As we step into 2026, humanitarian needs have reached unprecedented levels, with the United Nations (UN) Global Humanitarian Overview 2026 reporting that 239 million people urgently need assistance and protection this year.  

Yet, the global humanitarian system can only reach 135 million and is set to focus on the hardest-hit areas where 87 million lives can be saved. 

Why is the need so great? 

Conflict and climate crises are driving surging need, while aid funding - now at its lowest level in a decade - and staff cuts have drastically reduced the global response. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher summed it up starkly while launching the report, saying: “There is pain on every page.”  

Fletcher also referenced record high aid worker deaths in recent years, stating that: “We are overstretched, underfunded and under attack” 

The financial gap is sobering when put into context, as the total annual $33 billion USD response proposed by the UN represents just 1 percent of global military spending, and could be met if the world’s top 10 percent of earners, those earning over $100,000, gave just 20 cents a day. 

What are we seeing at Caritas? 

At Caritas, here in Australia and across our confederation that exists in every country in the world, we bear witness to human suffering daily.  

We hear of mothers in Sudan, fleeing famine and violence, who have left deceased children by the roadside as they continue their desperate journey with the rest of their family. Parents in Gaza tell us their children cannot sleep or wake screaming from nightmares. A displaced young boy in Ukraine who lost his father to shrapnel injuries shared with us his dream of becoming an ambulance driver “because people need saving.” 

Conflicts such as those in Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine are also being compounded by climate crises and economic shocks around the world.  

For example, in Africa 307 million people are experiencing prolonged food crises driven by droughts, floods, and economic shocks. This food insecurity creates its own wave of displacement and puts pressure on the host communities already receiving those fleeing conflict. 

Across Asia, floods, landslides, and earthquakes have piled pressure on already fragile communities in countries such as Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia. This creates scenarios where people are displaced within ongoing conflicts, putting lives at extreme risk and making emergency humanitarian responses both difficult and dangerous.  

Can we really make the situation any better? 

Despite these challenges, hope persists. Last year Caritas Australia’s partners - amounting to 74 local organisations delivering 100 programs across 30 countries - supported 2.3 million people.  

This work centres on supporting local, grassroots organisations that are already there when crisis hits, and remain long after, ensuring they can make a real difference.  

In Sudan, local organisations are providing gender-based violence protection services and emergency relief to those fleeing conflict. In Gaza, our partners deliver water, food, healthcare, and trauma support. In Ukraine, they repair homes and help children continue their education amid displacement. Across Asia, emergency responses – including clean water, temporary shelters, and food - have been widespread in the face of repeated natural disasters. 

A call to hope and action 

To join us: 

• Donate to Caritas emergency appeals