By Atoyebi Nike
The United Nations has reduced its 2026 humanitarian aid request to $23 billion, almost half the amount sought last year, as global donor funding continues to decline. The appeal forms the core of the $33 billion Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) 2026, which aims to deliver urgent assistance to people affected by conflict, climate shocks, disease outbreaks, and food crises.
The UN announced the new appeal on Monday, warning that record levels of humanitarian need now exceed available resources. Rising hunger, mass displacement, and increasing attacks on aid personnel have forced the organization to limit support to the most critical cases.
Under the revised plan, the UN will target 87 million people whose lives are considered most at risk, even though 135 million people across 50 countries require aid. “This appeal sets out where we need to focus our collective energy first: life by life,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said.
Fletcher told Reuters that shrinking global contributions have pushed aid workers into dangerous and overstretched conditions. He described the situation as a “brutal” period requiring painful choices. “We drive the ambulance towards the fire. Now we are also being asked to put the fire out with too little water while being shot at,” he said.
In 2025, the UN requested $47 billion but received only $12 billion the lowest level in a decade. Fletcher noted that cuts forced the closure of hundreds of aid groups and left protection programmes for women and girls severely damaged. He also recalled that 380 aid workers were killed, the deadliest year on record.
The 2026 appeal includes $4.1 billion for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, mainly Gaza, where nearly the entire population of 2.3 million depends on aid after two years of conflict. Sudan follows with a $2.9 billion request to support 20 million internally displaced people and an additional $2 billion for Sudanese refugees abroad. Syria will require $2.8 billion for 8.6 million people, making it the largest regional plan.
Humanitarian agencies warn that even with this reduced appeal, millions will still go without support. Past shortfalls contributed to worsening hunger and overwhelmed health systems, with famine conditions emerging in parts of Sudan and Gaza.
The International Organization for Migration has also scaled back its 2026 funding request to $4.7 billion, down from $8.2 billion last year. The agency aims to assist 41 million displaced people but has secured only $1.3 billion so far. Severe cuts have already led to thousands of staff layoffs.
The United States remains the world’s largest donor, but its share of UN humanitarian funding dropped to 15.6 percent in 2025, down from more than one-third in previous years. The UN is urging governments to increase protection for aid workers and prevent a deeper collapse in humanitarian operations.
