Local and national actors played a vital role in the collective response
Local and national NGOs were instrumental to delivering assistance and received 45 per cent of OCHA’s Country-Based Pooled Fund allocations, amounting to $281 million—the highest percentage so far. In Chad, local partners delivered nutritional services to over 80 per cent of people in hard-to-reach areas. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 85 per cent of partners addressing GBV were local. In Ukraine, 70 per cent of the more than 600 organizations involved in the response were national NGOs, while in Ethiopia, 61 per cent of emergency shelter and NFI partners were national NGOs. In Venezuela, local and national partners accounted for 57 per cent of the 158 organizations providing assistance.
Local and national organizations also played an increasing role in humanitarian coordination. In Colombia, the Flagship Initiative helped increase national representation within the Humanitarian Country Team to 52 per cent and through the regional plan for Venezuelan migrants and refugees, refugee- and migrant-led organizations comprised a third of the regional response planning efforts.
Ndjoukou, Central African Republic
Roland learned to plait thanks to training he received from a CAR Humanitarian Fund partner, securing a job to support himself. Insecurity limits farming and fishing in the Ndjoukou river.
OCHA/Renzo GrandeAddressing dire food insecurity and malnutrition
By September 2024, global Food Security Cluster partners reached 72 million people with food interventions, including 58 million who received food assistance and 21 million with agriculture and livelihoods support. In the Central African Republic, nearly one million people received food aid. Yemen saw 5.8 million people supported, while in South Sudan, 3.5 million people accessed essential food assistance, livelihood support and cash transfers. In Ethiopia, on average, 5.1 million food-insecure people received monthly distributions of relief food and/or cash assistance. Between January and September 2024, the World Food Programme (WFP) transferred $1.5 billion to 39 million people through cash, vouchers and commodity vouchers.
Partners focused on anticipating crises. In Madagascar, emergency and anticipatory actions reached nearly 1 million people across the country. Food and livelihood support benefited over 900,000 people, while around 31,700 people had access to safe water and 36,700 received hygiene kits. In Somalia, for the first time, the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan integrated anticipatory action for predictable shocks. This allowed partners to pre-position supplies and services in regional hubs to support thousands of people at risk from riverine and flash floods during the Gu season. The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) prioritized early interventions to mitigate human losses and enhance cost-effectiveness, allocating nearly $45 million for El Niño-related assistance in 2024, of which nearly $33 million was dedicated to early action initiatives.
Nutritional programmes provided critical support to children and women. Globally, 12.2 million children were screened for wasting by UNICEF and partners. Nutritional support was provided to 445,000 women and children in Mozambique, 5.15 million people in Yemen, and 1.3 million children, pregnant and breastfeeding women in South Sudan. In OPT, nutrition services were delivered to 300 supplementary feeding sites. In Venezuela, over 480,000 children received balanced school meals, while in Mozambique, 445,000 women and children benefitted from nutritional aid. In El Salvador, 1,500 pregnant women and children under age 4 affected by climate events received nutritional supplements, vitamins and screenings. Meanwhile in Guatemala, nearly 210,000 indigenous people in remote areas received cash assistance to bolster food security and improve household living conditions.
Ocotepeque, Honduras
In 2024, approximately 1.9 million Hondurans faced acute food insecurity, with 19 per cent of the population at crisis-level (IPC 3) or higher. To mitigate the effects of droughts and other climate-related challenges, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other partners have implemented anticipatory action programs, providing early support to vulnerable communities.
UNHCR/Lucia MartínezImproved access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services
By mid-2024, nearly 23 million people across 29 countries were assisted to access improved WASH services. In Ukraine, repairs to water systems ensured clean water for 5.8 million people in frontline regions. Ten million people in Syria received emergency water services and long-term repairs. In OPT, 6,000 latrines were built for people living in spontaneous sites. In Haiti, millions of liters of water were delivered, streets were cleaned and canals dredged to reduce flooding risks in vulnerable areas. In Ethiopia, humanitarian partners supported 3.3 million people to access water solutions, with 60 per cent receiving access to sustainable sources, decreasing their risks of water-borne diseases. In Somalia, coordinated health and WASH efforts successfully contained cholera outbreaks, improving health outcomes and reducing acute malnutrition prevalence in affected areas. CERF allocated $10 million, through the Climate Action Account, to deliver innovative, climate-smart humanitarian action, including WASH infrastructure and services designed to function reliably despite climate-shocks, such as solar-powered water systems, flood-proof latrines and water-saving technologies
Protecting people and communities at a time of rising threats
In 2024, humanitarian protection services reached at least 16.2 million people across 24 operations. In Lebanon, 40,000 displaced persons accessed legal, child protection and gender-based violence (GBV) services. Through the Afghanistan Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) 60,000 people received counselling on registration, documentation and international protection.
Children affected by conflict received tailored services. Mental health and psychosocial support was provided to children and caregivers, including over 11,700 individuals in Lebanon. Child protection services reached 190,000 children in Burkina Faso and 934,000 in Myanmar.
Global efforts to prevent, address and respond to GBV reached 5 million women, children, and young people. In Myanmar, 205,000 GBV survivors received comprehensive services, while in Burundi, over 38,000 people accessed similar support. By the end of 2024, 800,000 people in Malawi will have received GBV- and sexual exploitation and abuse-related awareness-raising and support.
Jowhar, Hirshabelle State, Somalia
Two women from Maandheere collect water together, showing resilience and unity amid daily challenges.
IOM/Abdirahman MahamudSupporting health care in times of crisis
Humanitarians worked tirelessly to provide critical health care to millions of people, ensuring access even in hard-to-reach areas. By mid-2024, over 26 million women and children received primary health care, according to UNICEF. In Cameroon, CAR and the DRC, more than 4 million people were assisted to access essential health services. In Syria, partners in the health sector delivered 19.6 million medical procedures and more than 8 million treatment courses across the country.
Sexual and reproductive health services were expanded, with 171,000 women in the DRC receiving skilled birth attendance. Mobile clinics in OPT ensured comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care.
Vaccination campaigns improved health outcomes and helped prevent epidemics, even in some of the world’s most complex crises. In Madagascar, nearly 200,000 children were vaccinated. In Nigeria, 500,000 children received oral cholera vaccines, and in Gaza, OPT, 550,000 children were immunized against polio, achieving 92 per cent of the target.
Education support remained a cornerstone of humanitarian efforts
Globally, education partners ensured that 9.7 million children accessed formal or non-formal education, bridging schooling gaps for children in crisis. In Yemen, 1.5 million children received education assistance and in South Sudan, 544,000 children accessed emergency education programmes. In Cameroon, more than 158,000 girls, boys and adolescents accessed formal and non-formal education. In Zimbabwe, school feeding programmes enabled 20 per cent of drop out students to resume their education, illustrating the impact of cross-sectoral interventions.
Bana, Cameroon
The transformation of education begins with teachers. Marie, a young teacher at the Anglophone Government Primary School in Bana, fled the violent conflict in the north-west of the country. Driven by her passion for education, she easily integrated into the community and now teaches Grade 3 students while carrying her one-year-old baby on her back.
UNICEF/Salomon Marie Joseph BeguelProviding emergency relief and shelter amidst escalating hostilities and extreme weather
Emergency shelter and relief items were provided across multiple crises, particularly during harsh winter months. In Lebanon, over 269,000 relief items—including mattresses, blankets, and sleeping mats—were distributed to displaced families. In Haiti, 100,000 people received emergency shelter kits and essential non-food items. In Syria and Ukraine, more than 1 million people in each country were assisted with winter support, including shelter repairs and cash assistance.
Enabling delivery to hard-to-reach areas and connecting humanitarians and the communities they serve
The effectiveness of emergency relief depends on the speed and scale by which it is delivered. In hard -to-reach places, humanitarian air services become essential lifelines. Globally, the Logistics Cluster provided storage for over 200,000 cubic metres of humanitarian supplies and facilitated the dispatch of nearly 30,000 metric tonnes of cargo by air, road, sea and river transport across 16 operations. In Somalia, the Logistics Cluster facilitated the transport of 27 boats to and from 10 flood-affected areas. In Sudan, it supported cross-border aid deliveries and set up storage facilities for partners. In OPT, the coordination, collection and transport of humanitarian cargo by the Logistics Cluster at the designated entry points has been the only means for more than 60 humanitarian organizations to deliver relief items. The Logistics Cluster also worked to unblock administrative barriers: in Ethiopia, these efforts resulted in securing tax exemptions and the release of 485 UN and NGO vehicles previously blocked in Djibouti while in Somalia, the time required to obtain tax exemption certificates for humanitarian operations was reduced. Meanwhile, in Burkina Faso, the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) cargo operation transported 520 tonnes of life-saving items to remote areas. The UN Humanitarian Response Depot, through its six strategically located hubs, supported more than 40 partner organizations to dispatch stocks and organize deliveries worldwide.
In emergencies, communication is vital for response efforts and the affected communities themselves. The Emergency Telecommunication Cluster (ETC) coordinated information management and services across eight operations, while advancing preparedness activities in the Pacific and Caribbean regions. ETC also helped operationalize service centres in the Sahel offering internet and telephone services for affected communities.
Camarines Sur, Philippines
UNICEF and partner Plan International Philippines distributed 245 hygiene kits to Barangay Santa Eulalia, one of the communities hardest hit by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (international name: Trami). A week after the storm made landfall, much of the barangay—comprising hectares of rice fields—remains submerged in floodwaters.
UNICEF/Martin San DiegoAssisting people on the move, including refugees, migrants and the communities hosting them
Humanitarian partners stepped up to assist unprecedented numbers of people who sought safety across borders. More than 849,000 Afghan refugees received assistance in Iran and Pakistan, while Latin America and the Caribbean, partners reached more than 1.2 million migrants, refugees and their host communities. In Chad, humanitarians delivered critical support to nearly 800,000 people who fled conflict in Sudan while life-saving assistance was provided to approximately 200,000 migrants across the eastern and southern African routes. Under the Syria 3RP, partners provided 1.5 million Syrian refugees with monthly cash transfers, and in Cox’s Bazar, educators taught more than 315,000 Rohingya children across 33 refugee camps and schools. In Northern Central America, where migrants converge with host communities and refugees, teams distributed educational kits to children in transit in Guatemala and connected over 6,000 migrant children and adolescents in Honduras to education while on the move. In Bulgaria, inter-agency partners launched campaigns to raise awareness on vaccination for children, enabling over 4,200 Ukrainian refugee children to enroll in schools for the 2024 academic year—a 17 per cent increase from the previous semester.
Delivering cash and empowering people to make their own choices
Humanitarian partners delivered cash and voucher assistance in highly complex and volatile emergencies, signifying its adaptability and effectiveness. Globally, UNHCR delivered cash assistance to 2.2 million people in 97 countries in the first half of 2024. In parallel, the World Food Programme (WFP) transferred $1.5 billion to 39 million people through cash, vouchers and commodity vouchers between January and September 2024. Following the escalation of the conflict in Haiti in March 2024, 20 actors collaborated to deliver CVA, ensuring timely and effective assistance. In Yemen, the percentage of CVA funding allocated to MPC grew from 19 per cent in 2022 to 32 per cent in 2023, and 95 per cent in 2024 (as of October 2024). In Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory, preparedness measures enabled cash assistance to be deployed within days of the start of the war in October 2023.
Aden, Yemen
Jamal, a migrant receiving mental health and psychosocial support at a community-based care centre, prepares for his journey home. The IOM-supported center provides essential protection services to vulnerable migrants.
IOM/Eva SibandaListening to the voices of affected communities
5.5 million people shared their concerns and asked questions through feedback mechanisms.
UNICEFUplifting women through learning and livelihoods
More than 630,000 women accessed protection, learning and livelihood support and services in 29 countries.
UN WomenSupporting children with their education through crises
9.7 million children accessed formal or informal education, including early learning.
UNICEFProtecting people from unexploded ordnance
Mine action services protected 2.6 million people from the dangers of unexploded ordnance.
Providing cash assistance to people in need
$1.5 billion were transferred to 39 million people through cash and vouchers between January and September 2024.
WFPPartnering with private actors
2.6 million people received assistance supported by partnerships with private actors in 16 emergencies.
OCHA-UNDP Connecting Business initiativeDelivering humanitarian passengers & cargo
More than 286,000 passengers and more than 5,900 metric tonnes of humanitarian cargo from 600 organizations transported to over 430 destinations between January and September 2024.
UN Humanitarian Air ServicePreventing and responding to malnutrition
12.2 million children screened for wasting.
UNICEFA call to action
The bottom line: humanitarians are delivering whilst being under attack and underfunded, but global solidarity is urgently needed. In 2025, it is imperative that the robust and tightly prioritized response plans and appeals prepared by humanitarian partners are fully funded. The lives and livelihoods of millions of people impacted by crises depend on galvanizing these resources. At the same time, urgent action is needed to end impunity for violations of international humanitarian law and attacks against civilians and the aid workers and services that serve them.
Ultimately, people in crisis need political action to end wars, climate action to help them prepare for a shock-filled future and development action to lift them out of crisis, as emphasized in the Pact for the Future. With more State-involved wars today than at any other point since 1946, and the horrifying toll on civilians rising each day, immediate political action is required to end conflicts and uphold the laws of war. Climate action is equally urgent, requiring swift, decisive work to reverse the global climate crisis and ensure that climate financing reaches those most at-risk of catastrophe. As this year’s GHO highlights, a growing number of countries are experiencing more frequent and severe disasters—these are countries that should be on a development trajectory, but risk facing repeated crises without global support to help their communities adapt and prepare. And there is an urgent need for Governments, development actors and donors—including international financial institutions—to continue providing development funding and financing in fragile and complex settings, to make funding available for locally led development, and to prioritize development investment in the sectors that humanitarians are so frequently called to address, including education, food security, health, and water, sanitation and hygiene.
References
- Unless otherwise specified, data presented in this article covers the period January – October 2024 (except for UNICEF data, which covers January-June).Data in this article was provided directly by country operations, humanitarian partners/NGOs, clusters and UN agencies.
- The estimated number of people reached by country plans in 2024 is nearly 116 million as of 25 November 2024. This does not include three country plans that could not report a people reached figure: Lebanon FA, OPT and the Philippines. For the most up-to-date figures see humanitarianaction.info.
- As of November 18, 2024, this percentage is based on allocated grants totaling $635 million from the CBPFs. An additional $114 million in allocations is under the process of approval, and data on local and national partner contributions will be available once these allocations are finalized.
- The figures relate to people reached through 26 FSC-monitored coordinated response plans in countries with an active FSC/FSS and includes the Lebanon Response Plan (LRP). Refugee Response Plans are not included (only Rohingya Joint Response Plan is included). Refer to 2024 Achievements of the Food Security Cluster dashboard for a complete overview of the monitored response plans. Figures are based on the 5Ws submitted by partners to the country FSC/FSSs for January to September 2024 except for Mali, Niger and Madagascar where they cover until June 2024 only.
- Data as of mid-October 2024.
- This includes 3.9 million in Afghanistan, 2.7 million in DRC, 8 million in Sudan.
- Caribbean – Hurricane Beryl, Lebanon, Nigeria, OPT, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen.