87 million lives, one life at a time

Fawaz with his mother and siblings. Now recovered, Fawaz suffered from severe acute malnutrition and spent 60 days in intensive care at Al Sadaqah hospital in Aden, Yemen. Photo: OCHA/YPN Alaa Noman

Around the world, millions of people are living through conflicts, disasters and displacement. With aid budgets under strain and cuts hitting the most vulnerable the hardest, the UN and its partners have had to prioritize the people most at risk of dying in 2026.

On 8 December 2025, we announced a hyper-prioritized plan to save 87 million lives, and we gave Governments 87 days to help fund it. Delivering on this plan requires US$23 billion for life-saving assistance.

On 11 March, the Emergency Relief Coordinator shared where the effort stands: significant support has been received, but a massive gap remains. That is why launched One Life at a Time, a public campaign to widen support beyond governments and help close the gap.

#Donate now

“Our ask is simple. Choose solidarity. Choose this year to save 87 million lives. No one can end every crisis, but together, we can help end someone’s crisis, one life at a time.” — Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

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If you can, help close the gap and support life-saving assistance. Donate now

Why 87 million lives

A rigorous, data-driven analysis helped identify the number of people who face the most severe and life-threatening needs and require immediate assistance.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher meets displaced families in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher meets with internally displaced people in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Photo: OCHA/Marvens Compere

Why $23 billion

$23 billion – an average of about $264 per person, or the equivalent of roughly 1 per cent of what the world spends on defense – is what is needed to provide life-saving assistance to those most in need in 2026. This assistance includes emergency food and nutrition, essential health services, clean water and sanitation, protection services and shelter.

Progress in raising funds is tracked and reported through the OCHA- managed Financial Tracking Service.

A mother with her child, who fled the conflict in Sudan at the South Sudan border. Photo: OCHA/Liz Loh-Taylor

How is this plan different

The hyper-prioritized plan is guided by the vision of the Humanitarian Reset for a faster, stronger and more efficient humanitarian system.

On the ground, humanitarian actors will focus resources where needed most, reducing duplication, bureaucracy and inefficiencies.

Funding will increasingly support locally led humanitarian action and empower local organizations and national actors who are closer to affected communities.

A greater share of funding will be channeled through pooled funds, enabling rapid disbursement, country-based leadership and coordinated action among UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and local organizations.

Galyna, 91, received a 20kg food package from NGO Proliska, thanks to the support of the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund. The package covered her needs for about a month. September 2022.

Galyna who survived the shelling of her village in Mala Rohan, Kharkivska oblast, receives a 20 kg food package from NGO Proliska, supported by the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund. Photo: OCHA/Matteo Minasi