UN Humanitarian Chief has appealed to the international community to choose solidarity and provide support as humanitarian crises in the Middle East and other regions intensify.
Tom Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, called the situation a “moment of grave peril” due to overlapping emergencies from conflict, displacement, and economic shocks.
“We’re living through a moment right now of grave peril. Across the Middle East, we’re seeing these crises escalate rapidly and increasingly collide in dangerous ways. We’re seeing violence reverberate across borders, displacement, economic shocks, soaring humanitarian needs, and we’re seeing the consequences spread faster than we can respond.”
Tom Fletcher
According to the UN’s Humanitarian Chief, the developments of the last two weeks confirm that we are living in a time marked by brutality, impunity, and indifference. Human ingenuity is being applied to find ever more sinister ways to kill at scale, while civilians are subjected to increasingly brutal violence.
He mentioned that aid workers are also increasingly under attack, adding that, “just today, three humanitarian colleagues in Sudan, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in Lebanon have been killed.” This shows that international norms meant to restrain conflict are eroding.
Fletcher urged immediate collective action to save lives, improve conditions for vulnerable populations and also guarantee humanitarian access in conflict zones.
“All civilians, wherever they are in the region, must be protected. Constant care must be taken to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and energy facilities, at all times and by all parties. Humanitarians must also be protected, and our movements must be facilitated.”
Tom Fletcher
Also, Fletcher reiterated the UN’s commitment to impartial aid delivery. “I’ve reaffirmed our readiness to help Lebanese, Iranian, Palestinian, Israeli, or other civilians as needed,” he said, while stressing that humanitarian action, though most difficult during war, is also most needed.
Launch of the Global Humanitarian Plan
Despite growing challenges, Fletcher presented an ambitious initiative launched three months ago to assist 87 million people in 2026, requiring $23 billion in funding.
The initiative prioritizes interventions based on the most urgent humanitarian needs and is being implemented by around 2,000 humanitarian organizations, including both international agencies and local partners.
More than 60 percent of these organizations are local, reflecting a growing emphasis on community-led response and capacity building.
Fletcher pointed out the human significance behind the numbers. “Behind every number is a story,” he said, noting that each of the 87 million people represents individuals and families struggling to survive amid conflict, displacement, and economic collapse.
The initial outcomes have been significant. Despite significant logistical and security challenges, humanitarian efforts touched almost 7 million people in January alone, including about 2 million in Sudan.
According to Fletcher, organizations might reach their goal of helping 87 million individuals if they maintain this level of response throughout the year.
The most important element in accomplishing this lofty objective is funding. Approximately $5 billion in verified contributions have been made to the campaign thus far, and additional promises have raised the total to $8.7 billion, just more than a third of the necessary sum.
He encouraged prospective partners and funders to offer more assistance and make fresh pledges to help meet the goal in order to narrow this gap.
He further noted that $810 million in unrestricted contributions, which allow agencies to respond flexibly to emerging crises, represents the “gold standard” for humanitarian funding.
Beyond governmental support, the UN is actively inviting public participation in funding humanitarian efforts through a global campaign under the hashtag #87MillionLives.
Fletcher urged everyone individuals, businesses, and organizations to take immediate action by donating or mobilizing resources. He emphasized that every contribution, no matter the size, directly enables life-saving aid and stressed the importance of acting now to support the humanitarian response.
“The campaign will focus on the goal of saving 87 million lives. We are not asking people to choose between hospitals in cities like Brooklyn, London, Mexico City, Rio, or Manila and hospitals in Kandahar, Akobo, Aleppo, or Port-au-Prince. Instead, we are asking the world to recognize that perhaps we can spend a little less on weapons and a little more on doing something extraordinary for humanity.”
Tom Fletcher
He emphasized that humanitarian response is not only a matter of resources but also of moral responsibility. “Choose solidarity. Choose this year to save 87 million lives,” he said, adding, “No one can end every crisis, but together we can help end someone’s crisis, one life at a time.”
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