Rapid Fire
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- 30 Dec 2025
- 2 min read
The United States announced a $2 billion pledge for UN humanitarian aid, even as the US administration cuts overall foreign assistance and pressures UN agencies to reform.
- The pledge is significantly lower than past US contributions (which reached up to $17 billion annually), but is described by the administration as sufficient to maintain the US position as the largest humanitarian donor.
- It will flow through an umbrella fund managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
- The new funding model aims to share the humanitarian burden with other developed countries and enforce stronger accountability and oversight.
- The new funding approach will initially target 17 crisis-hit countries, including Bangladesh, Haiti, Syria, Ukraine, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while excluding Afghanistan and Yemen due to concerns over aid diversion.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- Establishment: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) was established in 1991 by the United Nations General Assembly.
- Mandate: OCHA brings together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent and coordinated response to emergencies, providing a common framework for collective action.
- Transition: OCHA replaced the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Coordinator (UNDRO) to strengthen global humanitarian coordination.
- Coordination: Through the On-Site Operations Coordination Centres (OSOCC), OCHA facilitates immediate coordination of international response during sudden-onset or rapidly evolving emergencies.
- Funding: OCHA manages two pooled funding mechanisms: the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for emergencies worldwide, and Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) tailored to specific countries.
| Read More: United Nations |
