2024 tested us all. It was a year of profound suffering for the people we serve, and of hard challenges for humanitarians – but also a year of remarkable international solidarity.

In places like Haiti, Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan and Ukraine, conflicts and unrest flared, displacing families, destroying homes and pushing fragile communities to breaking point. Women and girls suffered most, enduring horrific levels of gender-based violence.

The climate crisis added fuel to the fire. From floods and droughts to hurricanes and heatwaves, extreme weather was a key driver of humanitarian needs.

2024 was also the deadliest year on record for humanitarian workers: 377 killed, most in Gaza. We feel their loss deeply. Their deaths were unconscionable and devastating to aid operations. There must be accountability, for their sake and for those who take their place.

As a humanitarian community, we were overstretched, underfunded and too often under attack. But with commitment and determination, UN agencies and more than 2,000 humanitarian partners reached 116 million people in 33 countries with life-saving aid. Children accessed healthcare. Families were sheltered. Communities received food. These are incredible stories of hope and survival, and everyone who supported us owns a share in them.

Through CERF – the UN emergency fund that OCHA manages – we moved faster and more efficiently to help in the most critical moments. We supported people getting ahead of predictable crises and helped to build resilience, especially for those on the front lines of the climate emergency.

We also backed local groups – including women-led organizations and groups representing people with disabilities – giving them a bigger decision-making role. Progress in the Flagship Initiative’s four pilot countries – Colombia, Niger, the Philippines and South Sudan – showed us what’s possible when communities themselves design the support they need, instead of just receiving it.

We also forged new partnerships with the private sector to unlock resources and get help to people who need it most. We scaled up cash and voucher programmes so that people could make their own choices with agency and dignity.

This Annual Report marks the second year of tracking progress on the six Transformational Priorities in our 2023–2026 Strategic Plan. These priorities aim to ensure a humanitarian system where people, not processes, come first. We will aim to be less bureaucratic and make our responses more agile and receptive to the people we serve, not least in the areas that are hardest to reach.

Looking ahead, we know 2025 will be our hardest year yet. The world is more polarized, more volatile and more vulnerable. Brutal funding cuts will set us back, and we’re working hard to reset the system to this new reality. But we also know this: it is in times and places of greatest adversity that we see the best of humanity.

To our donors and partners: a huge thank you. We count on your continued trust and support to keep going – lighter, faster and closer to the people we serve.

United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator