Global Humanitarian Overview 2021, Mid-year Update (as of 21 June 2021)

As of mid-June 2021, the Global Humanitarian Overview require $35.9 billion to assist 161 million of the 238 million people in need.1 The GHO is made up of 27 Humanitarian Response Plans (HRP), six regional plans, three Flash Appeals, and one joint response plan for Bangladesh. Requirements this year are around $1 billion more than requirements at the mid-year point in 2020.

A wide and geographically diverse group of donors has provided $7.2 billion, or 20 per cent of the sum required this year. However, coverage of the plans in the GHO varies widely. Twenty-four plans are funded at under the 20 per cent average. Last year, 21 plans were funded under the average, compared to only seven plans in 2019. The growing gap between the financial requirements and the resources to meet them is a deep cause of concern.

An additional $5.8 billion of humanitarian funding has been contributed, bringing total humanitarian funding to $13 billion.2 This is approximately the same amount as the $12.9 billion reported by donors and humanitarian partners in June last year.

Humanitarian organizations urgently need another $29 billion to cover the activities and projects outlined in these response plans. Although the overall trends this year are on par with last year – an exceptional year in terms of funding due to COVID-19 – it is not possible to predict year-end totals. The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, especially in humanitarian contexts, and although economic recovery has begun in some GHO countries, it is fragile and uneven. People living in poverty will be pushed even deeper, likely adding to the global humanitarian caseload. Timely, predictable and flexible funding will make a difference for those facing food insecurity, displacement, and protection violations

Source:  UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs