(3 Minutes Read)
The UN’s goal for 2026 is to save 87 million lives through 29 response plans covering 50 countries. Needs include USD 4 billion for three million people in the occupied Palestinian territories, USD 2.8 billion for 20 million people in Sudan, USD 2 billion for seven million Sudanese displaced across borders, and USD 1.4 billion to reach 4.9 million people affected by the crisis in Myanmar.
The humanitarian system is overstretched, underfunded and under attack, the United Nations humanitarian chief warned on Monday, as he launched an appeal for USD 23 billion for 2026.
Speaking at UN headquarters in New York, Fletcher said last year’s appeal brought in just USD 12 billion, making it “a heartbreaking report to share.”
He said 2025 saw hunger surge, with food budgets cut even as “famines hit parts of Sudan and Gaza.” Health systems “broke apart,” disease outbreaks rose, and millions lost access to food, medical care and protection. Programs for women and girls were slashed, hundreds of aid groups shut down, and “over 380 aid workers were killed, the highest on record.”
Fletcher warned that the humanitarian system is fraying. “We are overstretched, underfunded and under attack,” he said, adding that only 20 per cent of appeals were supported. “We drive the ambulance towards the fire on your behalf. But we are also now being asked to put the fire out. And there is not enough water in the tank. And we’re being shot at.”
Despite this, agencies “reached 98 million people” last year. Fletcher said, “I take heart from the conviction that so many leaders have, including the US president, that 2026 will be a year of peacemaking, a year that can create a once in a generation opportunity to do something extraordinary. So, let’s do something extraordinary. We have a plan.”
Read Also:
The UN’s goal for 2026 is to save 87 million lives through 29 response plans covering 50 countries. Needs include USD 4 billion for three million people in the occupied Palestinian territories, USD 2.8 billion for 20 million people in Sudan, USD 2 billion for seven million Sudanese displaced across borders, and USD 1.4 billion to reach 4.9 million people affected by the crisis in Myanmar.