Global Humanitarian Overview 2024 Monthly Updates

May update

Summary

Inter-Agency Coordinated Appeals: May Update

People in Need
308.5M
People Targeted
187.8M
Appeals
39
Requirements (US$)
$48.65B
Inter-Agency Appeals Funding (US$)
$7.85B
Appeals Coverage
16%
Total Humanitarian Funding (US$)
$11.23B

The 2024 Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) requires $48.65 billion to assist 187.8 million people in need across 71 countries through 39 coordinated response plans.

The requirements for the GHO have increased since its launch in December 2023 – from $46.4 billion to $48.6 billion. This increase was due to higher requirements for the Syria Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), three Flash Appeals for the floods in Libya, droughts in Zambia and Zimbabwe, and a response plan for Burundi to respond to floods.

As of end May 2024, the reported GHO funding amounts to $7.85 billion or 20 per cent less than last year ($9.8 billion) at the same time. The gap between the financial requirements and the resources currently stands at $40.8 billion.

Appeals are funded at an average of 16.1 per cent, compared to 17 per cent at the end of May 2023. More than half of the plans are funded below the global average, with many significantly less. For more details on amount and coverage by plan, see charts below.

Total reported humanitarian funding has reached $11.23 billion, which is a decrease of 19 per cent compared to what was recorded last year at the same time ($13.8 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).

Upcoming Events

The ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment will take place from 25 to 27 June in New York under the theme “Putting humanity first in the place of conflicts and climate change: Strengthening humanitarian assistance and respect for international humanitarian law, and promoting effectiveness, innovation and partnerships”. Side events will take place from 24 to 28 June.

One side-event will be on “Underfunding and the Cost of Inaction: How to address one of the main challenges to humanitarian response”. It will present the mid-year funding status of the GHO and highlight major funding gaps and the continued increase in humanitarian needs. It will also present a broader picture of the funding landscape in crisis-affected countries, including development funding streams, underscore the cost of inaction on the most vulnerable people in underfunded humanitarian crises, and discuss possible mitigation strategies. The event will take place on Wednesday, 26 June from 13:15-14:30 (New York time).

Another side-event will focus on “Investing in Humanity: Using pooled funds to advance meaningful partnerships for innovations in humanitarian strategies”. Following the themes of ECOSOC HAS this year on innovation, effectiveness and partnerships, the event will feature the CERF Climate Action Account and the Regional Pooled Funds as innovations and will involve women-led and local organisations as crucial leaders and partners. The event will also highlight examples of effectiveness in responding to food insecurity in 2023, preventing famine-like situations as part of anticipatory action/ humanitarian-development collaboration, and solutions related to climate and weather emergencies (e.g., El Niño, drought, etc). The event will take place on Friday, 28 June from 11:30-12:45 (New York time).

For more information on the ECOSOC HAS: 2024 ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment and ECOSOC Meeting on the Transition from Relief to Development | OCHA (unocha.org)

Regional Focus: West and Central Africa

Humanitarian needs in West and Central Africa continue to rise due to prolonged crises, the impact of climate change, catastrophic food insecurity and malnutrition, and conflict, violence and political instability. Eight countries in the region have appeals with total estimated requirements of $8.34 billion. These appeals aim to assist 34.5 million of the 65 million people in need.

The complex challenges facing West and Central Africa continue increasing from all angles. Millions of vulnerable people have fled their homes due to attacks by non-state armed groups. Thousands of vulnerable people are fleeing from Sudan to Chad and Central African Republic. The violence in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger is pushing people to seek refuge in Benin, Ghana and other coastal countries. Women and children are particularly at risk of gender-based violence, and Protection remains one of the direst needs.

To continue supporting the most vulnerable people in West and Central Africa, funding for the humanitarian response must be supported at scale. Coordinated appeal requirements for the region have increased over the years. Regional requirements have doubled since 2019 ($4.60 billion) and currently stand at $8.34 billion.

In 2024, the requirements of four plans decreased in absolute terms compared to 2023 (Cameroon –7 per cent, Central African Republic –31 per cent, Mali –7 per cent, and Nigeria –29 per cent), while increasing in the other four plans (Burkina Faso +7 per cent, Chad +22 per cent, Democratic Republic of the Congo +15 percent, and Niger +13 per cent).

The largest decrease in requirements was for the Nigeria HRP (minus 29 per cent or $385.4 million). The decrease is due to several factors, including the reduction in the number of people targeted, which currently stands at 4.4 million people.

Between 2022 and 2023, funding to the region decreased by 14 per cent, while requirements increased. This decrease was observed globally as well. All the countries in the region have experienced a reduction in funding, except Chad which had an increase of 29 per cent ($90.8 million).

Nigeria and Niger had the largest decrease in funding. Funding to the Nigeria HRP decreased by $173.2 million and a $113.7 million decrease was observed for the Niger HRP.

Pooled Funds

Total 2024 Allocations (US$)
$315.3
Countries Assisted with 2024 Allocations
23
May

In May 2024, the OCHA-managed Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPF) allocated $106 million in 11 countries to enable essential and life-saving humanitarian assistance. Of this amount, the CBPFs allocated $58.5 million while CERF allocated $47.5 million, $22.5 million through its Rapid Response Window and $25 million through the Underfunded Emergencies Window. For more information about all allocations, please visit CBPFs’ Data Hub and CERF’s website.

What’s new in the Pooled Funds?

A new Regional Humanitarian Fund in Eastern and Southern Africa is opening. This builds on the successful establishment and performance of the Regional Humanitarian Fund in West and Central Africa, and the inauguration of the Regional Humanitarian Fund in Latin America and the Caribbean in March. The Fund will mirror the West and Central Africa Fund, with the possibility for donors to earmark contributions to individual country envelopes that will be programmed by Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinators (RC/HC) with support from in-country Advisory Boards. The fund will enable swift and flexible locally led responses to a wide range of sudden-onset crises across the region and allow OCHA to offer pooled fund services in a scalable and fit-for-purpose manner. Moreover, it will draw in resources for protracted and underfunded crises and improve funding for local responders.

A first country envelope will be established in Mozambique, enabling donors to channel their funding to local responders in communities increasingly affected by conflict and climate change. The spike in displacement, armed violence and extreme weather events in Mozambique are putting more people at risk and in need of humanitarian support. The Fund will enable rapid response in hard-to-reach areas in partnership with local organisations. OCHA has received encouraging expressions of financial support for this envelope, and the RC/HC continues active resource mobilisation efforts.

The first edition of the CERF Annual Climate Action Report has been published, outlining the impact the Fund had last year in enabling responses to climate-related disasters globally. The report offers detailed insights into CERF’s climate action, including the hazards, geographical locations, beneficiary demographics, and sectors that have been prioritised. The report also illustrates how CERF-supported projects contribute to building resilience and adapting to future climate shocks in affected communities.

CENTRAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND

as of 31 May

May Allocations (US$)
$47.5M
Total 2024 Allocations (US$)
$208.6M
Countries Assisted with Allocations in May
7

Allocation in focus: In May, CERF allocated $2.5 million to enable UN agencies to provide immediate life-saving assistance in Burundi. The funding will address the repercussions of rising lake waters and recent torrential rains related to El Niño, which have prompted new internal displacements and could heighten the risk of waterborne epidemic diseases, including cholera—an endemic threat in the affected regions. Additionally, the allocation will address the surge in malaria and other disease cases, as well as increasing protection concerns, including gender-based violence. While the focus of this allocation will be to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance, the response strategy will also harness established partnerships with development and environmental stakeholders to promote sustainable solutions for both affected individuals and host communities. The allocation will provide humanitarian assistance to 60,000 affected people.

As of end-May 2024, total income to CERF is lower than at the same time in 2023 - $451.5 million in contrast with $470.9 million in 2023. It is crucial that additional resources be made available to CERF to allow the Fund to respond to rising needs and in preparation of the second round of the Under-funded Emergencies (UFE). 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 May

May Allocations (US$)
$58.5M
Total 2024 Allocations (US$)
$212.72M
Countries Assisted with Allocations in May
4

Somalia is yet to fully recover from the effects of a devastating drought that ravaged the country between 2020 to mid-2023 and the humanitarian situation has in recent months been further worsened by El Niño-related floods. In response, the Somalia Humanitarian Fund launched a $25 million allocation in May to target communities in five districts whose needs are forecasted to deteriorate without sustained humanitarian assistance. This allocation will pilot the Integrated Response Framework in Banadir District, which hosts the highest number of people in extreme need. With the likelihood of above average rainfall in the Gu season, and dry spell thereafter with prospects of La Niña later in 2024, this allocation builds on post-shock responses and aims to mitigate the potential impact of future shocks.

Total expected income by the end of May 2024 for CBPFs is below the level of May 2023, with 32 donors contributing $575 million compared to 41 donors contributing $812 million in 2023. Several reasons could explain the drop: donors who are delaying their contributions to CBPFs to the latter part of the year; some who have not yet decided of all their allocations, and some who have already informed of the drop in their contributions for 2024. Income predictability remains one of the biggest challenges faced by pooled funds for sound planning and response capacity.

Pooled Funds Story

In West and Central Africa, the Regional Humanitarian Fund supports displaced women and girls
Burkina Faso and Niger.

“Our garden used to provide us with enough food. But we lost everything,” says Roukietou, a mother of two in Banwa province, Burkina Faso, who had to flee her home because of violence.

In neighbouring Niger, Amna cried herself to sleep. Also displaced by conflict, she was suddenly forced to marry an older relative. “My dreams were shattered,” she said. Mass displacement and conflict uproot people’s lives, leading to more risks for women and girls, including hunger and poor nutrition, as well as gender-based violence and sexual exploitation.

Burkina Faso continues to experience one of the fastest-growing humanitarian crises in the world, with an estimated ten per cent of the national population – more than two million people – internally displaced due to violence and insecurity. A quarter of the population is currently reliant on humanitarian aid.
In Niger, forced displacement has been triggered by conflict, malnutrition, recurrent health epidemics, cyclical floods and drought. It means that 4.3 million people, including 2.4 million children, need humanitarian assistance in 2024.

Help to continue schooling

Amna and her family fled conflict in their village and made for a displacement site in Tillaberi. But, when Amna was only 12, she was married to her cousin, against her wishes. Then, at 14, she became pregnant.

Ultimately, Amna did leave. A friend advised her to get in touch with the international NGO Help, which offers services in Tillaberi with the support of the Regional Humanitarian Fund for West and Central Africa.

Amna met a Help midwife as well as a mental health counsellor. She described her regrets about leaving school and, being pregnant, her worry that she wouldn’t be able to return. The midwife and counsellors told her they would help her to get back to school.

When the baby was born, Help provided food, hygiene supplies, clothes, and formula. The counsellor and baby nurses visited regularly to check on them and make sure they were well. With support from family members, Amna has been able to return to school. “I sleep well now,” she says.

Knowledge, support, and leadership

In Burkina Faso, the international NGO EngenderHealth hosted classes on nutrition, hygiene, and childcare for displaced women like Roukietou. They were also an opportunity to learn and connect with other women who had lived through similar experiences. “These were helpful, and I share the information with other women I know,” says Roukietou.

Another displaced woman, Rakieta, conducts awareness-raising campaigns in the community, advocating for women’s rights and decision-making.
A survivor of domestic abuse herself, Rakieta works with a project run by the national NGO SOS Sahel. “I suffered so much,” she explains. Now she works to get women involved in camp leadership and joining community committees, to help protect other women’s rights – so that no one has to live through what she did