UN chief Tom Fletcher visits Sudan in late November 2024. 305 million people will need emergency aid in 2025 Humanitarian aid
Ongoing conflicts, climate change and flagrant disregard for international humanitarian law will leave 305 million people in need of life-saving humanitarian aid next year, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Tom Fletcher warned on Wednesday at the launch of the Global Humanitarian Outlook 2025.
“We are facing a multifaceted global crisis, and the most vulnerable people on the planet are paying the price. Conflicts are becoming longer, more intense and more violent,” Fletcher said, calling for $47.4 billion in vital aid to more than 30 countries and nine regions hosting refugees.
“Do More”
A new assessment of global humanitarian needs was produced by analysing data from more than 1,500 organisations. Of the 305 million people in need of aid worldwide, only 190 million are expected to be reached next year. Lack of funding is one reason, particularly in countries where populations have suffered from decades of violence and instability.
We need the world to want to do more. We need to challenge the era of impunity and indifference
“In countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we are ready to do more,” said Tom Fletcher. “My team is desperate to deliver results, but we are faced with severe resource constraints. We need the world to want to do more, too. The era of impunity and indifference must be challenged.”
The Role of Diplomacy
As the newly appointed head of OCHA, Tom Fletcher has pledged to visit key capitals around the world to reach out to governments, find new partners and build solidarity and support for the world’s most vulnerable people.
Citing his extensive diplomatic experience as the UK’s ambassador and in conflicts ranging from Kenya to Lebanon and Northern Ireland, the new UN Humanitarian Coordinator stressed that aid must go where it is needed most.
Climate Crisis as a Catalyst
Last week, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator was in Sudan, visiting conflict zones and speaking with people forced from their homes by war. Tom Fletcher stressed that the climate crisis is making things even worse for already vulnerable people.
The latest estimates suggest that some 123 million people have been forced from their homes by conflict around the world, Fletcher continued: “Among this group, violations against children are at record levels. I saw it in Sudan. One in five children there lives in a conflict zone.”
Overcoming Obstacles
Among his priorities, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator named ensuring guaranteed access to areas that remain cut off from the outside world as a result of conflict.
“A difficult and important part of our work is delivering humanitarian aid across multiple borders and checkpoints,” said Tom Fletcher. – Often, we have to defend the need for every truck in a convoy to pass. So it’s not just the brutality of the conflicts – be it Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan or Syria – but also the deliberate disregard for international humanitarian law.”