UN Slashes Global Humanitarian Appeal Amid ‘Deepest Funding Cuts Ever’
The United Nations announced on Monday a dramatic reduction in its global humanitarian operations, citing unprecedented funding shortfalls that have forced the organization to drastically scale back its aid ambitions for 2024.
In a statement, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed it is now seeking $29 billion in aid for the year—down from the $44 billion it originally requested in December. The agency said it would shift to a “hyper-prioritised” approach, focusing resources on the world’s most urgent crises.
The decision comes amid a steep drop in contributions from key international donors. The United States—historically the UN’s largest financial backer—has significantly reduced its foreign aid budget under President Donald Trump’s administration. Other donor countries have also cut back, citing economic uncertainty and competing domestic priorities.
As of June, the UN has received just $5.6 billion in humanitarian funding—about 13 percent of its initial appeal.
“Brutal funding cuts leave us with brutal choices,” said Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. “All we ask is 1 percent of what you spent last year on war. But this isn’t just an appeal for money—it’s a call for global responsibility, for human solidarity, for a commitment to end the suffering.”
The funding crisis comes at a time of sharply rising needs in several conflict-ridden and disaster-prone regions. Populations in Sudan, Gaza, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Myanmar are among those most at risk of losing access to life-saving aid.
OCHA said its revised humanitarian strategy would prioritize life-saving assistance in the worst-affected areas and be aligned with early planning efforts for 2025 to make the most of limited resources.
With input from Al Jazeera
