Tom Fletcher, UN Humanitarian Disaster Relief Coordinator and head of the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, said, “The whole world is burning… We are living through multiple crises globally, with the most vulnerable suffering the consequences the most. “We are grappling with the effects of conflict – countless conflicts – longer-term, more acute crises.”
Tom Fletcher appealed to raise $47.4 billion to provide life-saving aid to more than 30 countries and nine territories hosting refugees.
Impossible option
OCHA’s new humanitarian assessment comes from the agency’s more than 1,500 humanitarian partners. But it is feared that out of 30.5 crore needy people, only 19 crore people can be reached.
A major reason for this is a lack of funding, which has left populations in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo exposed to decades of violence and instability.
Tom Fletcher said, “In the Democratic Republic of Congo and all other conflict areas, we are ready to do more. Our goal is to help as much as possible.”
“My colleagues, who are frontline workers, are desperate to go there and provide relief. They have an understanding of human needs and that is why we need these resources so much. This is our call to action, but we want the world to provide more help; “Those who have the power to do more should challenge this age of impunity and indifference.”
Ready to knock on every door
As the UN’s newly appointed top relief official, Tom Fletcher has pledged to visit countries around the world and “knock on the doors” of governments in search of new partnerships and solidarity for the world’s most vulnerable people.
“I have to find ways to reframe this argument so that it resonates with a wider range of people,” he says.
Citing his experience in conflict and peace-building operations from Kenya to Lebanon and Northern Ireland, and his previous role as UK ambassador, the new OCHA chief said it was essential to ensure relief efforts continued wherever they were needed most.
He praised the “extraordinarily zealous humanitarian diplomacy” of his predecessor as relief chief Martin Griffiths. Martin Griffiths resigned in June due to health reasons.
“My mission around humanitarian aid delivery is very clear,” says Tom Fletcher.
The scenario is changing due to elections
Asked about the changing geopolitical landscape, with important national and presidential elections in many countries this year, Tom Fletcher said that “it’s not just for America… there have been new governments. There have been elections in many other places, too, with the work of the United Nations.” will raise questions…but I don’t believe we can’t present our views to them;
Speaking to reporters at the launch of the 2025 Global Humanitarian Report, Tom Fletcher confirmed that this series of crises facing communities around the world will continue.
He said, “The issue is not just about facing numerous conflicts at one time, it is about long-standing conflicts, with an average duration of 10 years.”
“We are not stopping the first conflict before the next one starts,” he said. The truth is that the conflict is so brutal and its impact on civilians so dramatic. For this I gave examples of Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, where international law is ignored and our work is obstructed in each case.
Climate crisis the beating
He emphasized that countless people have lost their lives in ongoing conflicts in various parts of the world including Sudan. Last week, the new UN aid chief visited Sudan to meet with people displaced by the war. Tom Fletcher said the climate crisis is making the situation of people already vulnerable worse.
“My fear is that two big factors are converging now,” he said. He said, “It makes our job very difficult. “And the brunt of these multiple crises often falls on areas that already face extreme poverty and inequality.”
Recent estimates indicate that around 123 million people have been forcibly displaced by conflict worldwide. “Violations against children are also at record levels among these groups,” said Tom Fletcher. “I see in Sudan right now, one in five children is living in a conflict zone.”
Challenges in providing support
The UN’s top aid official said guaranteeing access to aid was a key issue that would be his priority to address. “I have spoken to our teams on the ground every day. They are facing numerous obstacles in providing basic humanitarian assistance,” he said.
“Our job is to provide humanitarian assistance at every checkpoint, every border crossing. “One has to argue for the movement of every truck carrying humanitarian material…that’s what I was doing in Sudan…that’s our goal.”
The Global Humanitarian Overview 2025 report was released on Wednesday in Geneva, Kuwait and Nairobi. This is an opportunity for greater respect and understanding of the laws of war and international humanitarian law by combatants, to protect civilians and aid groups as they die in record numbers this year.
Tom Fletcher said, “It’s not just the intensity of the ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Syria that is a big issue. The willful disregard for international humanitarian law is also a big problem.” “And it seems that because of that fact and as a result, we’ve lost ground.”