UN allocates $110M to address neglected humanitarian crises

Global humanitarian funding projected to hit 'record low' in 2025, warns Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

The UN on Thursday announced the allocation of $110 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support life-saving humanitarian aid in 10 of the world’s most underfunded crises across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. With over 300 million people in urgent need of assistance, global humanitarian funding is dwindling, projected to hit a "record low" this year, the UN humanitarian office OCHA said in a statement. "For countries battered by conflict, climate change, and economic turmoil, brutal funding cuts don’t mean that humanitarian needs disappear," said Tom Fletcher, the under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator. "Today’s emergency fund allocation channels resources swiftly to where they’re needed most." According to the statement, a third of the new funding will aid Sudan and neighboring Chad, both struggling with violence, displacement, and hunger. Additional support will go to Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Honduras, Mauritania, Niger, Somalia, Venezuela, and Zambia. Funds will also bolster initiatives to protect vulnerable communities from climate shocks. CERF, managed by OCHA, allocates resources twice a year to underfunded emergencies, urging members states and donors to contribute. In late 2024, a similar $110 million disbursement helped over 3 million people in crises across 10 countries, the statement said. "This year, the humanitarian community is seeking nearly $45 billion to reach 185 million of the most vulnerable people caught up in crises worldwide," OCHA said. "To date, just 5 per cent of this funding has been received, leaving a gap of more than $42 billion."