situation.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that the security situation in eastern South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, has sharply worsened since early December following an escalation of armed clashes in Uvira, Walungu, Mwenga, Shabunda, Kabare, Fizi, and Kalehe territories. The number of people affected by the fighting has risen significantly, with preliminary reports indicating that more than half a million people have been displaced.
Amid severe underfunding in 2025, the United Nations (UN) and its partners have issued a grim warning regarding the escalating humanitarian crisis in Myanmar. According to the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP), published Wednesday, over 16.2 million people in Myanmar, including 5 million children, will require life-saving assistance and protection next year.
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 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.
Catastrophic flooding and landslides have already killed more than 1,600 people and impacted nearly 11 million more across South and Southeast Asia. With more than 1,200 people reported missing, the death toll is expected to rise. Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia are among the hardest-hit countries, facing record-breaking rainfall, storm surges, and widespread inundation.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued an alert on Thursday regarding the impact of armed violence on civilians in southeastern parts of the Central African Republic (CAR). Though the situation has improved in parts of the country, violence continues to exacerbate the situation in several regions, including the southeast, where approximately 50,000 people require humanitarian assistance.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) expressed grave concern on Tuesday as intensifying attacks on villages and the rapid spread of the conflict into previously safe districts forced tens of thousands of people to flee across northern Mozambique. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), recent attacks have displaced some 108,000 people from Memba District in Nampula Province alone.
According to Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Center (DMC), at least 390 people have been killed and more than 350 are missing after Tropical Cyclone Ditwah made landfall on Thursday, bringing heavy rainfall and destructive winds across the country. The storm triggered widespread flooding and landslides, believed to be the worst in recent history. Over 1.3 million people have been affected across all 25 districts. As of Tuesday, approximately 215,000 people have been displaced and are sheltering in over 1,300 government-run safety centers.
The humanitarian crisis in Sudan continues to escalate, with new displacements reported in the Darfur and Kordofan regions, as well as in the Northern and River Nile states. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the situation remains highly volatile, particularly in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, despite a decrease in hostilities since late October. In an update on Monday, OCHA noted that aid organizations still cannot reach civilians inside El Fasher, where a famine has been declared.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that, despite the ceasefire, UN staff and facilities in the Gaza Strip continue to come under fire, posing an unacceptable risk to their safety. Meanwhile, attacks against civilians have continued, with more than 340 people killed and over 880 injured by Israeli forces since the ceasefire took effect on October 10.
One year after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon — with the support of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement — came into effect, communities across Lebanon continue to endure near-daily attacks and live in constant fear. The fragile truce, which was intended to stop months of intense fighting, has been repeatedly violated by Israeli forces. They have killed and injured civilians, leaving the population vulnerable and hindering reconstruction efforts.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is sounding the alarm over the rapidly deteriorating situation in the province of South Kivu, particularly in the territories of Fizi and Mwenga, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, DR Congo). On Wednesday, OCHA warned that more than 170,000 displaced people in one locality alone are cut off from vital aid.
