Global Humanitarian Overview 2024 Monthly Updates

October update

Inter-Agency Coordinated Appeals: October Update

People in Need
314.7M
People Targeted
189.9M
Appeals
47
Requirements (US$)
$49.46B
Inter-Agency Appeals Funding (US$)
$18.51B
Appeals Coverage
37.3%
Total Humanitarian Funding (US$)
$25.29B

The 2024 Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) requires over $49 billion to assist 189.9 million of the people in need across 76 countries through 47 coordinated response plans.

More than $2 billion in GHO funding was reported during the month of October, bringing total funding to $18.51 billion. This is $200 million less than at the same time last year. Coverage of appeal requirements has reached 37 per cent.

New Appeals

On 1 October 2024, the UN and humanitarian partners launched a Flash Appeal in Beirut, with the Government, to address the rapidly escalating humanitarian needs in the country. The US$426 million appeal aims to support 1 million people in Lebanon with humanitarian assistance for the next three months.

On 21 August 2024, the UN in collaboration with the Government of Mozambique, launched a Drought Appeal to address the escalating humanitarian needs resulting from the El Niño-induced drought. This appeal seeks to mobilize US$89 million to assist approximately 1.8 million people facing food insecurity between October 2024 and March 2025. It outlines an inter-sectoral approach to delivering essential assistance in the hardest-hit areas, including food, nutrition, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), and protection services.

The Nepal Floods Response Plan was launched on 7 October 2024, to address the urgent needs arising from the severe floods and landslides that occurred between 27 and 28 September 2024. This plan seeks to mobilize US$17.5 million to provide immediate assistance to approximately 193,000 people affected by the disaster over the next three months.

The Joint Response Plan for Typhoon Yagi and Floods in Viet Nam was launched on 27 September 2024, to address the extensive damage caused by Typhoon Yagi, the most powerful storm to hit the country in 30 years. This plan seeks to mobilize US$68.9 million to provide humanitarian assistance and support early recovery efforts for the affected populations over the next nine months.

Total reported humanitarian funding has reached $25.29 billion, which is an increase of over $350 million compared to the amount recorded at the same time last year ($24.93 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


GHO Launch

On Wednesday 4 December 2024, the 2025 Global Humanitarian Overview will be launched in three sequential events in Geneva, Kuwait (in partnership with the Government of Kuwait represented by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs), and Nairobi (in partnership with the African Union).

The overarching theme for this year’s launch is "Enhancing Global Solidarity and Empowering Communities for Resilience". The Geneva launch will highlight the imperative of “Upholding International Humanitarian Law in Armed Conflict”. The Kuwait event will focus on “Collective Action in Humanitarian Diplomacy”, while in Nairobi the sub-theme will be “Investing in Localization for the Transformation of Humanitarian Response”.

More information is available on the GHO 2025 webpage.

CERF High-Level Pledging Event

The CERF High-Level Pledging Event will be held on Tuesday 10 December 2024 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. New York (EST), in the ECOSOC Chamber at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. 2025 will be the 20th anniversary of CERF's establishment and the High-level Pledging Event seeks to mobilize the financial resources necessary to ensure CERF’s continued ability to meet acute humanitarian needs wherever and whenever they arise. More information is available here.

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Thematic Focus: Climate Finance

Climate change is a major driver of global humanitarian needs. In addition to extreme weather and climate-related disasters becoming more frequent and more intense, climate shocks and stresses exacerbate existing vulnerabilities of people and communities.

COP29

The 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) takes place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11 to 22 November 2024.

This year, negotiations at COP29, will focus on climate finance. Communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis need urgent support to adapt and respond to climate impacts. In 2009, developed countries agreed that they would collectively mobilize $100 billion per year to support developing countries' climate action. However, as greenhouse gases have continued to increase, some now estimate that trillions of US dollars are needed per year to mitigate, adapt and respond to climate change.

While climate finance has grown, large gaps remain. For example, current adaptation finance gaps are estimated at between $194-366 billion per year, jeopardizing efforts to build resilience in food and water systems, healthcare and education, poverty reduction and livelihoods, and infrastructure. The financing gap is even more pronounced for countries experiencing both climate change and situations of conflict and fragility. From 2019-2021, only three per cent of adaptation funding was used for emergency contexts.

At COP29, parties will be working towards a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG). For the humanitarian sector, there are several key priorities. Adaptation financing must be sufficiently resourced and fully operationalized across sectors so that adaptation can be planned, financed and implemented at a scale and speed that matches the worsening climate crisis. Access to finance needs to be dramatically increased for countries experiencing conflict, extreme poverty, and humanitarian crises, including least developed countries and small island developing States (SIDS), and reach the local level. Processes for accessing financing should be streamlined and made more accessible to multiple actors, including civil societies and community-based organizations. The NCQC should also address the challenges of indebtedness and the high cost of capital for developing countries.

For a second year in a row, OCHA will be hosting the Humanitarian Hub with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. The Hub will not only provide an opportunity to all humanitarian partners to amplify the voice of people affected by the climate crisis but a platform to advocate for solutions and discuss the way forward.

The following three events will take place during the COP29:

  • “Accelerating climate action and finance to frontline communities affected by fragility or conflict” on Friday 15 November 2024 from 15:00-16:30 (AZT, UTC+4); Side Event Room 3, COP 29, Baku, Azerbaijan
  • “Minimizing and addressing climate-related shocks: CERF’s role in climate action” on Monday, 18 November 2024 from 10:00 am - 11:00 am (AZT, UTC+4); The Humanitarian Hub, Blue Zone, Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan.
  • “Official Launch Humanitarian Hub at the COP29”, on Monday, 18 November 2024 from 9:00 am - 10:00 am (AZT, UTC+4) at the Humanitarian Hub, Blue Zone, Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan.

For more information on the Hub: Humanitarian Hub @COP29 | OCHA

CERF Climate Action Account

CERF is at the forefront of the humanitarian response to the climate crisis and fills an important niche in the global climate financing architecture. Since its inception, CERF has allocated $2.5 billion, i.e. over a quarter of its funding, for response and anticipatory action for climate-related hazards such as droughts, floods and storms. So far this year, CERF’s climate-related allocations total over $152 million, supporting around 10 million people across 26 countries.

But CERF needs to do more and can do more, including by increasingly supporting anticipatory action and by incentivizing climate-smart humanitarian programming that builds affected communities’ resilience and adaptive capacity to future climate shocks and stresses.

To boost CERF’s climate action, OCHA launched a dedicated CERF Climate Action Account (CAA) at COP28 in Dubai, UAE to enable CERF to grow its climate action portfolio by:

  • Supporting and incentivizing life-saving actions that reduce exposure or vulnerability to future climate shocks and stresses, thus helping to build communities’ resilience and adaptive capacity to climate change;
  • Scaling anticipatory action for predictable climate shocks;
  • Boosting humanitarian responses to climate-related disasters; and
  • Fostering innovation and advancing best practices in impactful climate action across the wider humanitarian system. 

Thanks to generous contributions totaling $6.1 million thus far, the Climate Action Account has already strengthened CERF’s climate action portfolio in 2024. The Account helped to launch a dedicated climate action envelope possible for the second CERF Underfunded Emergencies (UFE) Round of 2024. This envelope supports innovative and catalytic climate-smart humanitarian action that strengthens the adaptive capacities and resilience of crisis-affected communities. The demand for this envelope has been overwhelming, with UFE recipient countries submitting proposals totaling nearly $25 million—far exceeding the available $10 million. The proposed initiatives focus on immediate response combined with building resilience, thus meeting current needs and reducing or preventing future humanitarian need. Many initiatives are innovative pilots with the potential to be scaled up, replicated or adapted to other contexts.

Additionally, the Account helped enable anticipatory action (AA) through frameworks totaling $14.6 million for flooding in Bangladesh, Nepal and Chad. In Bangladesh, the trigger for the AA floods framework in the Jamuna River basin was reached on 4 July. Within 16 minutes of the early warning alert, CERF disbursed $6.2 million in pre-arranged funding to mitigate the impact of the anticipated floods, reaching over 460,000 people with assistance including cash transfers, water purification supplies, agricultural support, and information on gender-based violence, ahead of peak flooding.

Through these efforts, the Climate Action Account strengthens CERF’s leadership role in climate-responsive humanitarian action, ensuring that the world’s most vulnerable are better prepared for the crises of tomorrow.

For more information on the CERF Climate Action Account see this flyer.

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Pooled Funds

Total 2024 Allocations (US$)
$1.2B
Countries Assisted with 2024 Allocations
46

In October 2024, the OCHA-managed Pooled Funds made allocations across 17 countries amounting to $183.2 million to enable essential and life-saving humanitarian assistance. Of this amount, the Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) allocated $68.7 million while the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocated $114.5 million.

For more information about allocations, please visit the CBPFs’ Data Hub, CERF's Data Hub and CERF's website.

CENTRAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND

Allocations endorsed by the ERC, a.i. as of 31 October 2024

October Allocations (US$)
$114.5M
Total 2024 Allocations (US$)
$493.7M
Countries Assisted with Allocations in October
7

Allocations in focus: Following an influx of refugees from Lebanon into Syria, CERF allocated $12 million in October to provide immediate, targeted assistance for refugees and host communities in areas experiencing the largest inflow of refugees. This vital funding supports urgent needs, including protection, shelter, non-food items, and nutrition. The allocation will be strategically complemented by a grant from the Syria Humanitarian Fund which will address critical water, sanitation and hygiene and health needs, and help ensure a cohesive and comprehensive response that addresses immediate needs and safeguards the dignity of those affected by displacement.

Contributions: By end October 2024, thanks to the announcements of additional funding from donors, projections for the CERF in 2024 now stand at some $568.1 million. This is above total funding received in 2023 – when levels were below those reached in 2017 - but still well below funding received in prior years, and far from the $1 billion target agreed by the General Assembly in 2016.

The upcoming COP29 in November and the CERF High-Level Pledging Event for 2025 on 10 December 2024 will provide opportunities for Member States to come forward and announce their support and commitment to CERF - a Fund for All, By All.

COUNTRY-BASED POOLED FUNDS

Allocations launched by 31 October 2024

October Allocations (US$)
$68.7M
Total 2024 Allocations (US$)
$704.4M
Countries Assisted with Allocations in October
12

Allocation in focus: The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is escalating amid worsening conflict, severe protection concerns, widespread displacement, climate shocks, and deteriorating socio-economic conditions. In response, the Yemen Humanitarian Fund (YHF) launched a critical $30 million allocation in October. Complementing a $20 million allocation from CERF to enable comprehensive programmatic and geographic coverage, this allocation ensures rapid, targeted assistance to protect vulnerable populations and prevent further deterioration of humanitarian conditions. The allocation provides essential, multisectoral support, including food security through cash assistance, farming inputs, expanded nutrition services, water, sanitation and hygiene interventions with a focus on cholera hotspots, and shelter and essential items for displaced people. In October, the YHF also launched a $1.5 million allocation to address the humanitarian impact of the Israeli Defense Force airstrikes in late September that destroyed critical infrastructure, including electricity, in Al Hodeidah Governorate. This allocation will enable the procurement of fuel, emergency medical supplies and equipment to support critical health care facilities.

Contributions: Expected income to CBPFs reached $946 million by end of October, which is below last year’s income of $992 million. Not all funds have received equal attention in 2024. For instance, the income of some CBPFs in 2024 (and 2023) has declined when compared to 2022. This decline varies between 10 to 50 percent (more than 50 per cent for OPT, Somalia, Syria and Syria Cross-Border, for instance), and is even up to 70 per cent for the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund. The lack of predictability and one-off contributions by some donors particularly impacts negatively on smaller Funds (in Burkina Faso, CAR, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Venezuela), and the newly established Regional Humanitarian Funds and their envelopes such as the Regional Humanitarian Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean (envelopes for Haiti and Colombia), or the Regional Humanitarian Fund for Eastern and Southern Africa (envelope for Mozambique). Sustained support, including through multi-year agreements, would be particularly beneficial for these funds.

Pooled Funds Story

Emergency nutrition saves baby Hadiza’s life
Pulka, Borno state, Nigeria.

Nigeria, Pulka IDP camp. “I had almost lost hope. I thought I was going to lose my baby,” said Gambo, recalling how sick her daughter had been. Eighteen-month-old baby Hadiza arrived at Pulka Primary Healthcare Center weighing only 3.8 kilos and suffering from gastroenteritis. Hadiza, her mother and the rest of their family were forced to flee their home in Zubulum, Kirawa town in Gwoza Local Government Area, due to conflict. They now live 16 kilometers away in Pulka Internally Displaced Persons Camp E, where access to health services is limited.

Fourteen years into the conflict, the humanitarian crisis in north-east Nigeria remains profound and widespread. Across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) states, over 7.9 million people face severe protection concerns, extreme deprivation beyond existing poverty levels, and daily threats to their well-being. The severity and complexity of affected people’s needs have not diminished.

Hadiza was immediately admitted to the health facility’s stabilization centre, and placed on medication and therapeutic feeding. Within days, Hadiza was showing improvement and after a little more than two weeks, she was weighed 5.4 kilos and was discharged to the outpatient therapeutic programme. Both the stabilization centre and the outpatient therapeutic programme are supported by Premiere Urgence International with funding from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund (NHF).

Original story from OCHA can be found here.

For more information: visit the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund website, and for real-time contribution and allocation data go to the Pooled Funds Data Hub.