UN allocates $160 million to 12 underfunded humanitarian crises

The United Nations has allocated $160 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support life-saving assistance in 12 of the world’s most underfunded humanitarian crises.

The funding is part of a wider effort to reach 87 million people facing the most severe humanitarian needs this year, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

“We have 87 million people to reach, and no time to waste,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement.

Which crises will receive funding?

Of the allocation, $150 million will go to Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cuba, Mali, Niger, the occupied Palestinian territory, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen.

Afghanistan, the occupied Palestinian territory, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen are also among 10 crises for which Fletcher has called for urgent diplomatic action to secure humanitarian access.

Additional funding for people with disabilities

A further $10 million will address the needs of people with disabilities across the 12 crises.

Fletcher said funding alone would not be enough, urging leaders to “exercise political will to open access, remove obstacles and help us reach people whose lives are on the line.”

The latest allocation brings CERF funding provided so far in 2026 to $483 million.