Geneva - On Saturday, 20 June 2026, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged fundamental reform of the global humanitarian aid system due to funding, that has declined more than 40 percent amid a deepening global crisis.
Guterres also emphasized that humanitarian aid reforms should be strengthened and capable of delivering aid for the most vulnerable people in any kind of crisis.
“Humanitarian needs are at an all-time high, while global humanitarian funding has collapsed by 40 percent. We must renew the humanitarian system & reimagine humanitarian aid. Let’s build a system that delivers for the most vulnerable, no matter the crisis, no matter the need,” Guterres said through X social media platform.
The Secretary General's statement delivered on the day the world commemorate World Refugee Day.
According to the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), the number of conflicts has significantly risen 97 percent in two decades, 2005-2025. Furthermore, fatalities were the highest on record since 1994, with approximately 244,600 people have been killed in conflicts in 2025, increased 30.8 percent from 2024.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also reports that global conflicts have led to a bigger impact on humanitarian issues, where impacted to bring 117 million or 1 in every 70 people on earth being displaced forcefully by the end of December 2025.
"There were 41.6 million refugees, 9 million asylum-seekers and 68.7 million people displaced due to conflict or violence within their own country (IDPs). There are also about 4.5 million stateless people, who have been denied a nationality and lack access to basic rights such as education, health care, employment and freedom of movement,"the international agency stated on UNHCR Global Trends 2025.***
