• UN launches a $23 billion appeal for 2026 amid severe funding cuts.
• Approximately 240 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance globally.
• The appeal focuses on aiding 87 million people in conflict zones like Gaza and Sudan.
• Past aid appeal in 2025 received only $12 billion, falling short of a $45 billion goal.
• UN officials criticize global 'apathy' and encourage increased funding for humanitarian efforts.

The United Nations (UN) has launched its 2026 humanitarian aid appeal, requesting $23 billion to address escalating global humanitarian needs, which the organization acknowledges as being at an all-time high. This appeal is significantly less than the $47 billion initially sought for 2025, reflecting a drastic reduction due to government funding cuts, particularly from the United States and other Western countries, which have limited aid efforts and forced the UN to focus on only the most critical cases, according to SCMP, Dawn, and Reuters.

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher emphasized the "brutal choices" that the organization faces, stating, "We are overstretched, underfunded, and under attack." He highlighted that the previous year, the UN secured only $12 billion of the requested funds, marking the lowest level of support in a decade, which only allowed the organization to assist 98 million people, according to Africanews and Al Jazeera.

The UN's appeal addresses urgent humanitarian needs, focusing on assisting 87 million people across conflict areas like Gaza and Sudan. Significant allocations include $4.1 billion for the occupied Palestinian territories and $2.9 billion for Sudan to aid millions displaced by conflict. However, Fletcher underscored that around 240 million people globally require immediate assistance, thereby necessitating a total target of $33 billion to meet all urgent needs by 2026, as reported by Dawn, Africanews, and Reuters.

Fletcher also noted the substantial disparity between global defense spending and humanitarian aid, arguing that if the top echelons of global earners contributed even a small fraction, the aid could be sustained. He urged for increased solidarity and funding, reflecting on the dire circumstances faced by millions, including survivors of conflicts in Sudan, Gaza, and other regions. He reminded that this is a time of "brutality and impunity" and called for greater action from governments and civil society to confront this crisis, according to SCMP, Al Jazeera, and Reuters.