Underfunded Emergency

Since October 2024, escalating gang violence outside Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, has claimed over 1,000 lives and forced hundreds of thousands to flee, threatening to destabilize Haiti and other Caribbean countries, according to a UN human rights report. The report comes as Haiti teeters on the brink of collapse, and at least half of the population, or 6 million people, including 3.3 million children, require humanitarian assistance.

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and its humanitarian partners are urgently preparing to assist up to 150,000 Rohingya refugees who have arrived in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, over the past 18 months. Targeted violence and persecution in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, as well as the ongoing war in the neighboring country, have forced thousands of Rohingya to seek protection in Bangladesh.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that the situation in Sudan's North Darfur State remains alarming as fighting continues to displace families and people face severe shortages of food and clean water. North Darfur has been an epicenter of clashes since the beginning of Sudan’s brutal conflict over two years ago.

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) urgently seeks funding to protect over 1.5 million people who have returned or been forced to return to Afghanistan this year, including over 1.2 million from Iran. Separately, the World Health Organization (WHO) in Afghanistan has expressed concern about the health needs of Afghan returnees, particularly women and children.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that aid shortages are taking a growing toll on Somalia's most vulnerable people, leaving them without access to vital healthcare, nutritional support, and safe water. The brutal funding cuts are devastating for severely malnourished children, who have already lost or will soon lose access to life-saving treatment.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has begun airdropping emergency food assistance to thousands of families in South Sudan's Upper Nile State, where conflict has surged since March, forcing tens of thousands from their homes and pushing some communities to the brink of famine. According to a recent UN report, South Sudan is one of the world’s top five hunger hotspots, where people face extreme hunger, starvation, and death.

Amid the catastrophic human rights situation and dire humanitarian crisis in the Caribbean country, the UN human rights expert for Haiti has called on all states not to forcibly return anyone to Haiti. This statement comes as more than 121,000 women, children, and men have been deported to Haiti between January and June of this year.

Those impacted by the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, DR Congo) need much more international assistance than they are currently receiving, the United Nations' top aid official said on Thursday. Speaking from the Goma region, whose main city was overrun by Rwanda-backed rebels from the Mouvement du 23 mars (M23) in January, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher explained that people have suffered "decades of trauma."

The United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) expressed serious concerns regarding the devastating cuts to food rations affecting over 700,000 refugees in Kenya's largest refugee camps on Wednesday. The cuts are a direct consequence of the withdrawal of essential humanitarian aid by the US and other donor governments, resulting in severe funding shortages that threaten the operations of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and its partner aid agencies.

Violence in Myanmar is spiraling as the military junta increases its attacks on monasteries, schools, and camps sheltering people uprooted by the civil war, a top independent human rights investigator warned Wednesday. This warning comes as the number of people in Myanmar in need of humanitarian assistance has risen to an unprecedented 22 million, following four years of fierce civil war and devastating earthquakes three months ago.

The United Nations has issued an urgent warning to the international community. Escalating funding shortfalls are crippling humanitarian operations in Afghanistan and placing millions at risk, as the country grapples with hunger, displacement, climate shocks, and the ongoing marginalization of women and girls. This warning comes at a time when 22.9 million people, including 12.3 million Children, require humanitarian assistance and protection.

The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated $5.9 million to support the rapid response to urgent humanitarian needs in Burkina Faso, particularly those of displaced people. This allocation comes amid the ongoing global funding crisis, and Burkina Faso being one of the most neglected displacement crises worldwide driven by insecurity and climate-related factors, such as drought and flooding.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that the ongoing conflict and spreading disease outbreaks are having a devastating impact on children in Sudan. Separately, independent human rights investigators report that the civil war in Sudan is intensifying, marked by an increased use of heavy weaponry in populated areas and a sharp rise in sexual and gender-based violence. Countless civilians caught in the conflict face devastating consequences.

A new joint United Nations report warns that people in five hunger hotspots — Sudan, Palestine (Occupied Palestinian Territory), South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali — face extreme hunger, starvation, and death in the next five months unless urgent humanitarian action is swiftly taken to de-escalate conflict, stop displacement, and provide full-scale aid.

According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there were 122.1 million forcibly displaced people by the end of April 2025 — up from 120 million at the same time last year, but down from the record high of 123.2 million at the end of 2024. In a report released Thursday, UNHCR stated that the number of people displaced by war, violence, and persecution worldwide is "untenably high," especially given the drying up of humanitarian funding. The only bright spot is a pickup in some returns, notably to Syria.

According to new data published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), nearly 1.3 million people are now internally displaced in Haiti, which is a 24 percent increase since December 2024. With this surge, Haiti has the highest number of people ever displaced by violence, and internally displaced people (IDPs) now represent 11 percent of the country's population of 11.9 million.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday that the very real risk of famine continues to stalk Sudan’s war-impacted communities, and appealed for more funding to support immediate needs and boost longer-term recovery across the country. The appeal comes as funding shortfalls are disrupting WFP's operations across Sudan, where famine has been declared in several regions and more areas are at risk.

Amid the worst malnutrition crisis to hit north-east Nigeria in five years, the United Nations relief chief and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, has released $6 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to respond to the humanitarian crisis in the region. In a statement on Monday, Fletcher stressed the need to deliver food to those in urgent need and establish systems to mitigate the risk of future crises.

In a rare and strongly worded statement released Friday, 30 donors, including the European Commission, condemned attacks on civilians, particularly the brutal attack on a humanitarian convoy in Sudan's North Darfur State earlier this week. Five humanitarian workers were killed, and several others were injured in the assault. At least four of the fifteen trucks in the convoy were destroyed, and five more vehicles were partially damaged.

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.

Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Mozambique are the three most neglected displacement crises in the world, according to a new report from the non-governmental organization (NGO) Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). The international humanitarian aid agency says that while shifting domestic priorities, economic uncertainty, and political fatigue have led to severe cuts in support, decision-makers must recognize that displacement is a shared responsibility that cannot be ignored.

The newly appointed interim Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Kristine Hambrouck, expressed alarm over the recent wave of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, noting that they represent a blatant violation of international humanitarian law. Her statement comes as the situation in Sudan is worsening amid ongoing fighting, mass displacement, and mounting health emergencies.

The United States administration’s sudden and sweeping suspension of foreign aid has placed millions of lives in peril, according to the human rights organization Amnesty International. In a report released Thursday, Amnesty paints a damning picture of how the abrupt cuts have gutted critical health and humanitarian programs globally, leaving millions facing life-threatening situations.

A new report by the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) reveals that most people in Myanmar are united in defying military authoritarianism and violence. The report calls for renewed international resolve to end the military’s stranglehold on power. Driven by relentless violence, systemic impunity, and economic collapse, a spiraling human rights crisis has left civilians caught in the crossfire of an increasingly brutal conflict resulting in a dire humanitarian crisis.

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports that over 25,000 people have been displaced in Mozambique in recent weeks. They have joined nearly 1.3 million Mozambicans affected by displacement due to armed conflict, tropical cyclones, and drought. With critical funding running low, the UNHCR is raising the alarm and warning that its ability to protect and assist those in urgent need is being pushed to the limit.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on Friday warned of a further deterioration in the human rights situation in South Sudan, following a sharp increase in hostilities, arbitrary arrests and hate speech in the country since February. The warning comes as South Sudan faces one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, and one of the worst prospects since independence in 2011.

Millions of people in Syria remain at risk of death from unexploded ordnance, disease and malnutrition, and urgent assistance is needed, United Nations humanitarian officials said on Friday. Despite some progress, humanitarian needs in Syria remain immense as years of conflict have pushed 90 percent of the population into poverty, with nearly 7.5 million people displaced inside Syria and more than six million living as refugees.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday it is concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in eastern Chad amid a massive influx of refugees and returnees from neighboring Sudan. More than 55,000 Sudanese refugees and 39,000 Chadian returnees have been registered in Chad's Ennedi-Est and Wadi Fira provinces since violence escalated in Sudan's North Darfur state in April.

Hunger and child malnutrition rose for the sixth consecutive year in 2024, pushing millions of people to the brink in some of the world's most fragile regions, according to a new report released Friday. The 2025 Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) shows that conflict, economic shocks, climate extremes and forced displacement are fueling food insecurity and malnutrition around the world, with catastrophic consequences for many regions.

The United Nations humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, and the Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, on Thursday welcomed the news that the crucial Adre crossing between eastern Chad and the western region of Darfur in Sudan will remain open for the movement of humanitarian personnel and life-saving supplies. Since its reopening eight months ago, the Adre crossing has been a vital lifeline for millions of people in dire need in the region.

Despite a temporary lull in fighting, United Nations officials warned the UN Security Council on Wednesday that Yemen remains gripped by escalating regional tensions, that are derailing prospects for a lasting peace, a deepening economic collapse and a worsening humanitarian crisis that continues to devastate civilians, especially children. Half of Yemen's children - some 2.3 million - are malnourished, with 600,000 of them suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the humanitarian community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been forced to reprioritize its response plan due to critical funding shortfalls. The move is part of a "Humanitarian Reset," following a dramatic drop in funding triggered by the United States' brutal cessation of most contributions and cuts to humanitarian assistance by other major donors around the world.

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 European Union's Humanitarian Office (ECHO) reports that armed gangs in Haiti attacked the town of Petite-Riviere in the Artibonite department on Wednesday, killing at least 50 people, injuring 60 and setting fire to 20 houses. Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that humanitarian agencies are scaling up life-saving assistance in other parts of Haiti, where armed violence continues to hamper access to health care.

United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk called Friday on Myanmar's military to end all attacks on civilians and civilian objects. He said the unremitting violence against civilians, despite a ceasefire declared after the March earthquakes, underscores the need for the parties to the conflict to commit to and implement a genuine and lasting nationwide cessation of hostilities and a return to civilian rule.

An even deeper humanitarian crisis is looming in Afghanistan as hundreds of thousands of Afghans are forced to return from neighboring countries and the global humanitarian funding crisis takes a heavy toll on the country. Numerous United Nations agencies have announced drastic cost-cutting measures in response to massive shortfalls in funding, following brutal cuts by the new US administration in Washington.

Amid escalating violence and intensifying humanitarian needs across Colombia, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned on Friday that years of progress in protecting and integrating displaced populations are at risk of being lost, and the most vulnerable will pay the highest price. UNHCR said refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) may be forced to move again in search of safety and stability, while returnees will not find conditions to resettle.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) reported on Friday that it had made some breakthroughs in humanitarian access in recent weeks, reaching regions in Sudan that had been largely cut off from aid, including people facing or at risk of famine. WFP stressed the importance of pre-positioning food close to vulnerable populations now, as the rainy season is just weeks away, which will make it extremely difficult for large trucks to travel.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Wednesday expressed deep concern about the impact of ongoing airstrikes on civilians in Yemen and the infrastructure they rely on, including health facilities. More than two dozen airstrikes have been reported since Monday. Meanwhile, humanitarian agencies continue to receive updates on the devastating impact of the attacks in recent days.

Hunger and malnutrition are on the rise in Ethiopia as ongoing conflict, regional instability, displacement, drought and economic shocks leave millions without enough food, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday. WFP warned that its life-saving response has been severely hampered by critical funding shortfalls, with 3.6 million of the most vulnerable people at imminent risk of losing food assistance.

Since the beginning of the year, renewed fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, DR Congo) has led to a dramatic deterioration of the humanitarian situation and mass displacement, particularly in North and South Kivu provinces. Widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian law have been reported, including summary executions, indiscriminate attacks, sexual violence, and the recruitment of children.

The latest food security report on Haiti - out this week - shows that a record 5.7 million people - more than half of all Haitians - are expected to experience acute hunger between now and June 2025, driven by relentless gang violence and ongoing economic collapse. Rising armed violence has also fueled massive displacement as armed gangs seek to expand their control, forcing more than one million people from their homes.

A sharp deterioration in the political and security situation in South Sudan threatens to undermine the peace gains achieved so far and plunge the country back into war, the head of the United Nations mission in the country warned the UN Security Council on Wednesday, stressing the need for all parties to cease hostilities and respect the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement in South Sudan, where three quarters of the population are in need of humanitarian assistance.

As humanitarians around the world marked two years since the start of Sudan's relentless and widely neglected war, large-scale atrocities involving hundreds of civilian deaths and mass displacement have been reported from the Zamzam displacement camp near the town of El Fasher in Sudan's North Darfur state. This follows reports that armed groups affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took control of the camp over the weekend.

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Friday that some 400,000 Syrians have returned from neighboring countries since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government on December 8 last year. Over the same period, more than one million internally displaced persons (IDPs) inside Syria have also returned, bringing the total number of Syrians who have gone home to over 1.4 million.

Nearly two years after war broke out in Sudan, the heads of five international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have called on world leaders to take immediate, concrete action to end the conflict, protect civilians, and ensure aid reaches those who need it. In a joint statement on Thursday, the humanitarian leaders said "slow, too timid and dangerously inadequate" action has claimed countless lives already.