UN and partners launch large-scale humanitarian plan as global needs continue to grow [EN/AR/ZH]

(Geneva, 2 December 2021) – As humanitarian needs continue to rise around the world, the United Nations and partners today launch their annual assessment and plan for how to alleviate the suffering in 2022.

A total of 274 million people worldwide will need emergency aid and protection in 2022, a 17 per cent increase compared to last year’s launch of the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO).

The 2022 GHO estimates that US$41 billion is required to provide relief and protection to the 183 million people most in need and covered by the plans.

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said: “The climate crisis is hitting the world’s most vulnerable people first and worst. Protracted conflicts grind on, and instability has worsened in several parts of the world, notably Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Afghanistan. The pandemic is not over, and poor countries are deprived of vaccines. My goal is that this global appeal can go some way to restoring a glimmer of hope for millions of people who desperately need it.”

More than 1 per cent of the world’s population is displaced. Extreme poverty is rising again. In most crises women and girls suffer the most, as gender inequalities and protection risks are heightened. Famine remains a terrifying prospect for 45 million people in 43 countries.

Aid workers on the front lines are sounding the alarm: some 120 civil-society organizations – nearly 100 of them based in countries hard hit by hunger – are today issuing a joint letter urging world leaders to fully fund the response needed to prevent famine globally and to address the major threats driving food insecurity: conflict, the climate crisis, COVID-19 and economic shocks.

In 2021, aid organizations stepped up to help contain the worst consequences of the crises. Through projects carried out by the UN, non-governmental organizations, Governments and the private sector at the country level, 107 million people were reached – 70 per cent of the target.

In South Sudan, over half a million people were brought back from the brink of famine. In Yemen, health partners conducted more than 10 million medical consultations. And hundreds of millions of dollars in cash assistance have been put in the hands of families with few other means of survival.

The GHO 2022 includes 37 response plans covering 63 countries. It is launched today in Geneva at an event with remarks from UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Subsequent presentations will take place in Berlin, Brussels, London, Stockholm and Washington, D.C.

So far in 2021, international donors have provided more than $17 billion for projects included in the GHO. But funding remains less than half of what the UN and partner organizations requested.

Note to Editors

• The GHO is a comprehensive and evidence-based assessment of humanitarian need. It provides a global snapshot of the current and future trends in humanitarian action for large-scale resource mobilization efforts.

• The GHO 2022 includes country-specific plans for Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, occupied Palestinian territory, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen.

• The following regional inter-agency plans are also included in the GHO 2022: Afghanistan Refugee Response Plan, Rohingya Joint Response Plan, Democratic Republic of the Congo Refugee Response Plan, Horn of Africa and Yemen Regional Migrant Response Plan, South Sudan Refugee Response Plan, Syria Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan, and Venezuela Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan.

Media resources

Global Humanitarian Overview 2022 (uploaded 0600 CET 2 December)
Photos with captions
UNifeed video
Joint letter from civil-society organizations

Media contacts

In Geneva: Jens Laerke, Mob: +41-79-472-9750, laerke@un.org
In New York/London: Zoe Paxton, Mob: +1-917-297-1542, zoe.paxton@un.org