LOC08:42
05:42 GMT
NEW YORK, Dec 9 (KUNA) -- The United Nations and its partners launched a USD 33 billion global humanitarian appeal to assist 135 million people across 50 countries in 2026.
The announcement came in a report issued late Monday by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), titled "Global Humanitarian Overview 2026".
The appeal followed a year marked by major cuts to humanitarian operations and a record number of deadly attacks against aid workers.
Ahead of the launch, UN Humanitarian Chief Tom Fletcher said the appeal "sets out where we need to focus our collective energy first, life by life."
Fletcher said the appeal seeks to safeguard millions of people in areas most affected by conflict, climate-related disasters, earthquakes, pandemics and failed agricultural seasons.
He noted that the 2025 appeal secured only USD 12 billion -- the lowest funding level in a decade -- with aid workers reaching 25 million people, fewer than in 2024.
The 2026 OCHA report includes 29 response plans, the largest dedicated to the occupied Palestinian territory, where USD 4.1 billion is needed to support nearly three million people.
In Sudan, the world's largest displacement crisis, USD 2.9 billion is needed for 20 million people, while the largest of the regional plans is for Syria at USD 2.8 billion for 8.6 million people, according to OCHA. (end)
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