UN launches $33 billion appeal for 2026

emirates7 - The UN and partners are seeking $23 billion to provide lifesaving support next year to 87 million people worldwide affected by war, climate disasters, earthquakes, epidemics and crop failures.

This is the immediate priority of the $33 billion Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) 2026, launched on Monday, which aims to reach 135 million people overall in 50 countries.

“This appeal sets out where we need to focus our collective energy first: life by life,” said UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher.

The updated GHO follows a year marked by brutal cuts to humanitarian operations and a record number of deadly attacks against aid workers.

It includes 29 detailed plans, and the largest is for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, where $4.1 billion is needed to reach some three million people.

Fletcher recalled that the 2025 appeal received only $12 billion – the lowest funding in a decade. As a result, humanitarians reached 25 million less people than during the previous year.