Attachments
Executive summary
The Global Humanitarian Assistance Report 2025 shows a humanitarian sector entering financial crisis. Cuts in international humanitarian funding by many of the top government donors in 2024 delivered the biggest drop ever recorded. With further reductions announced for 2025, the public funding available for humanitarian action could contract by between 34% and 45% by the end of the year compared to 2023 levels. Reforms to increase effectiveness, such as funding to local and national actors and anticipatory action, have also seen stagnation and reversal – a trend that upcoming cuts may serve to accelerate if left unchecked. Countries experiencing protracted crisis are more vulnerable than ever; humanitarian assistance has overtaken development assistance as their dominant source of external concessional support, and the average protracted crisis pays double the amount in debt payments compared to a decade ago. This leaves serious questions about how they can find sustainable pathways out of crisis. A ‘humanitarian reset' announced by the United Nations’ Emergency Relief Coordinator reflects a sector facing up to this new and unprecedented challenge.