The United Nations has dramatically reduced its global humanitarian funding appeal for the coming year, a direct response to a severe and ongoing donor crisis that has left aid agencies with the lowest level of resources in a decade.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced on Monday that it is seeking $23 billion (€19.7 billion) for its 2026 aid plan, a reduction of more than half from the $47 billion appeal it launched just one year ago. That 2025 appeal received only $12 billion, the lowest funding level in ten years.

The decision underscores a brutal reality of "excruciating life and death choices," according to UN Humanitarian Chief Tom Fletcher. He explained the new strategy is "laser-focused on saving lives where the shocks hit hardest," targeting areas devastated by wars, climate disasters, and epidemics. The scaled-back plan aims to assist 87 million of the world’s most vulnerable people.

The aid sector faces a perfect storm: major donor nations, particularly the United States, have sharply cut contributions. Simultaneously, aid workers are operating in increasingly perilous environments, coming under frequent attack in conflict zones.

Fletcher offered a stark metaphor for the current crisis: "We drive the ambulance toward the fire on your behalf. But we're also now being asked to put the fire out. And there's not enough water in the tank. And we're being shot at."

He directly challenged global spending priorities, noting that while families and governments feel financial strain, worldwide defense spending reached $2.7 trillion last year. "I'm asking for just over 1% of that," Fletcher stated.

The humanitarian chief also pushed back against what he described as misleading narratives from some political figures. "Extremist politicians were... misleading people into thinking that their taxes were largely funding aid, a claim far from the reality," he said.

OCHA has identified the most critical areas for 2026, with the top three appeals being:

$4.1 billion for 3 million people in the Palestinian territories.
$2.9 billion for 20 million people in Sudan.
$2.8 billion for 8.6 million people in Syria.
Ukraine, Haiti, and Myanmar also remain high-priority crises.

While the UN's ultimate goal is to raise $33 billion to help 135 million people next year, officials express deep pessimism. They acknowledge that as many nations pivot funding from development aid to defense budgets, the world’s humanitarian needs are likely to continue far outstripping the available resources.