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On 19 August, World Humanitarian Day honors those who risk their lives to help others and stands with millions in crisis. In 2024, over 380 aid workers were killed, many at home, with hundreds more injured, kidnapped, or detained—often in violation of international law and unpunished. As global needs grow, funding shrinks and violence rises, leaving the humanitarian system overwhelmed and failing. This World Humanitarian Day we’re relaunching #ActForHumanity with sharper urgency demanding protection, accountability and action. We’re no longer at a crossroads—we’re at the edge.

As global aid declines, vital services for children, like healthcare and immunization, are collapsing, threatening millions of lives and undermining progress in humanitarian and development efforts.

After years of war and displacement, UNHCR and partners are helping residents return to Taiz, where local resilience and international support are driving the city’s fragile recovery.

Impoverished communities in Palestine (Gaza), Haiti, Mali, South Sudan and Sudan are at risk of famine or already facing catastrophic conditions of acute food insecurity at IPC Phase 5 – the most life-threatening level on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification – according to the latest UN  report. Published jointly twice a year by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), the report confirms deepening crises in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Myanmar, Syria, Yemen and – in a new entry to the list – Nigeria, another country where critical emergency food assistance has faced unprecedented cuts. 

With funding cuts worsening food insecurity in Afghanistan, one in five people now needs emergency aid, as women and children face rising malnutrition and shrinking food assistance, warns WFP.

Two powerful earthquakes hit central Myanmar on 28 March 2025, destroying thousands of homes and reducing hospitals, schools and other essential infrastructure to rubble. Weeks later, millions of people are still struggling to adapt to their new reality: living in makeshift shelters that expose them to scorching heatwaves, early rains and alarming protection risks. Here are some of their stories. You can help: Support the Myanmar Humanitarian Fund. will directly help local organizations.

People in Gaza are at risk of starvation, with all aid blocked from entering since 2 March. A report by 17 United Nations agencies and NGOs released last week says 470,000 people face – level 5 on the , the global standard for measuring food insecurity. It also projects that 71,000 children and more than 17,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women will need urgent treatment for acute malnutrition. Three World Food Programme (WFP) staff members share their perspectives: two who visited Deir el-Balah, in the heart of Gaza, in May, and one from Gaza herself.

Giving birth shouldn't be a fight for survival. In Gaza, Nisma had to flee her home pregnant and now struggles to feed her newborn. Hear her story and see how UNFPA—the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency—is .

“My life has stabilized and I’m optimistic about the future,” says Arwa. A single mother displaced by conflict in Yemen, Arwa started a small business thanks to a cash grant. She is one of 8 million people in Yemen who received life-saving support last year from around 200 humanitarian organizations – many of them local Yemeni partners. In a country devastated by years of conflict, economic collapse and climate disasters, glimpses of hope still break through. From a mother restoring her child’s health to a family salvaging their home after floods, these are the stories of seven people in Yemen whose hope was restored by humanitarian assistance. 

Frustrations intensify as blocks vital food deliveries to 30,000 people in La Saline, where access to basic services is almost non-existent.

UN Humanitarian Affairs chief Tom Fletcher has been forced to make “brutal cuts” to his organization, as major donors in the rich world slash their aid and international development spending.

UN News’s Conor Lennon spoke to him on Thursday via video-link from the UN offices in the Afghan capital Kabul, at the end of a three week visit to some of the most vulnerable communities in the country, where he has witnessed first-hand the deadly consequences of the dramatic aid slowdown.

Mr. Fletcher has publicly challenged policymakers who signed off on cuts to come to Afghanistan to see the effect they're having on the population, saying that “the effect of aid cuts, is that millions die”.

Amid escalating conflicts, climate disasters, and funding shortfalls, the 21st Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development () Conference 2025 (29 April - 1 May) explores critical issues including the evolution of humanitarian principles, shifting financing landscapes, the rise of local actors, and the growing impact of climate change and displacement. also held a under the theme "Ethics in Action," offering humanitarian professionals a platform to address ethical decision-making, AI’s implications, corruption risks, and responsible data practices.

As Sudan enters its third year of war, hunger has reached catastrophic levels. Famine has been confirmed in 10 areas, and 17 others are at risk. Millions of people like Abu Sufian and his family are on the move, crowded into temporary shelters before fighting uproots them once again. In a nation where nearly half the population is hungry, the World Food Programme () assistance is sometimes the only barrier against starvation. Over 13 million people across Sudan have received WFP assistance over the two years since fighting erupted. But even as the WFP aims to scale up its support to reach seven million people a month by mid-year, it faces severe funding and access constraints. “Without immediate assistance, especially in famine or famine-risk areas, thousands of lives are at risk," says Makena Walker, WFP's Acting Country Director in Sudan.

, Ethiopia’s government, and the are rebuilding Tigray’s schools, healthcare, and food systems to support post-conflict recovery.

A combination of poverty, conflict, and extreme weather has led to 1.9 million people facing starvation, with 343 million in 74 countries experiencing acute hunger, as reported by the World Food Programme (). WFP’s fleet of trucks, ships, and planes delivers lifesaving food assistance daily to millions. Central to WFP's mission is its supply chain, which plans, procures, and transports food to those in remote and challenging environments, including conflict zones like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Myanmar, Sudan, and the Gaza Strip. Data-driven decision-making is crucial for efficient planning and delivery. WFP collaborates with partners to enhance supply-chain excellence and respond swiftly to crises. In 2024, over 4,600 supply chain staff—90 percent in the field—worked tirelessly to assist 152 million people in need. But how does the supply chain work?