In the coming days and weeks, humanitarian partners will ramp up their response across the region in a coordinated, context-appropriate and adapted manner, under the leadership of Resident and Humanitarian Coordinators at country-level and, guided by the Humanitarian Reset. Where assistance and protection are requested, humanitarians will: prioritize their efforts by focusing on people facing the most urgent needs; streamline coordination and responses, ensuring they are grounded in affected people’s priorities and preferences; support humanitarian leaders in-country to collectively guide quality and accountable responses; get funds and resources to local and national actors leading response efforts; and step up advocacy to call for the laws of war to be upheld.
Most immediately:
In Iran, partners will respond to urgent requests for support, including to assist and protect refugees hosted in Iran. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched an emergency appeal, which calls for US$51.4 million (CHF40 million) to scale up the vital work of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS). The appeal will support five million people across 30 affected provinces over the next 16 months. United Nations entities are also engaging with government partners to provide additional specific assistance as requested. The UN and NGOs are notably appealing for $80 million to address increased protection and assistance needs of 1.65 million refugees and others in need of international protection and 1 million people in host communities affected by the escalation. Sanctions-related financial restrictions and constrained access to international supply chains are expected to continue complicating the response.
In Lebanon, a 3-month $308.3 million Flash Appeal has been launched to enable partners to step up their response for up to 1 million people, including Lebanese, displaced Syrians, Palestine Refugees in Lebanon, Palestinian Refugees from Syria, refugees and migrants severely affected by the escalation. A rapid response allocation of $15 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund and a complementary reserve allocation of $15 million from the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund (LHF) will help scale up life-saving work to people affected by the escalation of hostilities. The Flash Appeal prioritizes the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, grounded in international humanitarian law and inclusivity of all populations in need, placing communities at the centre of the response through strengthened protection services, accountability, and risk reduction. At the same time, the appeal supports the rapid delivery and resumption of essential services in areas affected by the escalation.
In Afghanistan, the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for 2026 incorporates the urgent requirements to assist returnees. However, the HNRP is currently just 11 per cent funded, and urgent additional resources are required to enable partners to step up their response, including given the potential increase in returnees in the days ahead.
In Syria and the OPT, urgent resources are required for the HNRP and Flash Appeal, respectively, with partners continuing to deliver, but funding levels far below what is required to mount the needed response to existing and exacerbated needs.
Humanitarians will ensure the response is gender-sensitive, prioritizing equitable access to food, cash, and essential services for women and girls, particularly in contexts of rising food insecurity, internal displacement, and movement restrictions. Partners will ensure the centrality of protection, including prevention and response to gender-based violence, facilitate access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, and reduce women’s unpaid care burden through tailored services. Women and girls, as well as women-led organizations, will be enabled to meaningfully participate in humanitarian decision-making, through coordination and response planning, to ensure that assistance is accessible, equitable, and responsive to their specific gendered needs and priorities.
Across the region, humanitarian partners will also bolster preparedness measures, including updating contingency plans, reinforcing border monitoring and reception capacity, integrating displacement risks into response planning, and providing support to ensure readiness.