Latin America and the Caribbean

Regional overview

Latin America and the Caribbean remains the second-most disaster-prone region in the world¹, facing another year of overlapping crises driven by intensifying climate shocks, persistent inequality and violence. The 2025 hurricane season has once again highlighted this vulnerability. Hurricane Melissa, the first Category 5 storm ever to hit Jamaica and one of the most powerful storms to ever make landfall², caused catastrophic damage. Cuba and Haiti were also severely affected, with additional damage reported in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. Meanwhile, severe droughts across the Central American Dry Corridor and eastern Cuba are exacerbating water shortages and causing significant losses in crops and livestock. These hazards are defining features of humanitarian need across the region.

The situation of food insecurity remains critical. More than 40 million people³ are undernourished in Latin America and the Caribbean, with rainfall deficits and high prices limiting household access to food. Meanwhile, almost 172 million people—27 per cent of the population across the region— still live in poverty. This highlights, as seen in Venezuela where economic shocks and coercive unilateral measures are key drivers of humanitarian need.

Person standing on a paved area near a collapsed metal roof structure, with a blue and white building in the background under a clear sky.

Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica

A week after Hurricane Melissa, Trevolyn stands amid the ruins of a primary school, unsure whether its thousands of students are safe or displaced. The storm’s fierce winds and flooding have caused widespread devastation, affecting more than 1.5 million people and delaying recovery for communities.

OCHA/Marc Belanger

Insecurity continues to be a key driver of migration and displacement across the continent. In Colombia, the fragmentation and expansion of non-State armed groups has brewed insecurity and contributed to the recorded one displacement per day in 2025. While migration flows through Central America have declined due to recent policy measures, violence continues to rise across several countries. The region’s homicide rate is nearly three times the global average.⁴ Rising insecurity is also constraining humanitarian access in highly affected countries, such as Haiti, which is deeply afflicted by gang violence that, in turn, is driving a displacement crisis.

While no humanitarian response plans were developed for Central America in 2026 due to the absence of major shocks, the humanitarian architecture in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras is being restructured to ensure vulnerable communities continue to receive timely support. This approach aims to address persistent humanitarian needs affecting communities across Central America.

In 2026, humanitarian actors will maintain a sharper geographic and thematic focus, allocating their limited resources to the most vulnerable populations and aiming to reach nearly 14 million people across the region through a more targeted, life-saving response, as part of the Humanitarian Reset.

Aid in action

Guatemala: working collectively and early to address drought

Group of five children and one adult standing and sitting in front of a rustic structure made of wood and tarps, with greenery visible in the background.

Jocotán, Guatemala

Santa Orfelinda Pérez’s family receives support with rainwater harvesting, poultry, and garden supplies to recover from drought and improve food security.

PAHO/ Boris Barrios

In 2025, Guatemala became the first country in Latin America and the Caribbean to activate a collective anticipatory action plan for drought. This triggered an immediate $4 million allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) when rainfall forecasts met the predefined below-average thresholds. The plan, led by the Government in collaboration with the United Nations and the Pan American Health Organization, provided drought-tolerant seeds, cash assistance and repairs to local water systems before crops failed.

Developed under the guidance of OCHA using a regional framework for El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, this initiative shows how forecast-based financing can safeguard livelihoods in one of the region's areas most vulnerable to climate change. Community grain banks and savings groups now enable families to maintain food reserves and plan for the dry season.

“In the past, we waited for help after we had lost everything,” said Marta Ávalos Martínez, a community leader from Chiquimula department. “Now, we’re ready to face whatever comes.”

The first activation benefited more than 51,000 people across 18 communities, and partners say it offers a scalable model for the wider Dry Corridor. As climate extremes become more frequent and humanitarian budgets tighten, the Guatemalan experience demonstrates how acting early can protect lives and livelihoods before a crisis takes hold.

https://unocha.exposure.co/guatemalanbsp

Colombia

People in Need at launch (Dec. 2025)

6.9 million

People Targeted at launch (Dec. 2025)

2.6 million

Requirements (US$) at launch (Dec. 2025)

384 million

People urgently prioritized

2.6 million

Urgently prioritized requirements (US$)

384 million

Crisis overview

Colombia continues to face a multidimensional yet growing humanitarian crisis driven by the reconfiguration of conflict, climate-related disasters, and the needs of refugee and migrant populations. Rural, ethnic, refugee, and migrant communities remain disproportionately affected. The fragmentation of non-state armed groups (NSAGs) and their efforts to expand territorial and social control have intensified violence against civilians. Approximately 78 per cent of the rural population (9.9 million people) live under the influence of at least one NSAG⁵ . In 2025, 1.5 million ⁶ people were affected by conflict and violence—three times more than in the same period of 2024.

In 2025, Colombia recorded one displacement per day and one confinement every three days. The Catatumbo region (Norte de Santander) accounted for one-third of all IDPs nationwide. Crises persisted in the Pacific and northwestern regions and spread to the Caribbean and Amazon, indicating the expansion of conflict into previously stable areas. Fears of retaliation and social control forced families to flee silently, masking the true scale of displacement.Grave violations against children have increased for the fifth consecutive year, with forced recruitment and use of children and adolescents—especially among Indigenous and Afro-descendant groups—eroding community resilience. Rising incidents involving explosive devices and drone-deployed munitions have further heightened civilian risks.

Humanitarian workers in blue vests stand beside a white UN-marked boat docked along a wide river.

Chocó, Colombia

A humanitarian team arrives by boat to support Afro-descendant communities affected by displacement and confinement.

OCHA/Jorge Peña

By 2025, over 1.3 million people faced humanitarian access constraints, reflecting the deterioration of protection and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) compliance in areas with limited state presence. Alarmingly, by September 2025, 403 incidents against medical missions were recorded—the highest figure in nearly three decades. Women and girls have been disproportionately affected by the conflict. Between 2021 and 2025, over 6,000 cases of sexual violence were reported, 90 percent involving women and girls⁷. NSAGs have increased the recruitment and exploitation of girls, while restrictions on health services and reproductive rights continue to put women’s lives at risk.

In 2026, 10.4 million people in Colombia are projected to need humanitarian assistance — 6.9 million under the HNRP and 3.5 million under the RMRP — a 30% increase in severe needs compared to 2025. This rise stems from the overlapping impacts of conflict, climate shocks, and migration, as failed peace efforts and the expansion of non-state armed groups drive displacement, confinement, and social control, while recurrent disasters worsen conditions in already vulnerable areas. The RMRP’s 3.5 million PIN targets Venezuelan refugees and migrants, prioritizing protection, health, and socio-economic inclusion to reduce dependency and strengthen resilience among those remaining in Colombia and pendular populations.

Response priorities and financial requirements for 2026

In 2026, the humanitarian community in Colombia will advance the Humanitarian Reset, delivering a coherent, localized, and impact-oriented response tailored to the country’s complex mixed-setting context. The Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) 2026 establishes clear operational boundaries based on intersectoral severity levels 4 and 5, humanitarian access, and operational capacity, ensuring that limited resources are directed where they can save the most lives and protect those most at risk.

The response will continue in line with the hyper-prioritization carried out in May 2025, focusing on municipalities with the highest severity levels, in 16 Departments. It will be guided by territorial humanitarian plans developed for the departments of Antioquia, Arauca, Cauca, Córdoba, Chocó, La Guajira, Nariño, Norte de Santander, and Putumayo. These plans incorporate Flagship initiative principles and operationalize community-identified priorities and promote joint planning, multi-sectoral coordination, and localized implementation, ensuring that humanitarian action reflects the voices and needs of affected populations.

A humanitarian worker wearing a blue UN vest travels by canoe through a flooded, forested area.

Sucre, Colombia

Humanitarian mission to La Mojana following large-scale flooding.

UNFPA / Wendy Serrano

In the remaining seven departments, [1] where needs remain acute, but the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) has limited presence or capacity, assistance will be delivered through localized rapid response mechanisms supported by multiple funding streams, including the Regional Humanitarian Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean (RHF-LAC). These mechanisms will enable timely, community-led responses to address sudden displacements, confinements, movement restrictions, and disaster-related shocks.

For 2026, the target population is 2.6 million people, representing a more focused and achievable reach aligned with severity levels, operational realities, and expected funding. Overall financial requirements amount to $384 million, an increase of 12.3 per cent compared to the 2025 total requirements, reflecting the rise in needs and requirements specifically in the prioritized response areas (severity levels 4 and 5).

Strategic priorities for 2026 include:

Delivering life-saving assistance in areas of highest severity, while strengthening community-based protection systems.
Advancing protection-centered programming for ethnic communities, women, and children, and reinforcing protection risk analysis to guide interventions in LCTs.⁹
Maintaining rapid response capacity in conflict- and natural disaster-affected areas with limited access to the HCT¹⁰.
Empowering local and community-based organizations and authorities to sustain localized humanitarian action.
Enhancing coherence and complementarity among humanitarian, peace, and development efforts to support sustainable transitions, while preserving distinct mandates.
As a Flagship pilot country, Colombia will continue to ensure meaningful community engagement across all activities throughout 2026.

Despite persistent access constraints, insecurity, and funding gaps, the 2026 HNRP aims to keep humanitarian action principled, needs-driven, and locally anchored, proving that stronger coordination and localization can maximize impact even with fewer resources.

2025 in review: Response highlights and consequences of inaction

Response highlights

Humanitarian assistance

In 2025, an estimated 970,000 people across 349 municipalities in Colombia received humanitarian assistance. Of these, 571,300 people — representing only 28% of the target — were reached through the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) 2025. The remaining population was assisted through complementary funding sources, including the CERF allocation for Catatumbo (94,450 people), and approximately 305,200 people supported through other Rapid Response Mechanisms (RRMs) and alternative financing modalities.

Regional Humanitarian Pool Fund

Local and national organizations implemented 31% of all humanitarian responses through the Regional Humanitarian Pool Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean (RHPF-LAC) and other alternative financing modalities, marking significant progress toward localization and advancing the Humanitarian Reset agenda.

Protection services

201,000 people benefited from protection services, including legal aid, psychosocial support, and community-based protection activities addressing child recruitment, sexual violence, and gender-based violence.

Protection Cluster humanitarian Response

Food Security and Nutrition

273,000 people were reached through food security and nutrition interventions targeting displaced and host communities affected by conflict and climate shocks.

Food Security and nutrition cluster response

Rapid Response Mechanisms

11 Rapid Response Mechanisms (RRMs) were activated, enabling timely life-saving assistance, reinforcing protection responses in high-severity areas, and reducing operational costs.

Community feedback

Community feedback and communication mechanisms in prioritized departments enhanced participation, accountability, and responsiveness to affected populations.

Central Emergency Response Fund

The implementation of life-saving projects in Catatumbo, funded by the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), strengthened humanitarian access and delivered assistance to 94,000 people.

Humanitarian workers and community members carry aid supplies into a building near a riverbank.

Chocó, Colombia

Humanitarian mission in an Indigenous community, providing food kits to support families facing confinement and the risk of forced recruitment.

FISCH/Haminson Mena

Consequences of funding cuts

Underfunding

A 71% funding gap left 1.4 million people in need without assistance, mainly in protection, food security, WASH, health, and education. After reprioritization, the funding gap stands at 52%, highlighting the continued shortfall in meeting critical needs.

Humanitarian Response

According to the Presidential Agency for International Cooperation of Colombia (APC-Colombia), around $1.8 billion in Official Development Assistance (ODA) has been allocated to humanitarian aid, representing 30% of total mobilized resources. However, shifting global priorities and new crises have led to a 12% annual decline, with a projected 60% reduction by 2030, further constraining humanitarian response capacity and underscoring the need for greater international support and complementarity.

APC Colombia

Access constraints and challenges

Access restrictions and insecurity hampered operations in 167 municipalities, leaving 333,000 people without regular aid.

Monitor OCHA, humanitarian Access Constrains data.

Emergency Directors Group

The Emergency Directors Group (EDG) decision on transition increased donor uncertainty. Some 13% of partners are suspending or scaling down humanitarian operations in 2025.

This corresponds to a decrease in main partners (from 39 to 34, a reduction of 5 partners) compared to the same period last year, according to the 5W response activity reports

A smiling woman rides a dark horse along a forested trail.

Córdoba, Colombia

A resident of the Batata community is on her way to participate in a session on International Humanitarian Law, Human Rights, and Peace.

OCHA/Luisamaría Rodríguez

Aid in Action

Localization in action: turning strategy into impact

A group of indigenous guards, community leaders, and humanitarian staff pose for a photo.

Cauca, Colombia

Community Priorities Assessment mission in the Paletara Indigenous Reserve, carried out with local authorities and community leaders.

OCHA/ Marcela Cadena

In 2025, localization became the engine of Colombia’s humanitarian transformation under the Flagship Initiative, shifting from commitment to concrete action. Guided by the national localization strategy, partners consolidated early achievements through a participatory review that placed Colombian organizations at the center of humanitarian leadership.

The Localization Working Group, composed entirely of national actors, emerged as a driving force for change. It was transformed into the PAHNAL platform (National Humanitarian Action Platform Colombia) in October 2025, consolidating an organizational space led by local NGOs. More than 300 national Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) were mapped as key contributors and direct beneficiaries. They participated in 10 capacity-building initiatives, gained access to a digital collaboration platform, and joined a social media forum that expanded funding access and peer-to-peer learning.

Localization advanced further under the Humanitarian Reset, as the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) formally adopted it as one of its five strategic priorities, backed by clear objectives and accountability mechanisms. The Regional Humanitarian Pool Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean region (RHPF-LAC) provided tangible support, financing 11 locally led projects that enabled community actors to deliver rapid, life-saving assistance while strengthening community protection and resilience.

By 2026, Rapid Response Mechanisms and community protection systems will continue serving as operational arms of the response in underserved territories, maximizing limited resources and ensuring no one is left behind.

Localization in Colombia is now action—building a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable humanitarian system.

Haiti

Current People in Need

6.4 million
Current People Targeted

4.2 million
Current Requirements (US$)

$880.3 million

Go to plan details

People in Need at launch (Dec. 2025)

6.4 million

People Targeted at launch (Dec. 2025)

4.2 million

Requirements (US$) at launch (Dec. 2025)

893 million

People urgently prioritized

3.6 million

Urgently prioritized requirements (US$)

678 million

Crisis overview

Haiti’s humanitarian crisis is worsening at an alarming pace, leading to an increase in the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance. Persistent political instability has enabled armed groups to further entrench and expand their control over the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, the departments of Ouest, Artibonite, and Centre. Widespread armed violence is compounded by Haiti's high vulnerability to natural disasters. Hurricane Melissa in October 2025 killed at least 43 people, damaged homes as well as critical infrastructure, and severely disrupted livelihoods. The resurgence of cholera since late 2022 has compounded public health risks, particularly in areas with limited access to clean water and sanitation. In 2026, 6.4 million people need humanitarian assistance, more than half the population, of whom 3.6 million will be prioritized to receive humanitarian assistance.

The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Haiti has doubled from 700,000 people to 1.4 million people displaced between September 2024 and October 2025. IDPs now account for approximately 12 per cent of the country’s population. Widespread insecurity across the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince and its growing reach into regional zones is stifling Haiti’s economy and people’s access to food. Nearly 5.7 million people in Haiti are facing severe food insecurity — an increase from 5.4 million during the same period last year, while some 1.9 million people are facing emergency levels of acute food insecurity.

A woman stands between makeshift shelters.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti

A woman at the displacement site located in the metropolitan area.

OCHA/Herold Joseph

Gender-based violence remains pervasive. Between January and September 2025, 7,472 incidents of gender-based violence (GBV) were reported— over half of them (56 per cent) were sexual violence. Worse still, 65 per cent of these were collective rapes. Women and girls continue to bear the brunt of this crisis: 76 per cent of the victims were women; 14 per cent were girls under the age of 18. Displaced people are disproportionately affected.

Widespread insecurity has also severely disrupted healthcare across Haiti, forcing the closure of numerous facilities, including maternity wards and operating rooms, and limiting access to emergency obstetric and neonatal care. Nationally, only 10 per cent of health facilities with inpatient capacity remain fully operational. In the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, this figure increases to just 11 per cent despite it being the most populous part of the country.

Since the beginning of the year, over 225,000 Haitians have been deported back to Haiti, 98 per cent of them from neighboring Dominican Republic. Deportations are overwhelming response capacities, with many deportees arriving with no family ties, resources, documents or support networks.

Response priorities and financial requirements for 2026

The Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) boundaries have been established by assessing acute needs linked to armed violence, forced displacement, epidemics, and natural disasters. Targeted populations have borne the greatest impact of these shocks, and include IDPs and host populations, populations living in areas controlled or influenced by armed groups, deported migrants, populations living in cholera and other epidemic hotspots, and those particularly exposed to natural disasters.

Priority activities include providing food assistance to 2.5 million people with a combination of emergency and resilience activities to prevent, mitigate and strengthen the capacity of vulnerable populations to withstand shocks, while providing more sustainable solutions to prolonged food insecurity.

In the context of mass displacement, strengthening site management by creating or reinforcing committees that include government, NGOs, and community representatives is crucial. These committees will receive training on humanitarian principles, site management, protection, including protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), and accountability, and will be equipped for rapid reporting. The strategy also focuses on reducing protection risks for vulnerable groups through improved coordination, conflict prevention with host communities, and establishing an inclusive complaints and protection system.

Three women in white medical uniforms and face masks stand at a counter writing in notebooks inside a clinical workspace.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti

University Hospital La Paix (HUP) is the only public hospital in the capital that still provides advanced case management. It remains a lifeline for more than two million people across the metropolitan area of the capital.

OCHA/Marvens Compère

For survivors of sexual violence, medical care and clinical management will be strengthened, and access to temporary shelter improved. In addition to maintaining a mechanism for monitoring and reporting protection risks, the capacity of grassroots community organizations on community protection and violence prevention will be reinforced.

Humanitarian partners in Haiti are working to re-center collective efforts in favor of a response that is more coherent, less bureaucratic, and closer to the Haitian people. Localization is at the center of this. In 2024, the pooled fund for Latin America and the Caribbean has already allocated $2 million directly to national NGOs. In 2025, national NGOs received close to 80% of the US$4 million pooled fund allocation, including 59 per cent in direct financing.

Aid workers operate under extraordinary pressure, facing threats including violence, extortion, and kidnapping, which significantly hampers the effective delivery of assistance. The humanitarian operating environment in Haiti is significantly challenged due to the proliferation of state, quasi-state, and non-state actors and the absence of a coherent command-and-control structure. Meanwhile, the introduction of new security dynamics—such as the use of armed drones and the deployment of foreign private military companies (PMCs) and the deployment of the United Nations Security Council-mandated Gang Suppression Force (GSF)—added additional complexities.

2025 in review: Response highlights and consequences of inaction

Response highlights

Food

More than 1.8 million people received emergency food assistance by modality (disaggregated by sex, age, and disability), including displaced or returned individuals.

Water

Close to 200,000 people gained access to a sufficient quantity of safe drinking water for survival (drinking, domestic needs, etc.) and dignity.

Shelter

800,000 people received emergency shelter kits.

A young woman sits at a table holding an embroidered cloth, while two other girls beside her focus on their sewing work.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Phanie, displaced by armed violence, trains in leathercraft at the Organization of Hearts for Change for Impoverished Children of Haiti (OCCED’H), working toward the dream of one day opening her own workshop.

OCHA/Marvens Compere

Consequences of funding cuts

Gender-based violence

A $13.5 million funding gap endangers lifesaving services for 780,000 survivors and those at risk, including access to medical care, psychosocial support, and legal aid. Only one provider offers 24/7 comprehensive care in Port-au-Prince for survivors, with 7,472 GBV cases reported across Haiti between January and September 2025, an average of 27 cases per day.

IDP site management

As of October 2025, only 91 IDP sites out of a total of 238 sites (38 per cent) have a site manager. Without additional funding, more than 110,000 displaced people are left without structured management or coordination of essential services, increasing the risk of aid misuse or diversion and fueling secondary displacement.

Food insecurity

With more than half of the population—one in two Haitians—unable to meet their basic food needs without external assistance, not responding to worsening hunger will expose millions of people to lasting harm, including chronic malnutrition and deterioration of mental and physical health.

Nutrition

Haiti’s nutrition crisis is at a tipping point. With only 16 per cent of needed funding received, one in three children with acute malnutrition will remain untreated, placing over 187,000 children at heightened risk of preventable death and straining an already fragile health system.

A girl sits outdoors among large plastic tubs, washing clothes by hand in a dark basin.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti

There are close to 200,000 people displaced in IDP sites in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince. On average, a site in the capital hosts 1,992 people compared to 132 in provinces, resulting in poor WASH conditions and promiscuity and heightened protection risks.

OCHA/Marvens Compère

Aid in Action

Acting before hurricane Melissa hits

A humanitarian worker kneels beside four young children sitting together on a chair.

Les Cayes, Haiti

Days before storm Melissa was forecasted to make landfall in Haiti, affected families in the greater south were able to seek shelter in evacuation shelters, such as the Lagaudray National School.

OCHA/Bertin Meance

When forecasts warned that Melissa, a category 5 hurricane, could hit Haiti’s southern departments in the next five days, humanitarian actors didn’t wait for the storm to make landfall—they moved fast. On 21 October, the OCHA-led CERF Anticipatory Action Framework was activated, unlocking $4 million for rapid preparedness. By 22 October, UN agencies were already deploying resources. Communities were mobilized, and emergency stocks were in place. Hundreds of evacuation centers were opened, providing shelter to over 15,000 people. Food, water, hygiene kits, medication, and shelter materials were also prepositioned in high-risk areas, rapid response teams were deployed to departments most at risk, and early warning messages were disseminated to hundreds of thousands of households.

Venezuela

People in Need at launch (Dec. 2025)

7.9 million

People Targeted at launch (Dec. 2025)

5.4 million

Requirements (US$) at launch (Dec. 2025)

606 million

People urgently prioritized

900 thousand

Urgently prioritized requirements (US$)

184 million

Crisis overview

Over the past year, Venezuela has navigated a series of complex economic and political developments affecting most vulnerable people’s needs. Despite economic recovery in previous years, recent shifts in external factors regarding measures affecting the domestic oil sector have introduced additional complexities, limiting the State’s access to foreign currency and sharp increases in the cost of essential goods. Additionally, the broader effects of unilateral coercive measures and recurrent climate-related events have further exacerbated people’s immediate needs.

Limited fiscal space continues to restrict investment in social programs. Inflation—projected to reach triple digits annually—is eroding livelihoods among the most vulnerable populations. The cost of a basic food basket for a family of five is estimated at $586, a figure that remains well beyond the reach of most households, especially those reliant on fixed incomes in local currency.

Persistent gaps in basic services—including healthcare, water, education, and energy—remain among the most critical needs for vulnerable populations. Access to social protection, livelihood support, and income-generating opportunities is limited, particularly for women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities, indigenous communities, people on the move, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Currently, 7.9 million people within the country need humanitarian assistance, with critical needs concentrated in health, food security, education, water and sanitation systems, nutrition, and protection, including child protection, gender-based violence, and mental health support.

A health worker uses a MUAC tape to assess a woman’s arm.

Miranda State, Venezuela

A pregnant woman receives a nutritional check-up through a Venezuela Humanitarian Fund (VHF) supported project.

OCHA/Jennifer Moreno

Adding to these pressures is the sustained trend of Venezuelans returning to the country, driven by recent changes in migration policy in host countries, including deportations and voluntary return programs. Most returnees arrive in vulnerable conditions, often with limited means to reintegrate and in need of protection services. This growing influx is placing additional strain on Venezuela’s already overstretched resources, highlighting the need to include returnees in public and humanitarian programmes.

The military buildup and operations in the Caribbean Sea, further threaten to worsen the situation. A prolonged escalation of military pressure could deepen already fragile socio-economic conditions, raise protection concerns, significantly increase humanitarian needs, and disproportionately affect the most vulnerable. Meanwhile, the ongoing political challenges, economic sanctions, and underinvestment in essential infrastructure—such as water, electricity, schools, and hospitals— continue to affect living conditions. The widening gap between high living costs and low wages is expected to further deteriorate the humanitarian outlook in 2026.

Response priorities and financial requirements for 2026

In 2025, the humanitarian response in Venezuela has unfolded within a context of limited funding, which impacted the operational capacity of humanitarian actors. Key sectors—including Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Nutrition, Protection, (including gender-based violence and child protection), Health (including sexual and reproductive health), Food Security, and Education—experienced reductions in coverage and available resources.

Looking ahead to 2026, the response will focus on addressing the most acute humanitarian needs, targeting 5.4 million people, with urgent prioritization 900,000 individuals living in the highest severity intersectoral challenges. Response priorities were defined based on a detailed analysis of needs and access across municipalities. This analysis cross-references the severity of humanitarian needs, operational capacity, and access constraints, ensuring that assistance is targeted where it is both most critical and feasible to deliver.

A woman holding a baby stands beside a teenage girl carrying trays of eggs and a small boy stands in front of them.

Miranda State, Venezuela

Yeisy, with her daughters Greidy and Adelis and son Johender, collects a food basket funded by the Venezuela Humanitarian Fund (VHF).

OCHA/Luisana Solano

The operational landscape in 2026 is shaped by the legacy of 2025's significant funding shortfalls, which forced the closure of several UN and partners’ field offices and reduced the operational capacity of implementing partners in some of the prioritized regions. A major consequence of this is that populations in access-restricted areas or locations where partners have had to withdraw will face heightened risks of further deteriorating conditions without access to humanitarian assistance. Access constraints, including bureaucratic impediments and security challenges in certain regions, continue to require attention. Addressing these constraints require continued investment in negotiation efforts and the strategic empowerment of local and national partners, who play a vital role in ensuring last-mile delivery in hard-to-reach areas.

The response will require $606 million, with $184 million for these prioritized activities. With limited funding available globally for humanitarian action, the response in Venezuela prioritizes the most lifesaving interventions, delivering a streamlined approach to address critical needs amid growing challenges. This strategy ensures that limited resources are directed to the areas that will have the greatest impact on saving lives and supporting vulnerable people. The absence of development actors willing to finance programs in Venezuela hinders efforts to address the structural causes behind the lack of basic services and livelihood opportunities.

2025 in review: Response highlights and consequences of inaction

Response highlights

In 2025, humanitarian partners provided critical assistance to 2 million people (55 percent women), including healthcare, nutritional support, access to safe water, protection assistance, food distributions, and education support.

Food Security

Over 575,000 children, their families and educational personnel, received school meals.

Health

245,000 people in hospitals and local health centres received medicines and medical supplies.

Sexual and Reproductive Health

Contraception was provided to over 59,000 women. Comprehensive obstetric/gynecological care was delivered to more than 53,000 women, and support was provided for 312 clinical management of sexual violence consultations.

WASH

176,000 people provided with access to clean and safe drinking water.

Nutrition

Nutritional support for more than 160,000 children and pregnant women.

Protection

Specialized protection services helped 145,000 people (including child protection services for 45,000 children and 12,000 survivors of gender-based violence).

Education

Over 41,000 children benefited from the support of essential educational services.

Response

Reached 309 out of 335 municipalities, maintaining a large operational footprint despite constraints.

Localization

Over half of the humanitarian response is delivered by national and local organisations (58 per cent).

Food Assistance

Emergency food assistance was provided to 9,894 households, reaching 39,576 people in Apure, Anzoátegui, and Guárico states in response to the rains and floods that occurred during the second half of 2025.

A young woman smiles while standing near boats on a coastal pier.

Sucre State, Venezuela

“Before, I didn’t like talking to anyone, but now I feel comfortable and happy in this space.” Rosa, 19, participates in the Safe Spaces Programme for Adolescents.

UNFPA/Nayra Gutiérrez

Consequences of funding cuts

A substantial reduction in funding, particularly from previously major donors, led to a projected end-of-year reach of only 39 per cent of the initial target. This represents a contraction in people reached, with 1.5 million fewer people assisted than in 2024. The funding reduction left an estimated 2.6 million people without planned assistance, forcing the closure of nutritional treatment programs in several states and a 74 per cent reduction in children reached by protection services in the first quarter of 2025 compared to 2024. Those reached have received a reduced amount of support, such as half rations in food security interventions and often a lower frequency of support (i.e. aid that was previously provided weekly is now given monthly). The unmet need for contraception continues to grow, contributing to challenges in sexual and reproductive health, particularly among adolescents and women. Specialized gender-based-violence services were significantly reduced, increasing risks to the safety and well-being of survivors.

Operational constraints: Reductions in operational capacity meant that organisations could not scale up to meet rising needs, particularly in hard-to-reach areas where vulnerabilities are most acute, affecting at-risk populations, including indigenous people, women, girls, older persons, and persons with disabilities, who already face limited access to services. National and local organisations, the backbone of the response, were disproportionately affected by these funding gaps.

Aid in Action

Venezuela: working with national responders to prepare for emergencies

Three people walking through a flooded street with water reaching their knees, near buildings and trees under a clear blue sky

Apure State, Venezuela

In close coordination with local authorities, humanitarian teams wade through floodwaters to assess needs and support communities affected by heavy rains.

OCHA / Pablo Galarza

Emergency preparedness remains a cornerstone of the humanitarian community’s work in Venezuela, supporting first responders, strengthening coordination with authorities at all levels and empowering local organizations and communities. This year, preparedness efforts proved essential as the country faced increased rainfall, causing floods and landslides. Apure, in southwestern Venezuela, was among the most affected states, particularly in rural and indigenous communities where existing vulnerabilities and response challenges amplified the impact. Humanitarian organizations complement the national emergency response, working through coordination mechanisms such as the Local Coordination Forum and the Emergency Preparedness and Response Working Group. These platforms enabled rapid assessments, information sharing, and joint actions in support of affected communities. All efforts were carried out with the leadership of the national government. With support from pre-positioned funds through the Venezuela Humanitarian Fund, the International Federation of the Red Cross, and the Venezuelan Red Cross provided access to safe drinking water. Overall, the humanitarian community reached 60,000 people in Apure with food baskets, hygiene kits, primary health care, access to safe drinking water, protection services, and other essential support.

References

https://reliefweb.int/report/world/2024-disasters-numbers
Jump to reference 1
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/grantham/research/climate-science/modelling-…
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https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/c500cc9c-d1ab-4498-8c45-ca484fc12da3
Jump to reference 3
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/global-study-on-homici…
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Influence refers to situations of control, presence, and interference within the territory. Although each NSAG operates differently, their influence exposes the population to coercive and lethal forms of violence, including threats, targeted killings, movement restrictions, the imposition of behavioral codes, forced displacement, and other humanitarian consequences. The population is forced to coexist with their constant presence, movements, armed actions, and strategies aimed at maintaining or expanding territorial control, which have become part of daily life.
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As of octobre 2025.
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Data according to Unit for the Attention and Integral Repair of Victims (UARIV)
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Local Coordination Teams.
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Humanitarian Country Team.
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Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica

Global Humanitarian Overview 2026