Global Humanitarian Overview 2024 Monthly Updates

June and July update

Summary

Inter-Agency Coordinated Appeals: June - July Update

People in Need
311.3M
People Targeted
186.5M
Appeals
43
Requirements (US$)
$49B
Inter-Agency Appeals Funding (US$)
$12.26B
Appeals Coverage
25%
Total Humanitarian Funding (US$)
$16.39B

The 2024 Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) requires $48.65 billion to assist 186.5 million people in need across 71 countries through 43 coordinated response plans.

As of end July 2024, reported GHO funding amounts to $12.26 billion or 11 per cent less than last year ($13.8 billion) at the same time. The gap between the financial requirements and funding currently stands at more than $36 billion.

Appeals are funded on average at 25 per cent, which is the same percentage as at the end of July 2023, despite lower absolute funding figures. More than half of the plans are funded below the global average, many significantly less. For more details on amount and coverage by plan, see charts on page 3.

Total reported humanitarian funding has reached $16.39 billion, which is a decrease of 12 per cent compared to what was recorded last year at the same time ($18.46 billion).

Timely reporting of humanitarian contributions from donors and recipients is crucial to provide reliable and complete data for trend analysis. All partners are encouraged to report funding to the Financial Tracking Service (fts@un.org).

New appeals

Close to 13 million people across 30 per cent of the country of Bangladesh have been affected by three subsequent climate emergencies this year. An appeal for the impact of Cyclone Remal and subsequent devastating floods in the north-eastern regions of Bangladesh was launched on 14 July. The plan requires $79.8 million to assist 1.2 million people of the 2.7 million people in need.

Hurricane Beryl hit Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada on 1 July as a Category 4 hurricane, increasing to a Category 5 thereafter. Two flash appeals were issued in support of government and Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) response efforts. An estimated $9 million is urgently required to assist 43,000 people in need.

Regional Focus: Asia and the Pacific

Asia and the Pacific is the world’s most disaster-prone region. The increasing impacts of climate change and natural hazards continue to be the main drivers of humanitarian needs, exacerbated by the increasing number of complex and protracted conflicts, and economic, political and social crises. Protracted humanitarian situations in countries such as Afghanistan and Myanmar are affecting millions of people who need humanitarian assistance and protection.

Humanitarian needs in the Asia and the Pacific region remain high in 2024. Between 2019 and 2024, requirements increased from $1.74 billion in 2019 to $5.60 billion in 2024. The peak of requirements in 2022 was largely due to the 411 per cent increase in the Afghanistan appeals: the HRP increased from $868 million in 2021 to $4.44 billion in 2022, and a regional refugee response plan for $623.4 million was added. The Myanmar HRP also increased by 199 per cent in 2022 ($865.2 million) compared to 2021 ($276.4 million).

In 2024, five countries have response plans for a total of $5.60 billion to assist 32.5 million of the 53.8 million people in need in the region.

The largest plan is the Afghanistan HRP that requires $3.1 billion to assist 17.3 million people, and it is 24 per cent funded as of end July 2024. The Afghanistan Refugee Regional Response Plan requires $620.4 million to assist 7.3 million people and is seven per cent funded.

The $79.8 million Bangladesh Flash Appeal to assist 1.2 million people is currently covered at 18 per cent. The Myanmar HRP requires $993.5 million to assist 5.3 million people and is currently 19 per cent funded. The Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya requires $852.4 million to assist 1.4 million people and is 32 per cent funded.

Funding to the region peaked in 2022 with $4.77 billion, an increase of 54 per cent compared to 2023, largely due to an increase in funding for Afghanistan, by 293 per cent (or $2.4 billion) The funding to Afghanistan alone accounted for 69 per cent of total funding to the region. Funding to Myanmar also increased by 57 per cent from 2021 to 2022. On a smaller scale, funding to the HRP for Pakistan increased by five per cent between 2021 and 2022. The funding gap was the smallest in 2021 and has since increased to the current $4.34 billion.

The number of people in need in the region increased nine-fold between 2019 and 2023 (from 8.4 billion in 2019 to 76.8 billion in 2023). In 2024, the number of people in need decreased by 30 per cent compared to 2023; from 76.8 million to 53.8 million people. The largest decrease is due to the discontinuation of the Pakistan HRP in 2023 which covered 20.6 million people. Due to the prioritization exercise in 2024 for the whole GHO, in 2024 and 2025, Pakistan will focus more on capacity-building for Government partners, humanitarian access, and protection. Furthermore, the number of people in need has decreased in Afghanistan, with 19 per cent less people in need in 2024 compared to 2023 (minus 5.5 million people). The number of people targeted for assistance by the coordinated plans in the region decreased by 28 per cent between 2023 and 2024, also largely due to changes in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Pooled Funds

Total 2024 Allocations (US$)
$746.8M
Countries Assisted with 2024 Allocations
38

In June and July 2024, the OCHA-managed Pooled Funds allocated grants in 15 countries amounting to $246 million to enable essential and life-saving humanitarian assistance. Of this amount, the CBPFs allocated $214.5 million while CERF allocated 31.5 million, all through its Rapid Response Window. For more information about allocations, please visit the CBPFs’ Data Hub and CERF’s website.

CENTRAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND

as of 31 July

June - July Allocations (US$)
$31.5M
Total 2024 Allocations (US$)
$273.8M
Countries Assisted with Allocations in June - July
6

Allocation in focus: Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to climate-related shocks and stresses, including monsoon flooding events. CERF has therefore facilitated an Anticipatory Action framework for flooding in Bangladesh to enable partners to get ahead of predictable hazards. On 4 July 2024, forecasts of severe floods triggered this framework and CERF swiftly disbursed $6.2 million just 16 minutes after receiving early warnings, targeting the Jamuna River Basin as part of a coordinated effort. This prompt activation facilitated the delivery of life-saving assistance, reaching over 500,000 people before the monsoon floods. Of the total allocation, $4.3 million (69 per cent) went towards multi-purpose cash assistance, putting the decision-making power with its recipients.

As of 31 July 2024, total income (paid and pledged) to CERF is slightly lower than at the same time in 2023 : $464.9 million in contrast with $481.4 million in 2023. It remains crucial that additional resources be made available to CERF to allow the Fund to respond to rising needs. The second round of the UFE is under preparation and will be announced by the ERC in the coming period.

Fundraising for the CERF Climate Account continues. For more information, see the Flyer on the CERF Climate Account.

COUNTRY-BASED POOLED FUNDS

as of 31 July

June - July Allocations (US$)
$214.5M
Total 2024 Allocations (US$)
$473M
Countries Assisted with Allocations in June - July
9

Allocation in focus: In South Sudan, rising malnutrition and food insecurity are being driven by economic downturn, intercommunal conflicts, and climatic shocks. The situation is further exacerbated by the influx of returnees and refugees fleeing conflicts in Sudan. In response, the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund launched a $20 million allocation in June, targeting nearly 300,000 people in areas where needs are expected to increase. This allocation is supporting an integrated multisectoral approach, and has a strong focus on food security and livelihoods, nutrition, health, WASH, and protection. The allocation also supports the Flagship Initiative, led by the Emergency Relief Coordinator and piloted in South Sudan, which emphasizes community-led responses to prioritize local needs. To this end, $1.5 million of the allocation is dedicated to supporting the creation of interactive community groups, aiming to identify contextually relevant income-generating activities and to provide micro-grants to community-based organizations that are best placed to engage with local communities.

By the end of July, total expected income for CBPFs reached $685.6 million, compared to last year’s $889.4 million. The largest Humanitarian Funds are the Sudan HF ($99 million), the Ukraine HF ($79 million), followed by the Humanitarian Funds of Afghanistan ($48.5 million), Ethiopia ($42.1 million) and Yemen ($39.2 million). Income predictability remains one of the biggest challenges faced by pooled funds for sound planning and response capacity.

Pooled Funds Story

Providing a lifeline for women affected by crisis
Baghdis, Afghanistan.

Gul Jan, 55 years old, is supporting her grandchildren. “I came here today to receive some cash,” she explains. “My grandchildren will be so happy, as I will buy them good food and clothes.”

Afghanistan is experiencing the ongoing impact of decades of conflict, years of drought conditions, and chronic and continued poverty. The situation has worsened with the severe economic decline since the Taliban takeover in August 2021. Water scarcity, poor food security, and health, nutrition, shelter, and education-related needs all remain high. In 2024, an estimated 23.3 million people will require humanitarian assistance to survive.

The Afghanistan Humanitarian Funding supports the cash project in Baghdis Province that is helping Gul Jan and her family. Women are managing the cash distributions to female-headed households, thereby creating a safe and accessible space for recipients.

Restrictions on women’s work and freedom continued to tighten during 2023, with implications for education, healthcare, and other sectors. Throughout Afghanistan, the role of female aid workers in humanitarian response remains critical. For many women like Gul Jan, being able to interact with a woman service provider is critical to feeling safe.

Launched in 2014, the OCHA-managed Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) has become a cornerstone of humanitarian response in the country, exceeding $1 billion in disbursements in the last ten years. In the past decade, the AHF has supported Afghan non-governmental organizations and women-led organizations to empower and enable the country’s worst-affected communities.

Adapted from an original story from OCHA – read more about the work of the AHF. For more information: visit the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund website, and for real-time contribution and allocation data go to the Pooled Funds Data Hub.