The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) says it has secured 8.7 billion dollars in funding and pledges for its 2026 Global Humanitarian Overview, but warned that more than 14 billion dollars is still needed to meet urgent humanitarian needs worldwide.
Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, disclosed this on Wednesday during a news conference on the progress of the Global Humanitarian Overview hyper-prioritised plan for 2026.
Fletcher said the humanitarian community launched a “hyper-prioritised” appeal of 23 billion dollars over two months ago to provide life-saving assistance to 87 million people facing the most severe crises globally.
According to him, the plan will be implemented by about 2,000 humanitarian organisations, with more than 60 percent of them being local partners and community-based organisations.
He described the initial response as encouraging, noting that several governments had backed the initiative despite financial pressures.
“We have received extraordinary backing from a significant number of governments for this plan. We have already secured five billion dollars, with additional pledges and announcements bringing the total to 8.7 billion dollars,” Fletcher said.
He noted that the first five billion dollars included 810 million dollars in unrestricted funding, which he described as the “gold standard” of humanitarian financing because it allows agencies to deploy resources quickly where the need is greatest.
Fletcher expressed appreciation to major donors supporting the plan, including the United States, the European Commission, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Norway, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, Belgium, and Qatar.
Despite the progress, he warned that the remaining funding gap could have serious consequences if not addressed urgently. The appeal is aimed at supporting vulnerable populations affected by conflicts, displacement, economic shocks, and climate-related disasters.
He revealed that in January alone, humanitarian organisations reached more than seven million people with life-saving assistance across 17 operations, including nearly two million people in Sudan, despite severe security and logistical challenges.
Fletcher also said the humanitarian community was expanding funding sources beyond governments. According to him, about 60 million dollars has already been raised from foundations, corporations, and individual donors as part of efforts to involve the private sector and civil society in closing the funding gap.
“Governments alone cannot carry the full financial weight of responding to this global humanitarian crisis,” he said.
He urged more partners to support the effort, noting that when people understand the impact of humanitarian funding, they are more willing to contribute.
Fletcher added that UN-OCHA would soon launch a global public campaign to mobilise additional support from businesses, technology companies, and the general public.
“We will work with the private sector to expand digital multipurpose cash assistance, reduce costs, and give people greater dignity and choice.
“Our appeal is simple: choose solidarity. Choose this year to help save 87 million lives. No one can end every crisis, but together we can help end someone’s crisis, one life at a time,” he said.