Global Humanitarian Overview 2024 Monthly Updates

February update

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Global Humanitarian Overview 2024, February Update (Snapshot as of 29 February 2024)
11 Mar 2024
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Summary

Inter-Agency Coordinated Appeals: February Update

  • People in need
    302.2 million
  • People targeted
    184.1 million
  • Appeals
    36
  • Requirements (US$)
    46.1 billion
In the context of UN-coordinated plans, the figure for people targeted is always a subset of the figure for the number of people in need, as it is the result of response analysis, taking into consideration humanitarian access, response capacity of partners, and responses planned/anticipated by humanitarian actors outside of the appeal.

2024

The GHO 2024 requires $46.10 billion to assist 184.1 million people in need across 73 countries through 36 coordinated response plans.

As of the end of February 2024, total humanitarian funding amounts to $4.34 billion which is 35 per cent less than what was recorded at the same time last year ($6.69 billion). Meanwhile, reported GHO funding amounts to $1.75 billion, 30 per cent less than what was reported in February 2023 ($2.38 billion).

Nine plans have less funding recorded compared to the same time last year (Central African Republic, Colombia, El Salvador, Mali, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine).

This funding snapshot is concerning given the bleak global humanitarian outlook for 2024 and the growing severity of needs. Reported funding in the beginning of 2023 was exceptional, largely because of additional funding during the last quarter of 2022 in response to the Ukraine crisis and its global secondary impacts. The following chart highlights end-February GHO and total funding as a percentage of end-year totals since 2019. The current reported funding in absolute terms is the highest since 2020, except for last year.

2023

Reporting on 2023 funding continues and it reached $22.53 billion, or 40.4 per cent of requirements, by the end of February 2024. Donors and humanitarian partners are encouraged to report both 2023 and 2024 funding to the Financial Tracking Service (FTS). Complete and reliable data is key to underpin financial analyses and advocacy efforts for underfunded crises. Guidelines are available here.

Requirements in five regions out of six have increased in 2023 compared to 2022. The only region with decreased requirements was the Asia and the Pacific region (17 per cent less in 2023 compared to 2022) primarily due to the requirements for Afghanistan and Pakistan which decreased by 27 per cent.

The largest increases were in Southern and Eastern Africa (plus 24 per cent) due to Malawi (Flash Appeal to respond to the cholera outbreak), Sudan (revised HRP and the Regional Response Plan), Mozambique and Burundi; and in West and Central Africa (plus 17 per cent) primarily in response to increased requirements for Chad (due to the Sudan crisis that has spilled over the Chadian border). In the Middle East and North Africa Region requirements increased by 16 per cent. Three Flash Appeals were added: two for the earthquakes in northern Syria and in Türkiye at the beginning of 2023, and one for the OPT situation. The three Flash Appeals account for 14 per cent ($2.6 million) of the regional requirements. The Syria HRP has also seen its requirements increased in 2023 compared to 2022 by 22 per cent, and Yemen as well with a two per cent increased. In the Latin America and the Caribbean region, requirements have increased by 7.7 per cent for the region, with a notable increase for Haiti (plus 93 per cent) and Honduras (plus 81 per cent).

In 2024, the requirements in all six regions have decreased. The highest decrease can be seen in the Middle East and North Africa region (less 30 per cent or $5.58 billion). The highest decrease in the region is in Yemen (less 38 per cent or $1.6 billion) The Eastern Europe region with the Ukraine HRP and RRP has decreased by 26 per cent ($1.45 billion). The requirements in Eastern and Southern Africa region have decreased overall by 20 per cent ($2.75 billion), with the largest decrease registered in Somalia (39 per cent) and a few plans with higher requirements, such as the Sudan HRP (plus five per cent), Sudan RRP (plus 29 per cent), South Sudan RRP (plus 3 per cent) and the Horn of Africa and Yemen MRP (plus 22 per cent). The Western and Central Africa region requirements have only decreased by one percent, meanwhile, some are still being finalised as of end-February. To date, plans requirements have increased for coordinated plans for the DRC HRP (plus 15 per cent) and RRP (plus 15 per cent), Chad (plus 28 per cent), Niger (plus 13 per cent) and Burkina Faso (plus 7 per cent). The HRP for CAR has decreased by 31 per cent.

Requirements in the Latin America and Caribbean region decreased by eight per cent, with Colombia being the only plan with increased requirement (plus 17 per cent). Requirements in Honduras decreased by 28 per cent.

In the Asia and Pacific region, requirements have decreased by seven per cent, mostly due to the decrease of five per cent or $1.68 billion for the Afghanistan HRP. The requirements of the Myanmar HRP have increased by 12 per cent.

While the requirements in five regions out of six increased between 2022 and 2023, reported absolute funding in all six regions decreased.

The region with the highest decrease is the Asia and the Pacific region where funding decreased by nearly half (less 46 per cent) compared to 2022. Funding to Afghanistan decreased by more than half (less 56 per cent or $1.8 million in absolute figures) compared to 2022.

Funding in the Eastern Europe region (Ukraine HRP and Ukraine RRP) decreased by 37 per cent ($1.7 million), even though the funding requirements decreased only by seven per cent.

In Southern and Eastern Africa, funding decreased by 25 per cent while the requirements have increased by 24 per cent as mentioned above. In absolute figures, Somalia has the largest decrease in funding compared to 2022 (less $957.4 million), followed by the Sudan RRP (less $431.4 million) and the Ethiopia HRP (less $393.7 million).

Funding in the West and Central Africa region decreased by 22 per cent, with less funding across all the coordinated plans except for Chad that has managed to maintain the same level of funding as in 2022 despite an 80 per cent increase in requirements.

In the Latin America and Caribbean region, funding has decreased by 13 per cent, with the largest decrease in absolute figure for the Venezuela RMRP (less $268.9 million). The Venezuela and Haiti HRPs have increased their funding: plus 32 per cent for Venezuela and plus 31 per cent for Haiti.

The Middle East and North Africa region is the region with the smallest funding decrease (minus 8 per cent) between 2023 and 2022 while the requirements have grown by 16 per cent. This can be explained by the fact that the three Flash Appeals for the Syria and Türkiye earthquakes at the beginning of 2023 and for OPT were relatively well funded (97 per cent for Syria Flash Appeal; 57 per cent for the Türkiye earthquake and 55 per cent for OPT).

FOCUS: Occupied Palestinian Territory

The Flash Appeal for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) was published on 12 October 2023 with financial requirements of $294 million to respond to the most urgent needs of 1.26 million people in OPT (Gaza and West Bank, including East Jerusalem). On 6 November 2023, the first update of the Flash Appeal was issued with a new financial requirement of $1.2 billion to meet the critical needs of 2.7 million people across the OPT (2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem). Due to the continued impediments to have an effective and scaled humanitarian response, in early February humanitarian partners extended the Flash Appeal through March 2024, with the overall financial requirements divided between 2023 ($629 million) and 2024 ($600 million).

Humanitarian actors will continue to meet the urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza and the West Bank through the Flash Appeal while humanitarian partners continue to finalise the new plan for period April-December 2024.

Timely and flexible funding supports better outcomes and delivers efficiencies. UNRWA is part of the OPT Flash Appeal and it plays a unique role, serving as the main direct provider of basic services. With over two million people in dire need of life-saving humanitarian assistance in Gaza at present, no other agency is able to respond at scale.

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IASC Principals Collective Advocacy Project

In 2022, the IASC (Inter-Agency Standing Committee) Principals agreed on the need to better leverage the respective comparative advantages of IASC members to address the erosion of humanitarian space and principles, including through joint approaches to collective humanitarian diplomacy and advocacy. The pilot began in January 2023 with a focus in the following four contexts: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Haiti, and Myanmar, and it was eventually extended to the end of the year.

At their 7 November 2023 meeting, IASC Principals agreed to extend the pilot again through the end of 2024. In addition to the issues addressed by the IASC Principals, resource mobilisation is a key challenge for the pilot countries. The following provides an insight to the low funding reality in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Haiti, and Myanmar.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan was a relatively well-funded response plan from 2016 – 2019 with requirements between $363 and $456 million. In 2020, requirements increased by 85 per cent to $1.13 billion due to the addition of COVIDrelated requirements, however, funding only increased by 31 per cent. In 2021, the Afghanistan HRP and Flash Appeal issued in September were two of the best-funded plans due to the attention and support in response to the deepening humanitarian needs and acute protection risks driven by changes in the operating environment and political transition in mid-August that year. In 2022, the Afghanistan HRP requirements increased considerably to $4.44 billion to meet the needs of more than 22 million people, making it the largest HRP globally behind the appeals for the Syria crisis response. Funding also increased in 2022 to $3.36 billion and almost 60 per cent was allocated to addressing the serious food security situation caused by the severe 2021/2022 drought, economic downturn, and the secondary impacts of the Ukraine crisis. In 2023, HRP requirements decreased by 27 per cent to $3.23 billion, meanwhile, funding also decreased by 56 per cent, leaving a large funding gap of $1.75 billion.

In 2024, despite the significant reduction in active hostilities, Afghanistan remains primarily a protection emergency characterised by high-levels of protracted displacement, mine and explosive ordnance contamination, restrictions to freedom of movement, increased risk of gender-based violence, child labour, early marriage and increased needs for mental health and psychosocial support. The Afghanistan HRP currently requires $3.06 billion to meet the needs of 17.3 billion people which is the largest number of people in a single plan in the GHO.

Funding to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) has varied over the past five years. In 2020, during the COVID pandemic, contributions to the AHF totalled $60 million from 14 donors. In 2021, contributions increased by nearly 350 per cent and reached $270 million from 20 donors, largely due to the increased donor support following the takeover of the Taliban in August 2021. In 2022, the level of contributions to the AHF was even higher at $275 million from 19 donors.

In 2023, contributions decreased by 70 per cent to $81.6 million from 18 donors. On average between 2019 and 2022, the AHF contributed 27 per cent to the overall HRP, which is higher than the target of 15 per cent and higher than the global average in 2022 of ten per cent. In 2023, this percentage decreased to two per cent. This drop can be related to several factors, including the ban on Afghan women working for international and national NGOs and the UN introduced at the end of 2022 and the complexity of an already challenging operational and protection environment in the country. Furthermore, two years after the Taliban takeover of the country, three top donors to the AHF who made up 83 per cent of the total contributions to the AHF in 2022 decreased their funding by 82 per cent (or $209.2 million) in 2023.

In 2023, the AHF allocated 21 per cent of its funding to national partners, including as primary recipients or sub-partners, which is lower than the global average of 39 per cent.

Thematic: Anticipatory Action

Climate shocks are causing increasingly severe damage and amplifying humanitarian needs. So far, humanitarian action has been mostly responsive, arriving after a crisis has materialised. With recent advances in forecasting, humanitarian and development organisations have been able to anticipate and respond ahead of crises. There is growing evidence that acting prior to the onset of a predictable shock is significantly faster, dignified and more (cost-)effective humanitarian response.

Anticipatory action (AA) seeks to ensure aid is provided before the peak impact of a shock occurs, reducing suffering and humanitarian needs. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has been developing AA frameworks since 2019, coordinating collective AA and mobilising finance. To date, these pilots have reached approximately 2.2 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh. In six countries (Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Nepal, Niger, and the Philippines), frameworks are in place to reach a further 2.3 million people should the triggers be reached. OCHA is facilitating the design of AA plans in Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Mozambique, and South Sudan.

So far, learning from the pilot countries concludes that triggers must be sufficiently reliable to warrant action and funds disbursement. Forecasts are not available for all countries or hazards, and existing forecasts may not provide desired resolution or skill (accuracy) levels. The timing of action, therefore, must balance forecast skill against operational needs. Funding is best when it is flexible and includes finance for framewor

Grand Bargain

Following intensive preparatory work by the Grand Bargain core-group of interested Signatories, the Caucus on Scaling up Anticipatory Action was launched on 16 February 2024. The caucus is co-championed by Germany, OCHA, Save the Children, and WFP, and includes members such as EU/DG ECHO, FAO, IFRC, NEAR, Oxfam, and UK/FCDO.

It aims to address challenges in scaling up anticipatory action with a focus on three objectives:

  1. Funding commitments are secured to scale up coordinated Anticipatory Action.
  2. Caucus members agree on recommendations to improve coordination and cooperation at the international, national, and local level.
  3. And as a baseline, the caucus members will start working on a joint methodology to allow tracking of funds for AA as well as a basis for advocacy (“common understanding”). The outcome document is expected to be presented at the Grand Bargain Annual Meeting and the Global Dialogue Platform in October 2024.

Pooled Funds

February allocations (US$)
$ 45 million
Total allocations (US$)
$ 80 million
Countries assisted with allocations
12

In February 2024, OCHA-managed Pooled funds allocated $45 million for humanitarian interventions in response to conflicts and natural disasters. This includes $7 million from CAR and DRC Humanitarian Funds and $38 million from Central Emergency Response fund (CERF) to DRC, the Republic of Sudan, and Ethiopia.

In addition, on 20 February 2024, the Emergency Relief Coordinator announced the upcoming $100 million allocations from CERF to support underfunded humanitarian emergencies in seven countries in Africa, the Americas and the Middle East. The crises in DRC, Sudan and Syria top the list, receiving $20 million each. Other countries that will benefit from these allocations are Chad ($15 million), Niger ($10 million), Lebanon ($9 million), and Honduras ($6 million). The allocations will be processed in March.

CENTRAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND

as of 29 February