OCHA's 2023 in Review

A woman in an OCHA vest talks to a woman facing her. They are standing in a verandah of a house.
An OCHA staff member talks with Fekriye (centre) and Fatma in the tent they relocated to in Aleppo’s Dahret Awad neighbourhood following the earthquake in Syria. OCHA/Matteo Minasi

This was a supremely challenging year, one that truly pushed the limits of our ability to deliver aid to people whose lives were upended by crisis – from ruinous earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, to brutal conflicts in Sudan, Gaza and far beyond. Nevertheless, we reached 128 million people worldwide with assistance to help their struggles with hunger, displacement and the ever-deepening effects of the climate crisis.

Here are 8 ways we made a difference in 2023.

1.Made urgently needed assistance possible in Syria, Türkiye. Sudan and Gaza 


As soon as devastating earthquakes struck near the Türkiye-Syria border in February, the OCHA-managed Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) released US$50 million to jump-start the response. The OCHA-managed International Search and Rescue Advisory Group, or INSARAG, coordinated the largest deployment of rescue teams in its 32-year history, mobilizing units from more than 90 countries.

OCHA also rapidly deployed a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team to support the Government-led response in Türkiye.

To facilitate urgent humanitarian access to earthquake-affected people in north-west Syria, OCHA negotiated the opening of two additional border crossings.

These efforts made it possible for all UN agencies to physically enter north-west Syria for the first time in years. OCHA also ensured UN staff could access Government-controlled areas affected by the earthquakes.

Meanwhile, when Sudan descended into war in April, OCHA helped negotiate the delivery of life-saving aid to 5 million people amid fierce fighting, severe access constraints and red tape that delayed the movement of goods and people into and within the country.

In Gaza, OCHA is leading the negotiation and coordination efforts of UN agencies and our humanitarian partners to gain access and respond to one of the most challenging situations in years. We advocated on behalf of a $1.2 billion funding appeal to address this crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

2. Enhanced support in Syria, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

OCHA led efforts to increase the aid community’s presence in several hotspots. When the Security Council authorization for cross-border UN assistance into north-west Syria lapsed, OCHA reached bilateral understandings to ensure the flow of aid could continue.

Despite growing insecurity in Haiti, more international staff were deployed and organizations expanded their reach in the country. So far, more than 2.3 million people have received some form of humanitarian assistance, and access negotiations allowed food assistance to reach at least half a million people.

A man stands facing women seated in front of him in a room. There is a board on the wall behind him. The board has charts pinned on it .
UN partner and local NGO UCCEDH hosts nutrition classes for women with babies in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti. OCHA/Giles Clarke

In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the humanitarian community declared a system-wide scale-up in response to intensified fighting. So far, this has helped our humanitarian partners reach 3 million people, or nearly 60 per cent of the people we intended to help.

A man in a hazard jacket is looking at rows of packages including plastic containers and buckets placed before seated women. Tents can be seen in the background.
The NGO YME Grand Lakes distributes hygiene kits in the Bushagara displacement site outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. OCHA/Francis Mweze

3. Responded to the climate crisis

The global climate emergency continued to spiral out of control in 2023.

OCHA’s pre-arranged financing for anticipatory action, which provides aid to vulnerable people in advance of predicted extreme weather-related events, doubled from $43 million in January to more than $100 million by the year’s end.

A man wearing an OCH vest stands with his back to a blackboard in a classroom. People are seated in the benches before him.
OCHA team members and public-school staff discuss the impact of Cyclone Freddy in Mahela village, Mananjary, Madagascar. OCHA/Viviane Rakotoarivony

CERF released $10 million for Mozambique and $9.8 million for Malawi – both hit by Tropical Cyclone Freddy, the longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record.

To kick-start the response to massive flooding in Libya, CERF allocated $10 million, and OCHA rapidly deployed an UNDAC team and issued a $71 million appeal, which is nearly three quarters funded.

The Somalia Humanitarian Fund and CERF released $36 million to help people affected by El Niño-induced flooding.

At the 28th UN Climate Conference, or COP28, OCHA launched CERF’s Climate Action Account to fund anticipatory action and responses to extreme weather-related events. 

4. Made humanitarian action more efficient

This year saw the launch of the Flagship Initiative, a three-year pilot project in Colombia, Niger, the Philippines and South Sudan. The Initiative is exploring new ways to deliver humanitarian aid, driven by the priorities of affected communities.

Aid workers in these four countries have moved closer to communities for sustained consultation. For instance, a new Community Engagement Forum in Colombia has brought together some 100 community leaders to consult on how to engage communities.

People sit on chairs under a tree facing each other.
OCHA staff discuss durable solutions with community leaders in Rotriak, South Sudan. OCHA/Alioune Ndiaye

5. Empowered local NGOs

The Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) continue to empower our local partners. By October 2023, more than 40 per cent of all CBPFs’ funding had been channelled to local and national partners, surpassing the 25 per cent global benchmark set at the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit.

In Ukraine, nearly 11 million people received life-sustaining assistance from more than 500 humanitarian organizations this year, and the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund allocated $179 million, more than one third of which was given to local organizations.

Men with life jackets stand next to a canoe near a body of water, while a man in blue UN vest stands next to a pile of boxes
UN boats deliver life-saving water and food to families in a small village near Kherson, 15 km from Ukraine’s front line. OCHA/Saviano Abreu

6. Supported forgotten crises

Earlier this year, CERF released a record $250 million – its largest allocation ever – to help vulnerable people in underfunded crises and to stave off famine.

The allocation went to 19 countries, eight of which – Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Mali, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen – are home to more than 20 million people who are perilously close to famine.

A woman in an OCHA vest talks to a woman facing her. They are standing in a verandah of a house.
Sixta, a 63-year-old mother of six from Choluteca Department, southern Honduras, discusses needs with a humanitarian worker. She is just one of the millions of people who live in the country’s Dry Corridor, which is vulnerable to erratic rainfall that leads to crippling droughts and severe storms. OCHA/Marc Belanger

The funds also boosted the humanitarian response in underfunded crises in Chad, Colombia, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Honduras, Kenya, Lebanon, Madagascar, Pakistan and Sudan. They helped to combat food insecurity and address the impacts of climate change and protracted crises.

People stand with packages next to them in an open area with tents.
People affected by the earthquake in Herat, Afghanistan, receive humanitarian aid. OCHA/Sayed Habib Bidell

7. Supported the FSO Safer salvage operation

OCHA supported the successful UN-led operation that transferred oil from the decaying FSO Safer supertanker, moored off the coast of Yemen, to a replacement vessel. Critical temporary bridge funding from CERF’s loan facility enabled work to begin swiftly following an agreement on the operation. The Yemen Humanitarian Fund provided $2 million for contingency planning in the event of an oil spill.

This action helped avert a potential environmental and humanitarian catastrophe resulting from a leak or explosion of the supertanker.

Men in orange overalls are working on huge pipes standing on the deck of a ship. Sea can be seen in the background.
The ship-to-ship transfer of more than 1.1 million barrels of oil from the decaying FSO Safer to a replacement tanker. OCHA

8. Expanded our donor base

We broadened and diversified our income base and that of OCHA’s pooled funds. Australia’s Minderoo Foundation contributed AUD$3.5 million (more than $2.3 million) to the Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarian Fund, making it the largest private donation to the CBPFs.

The Qatar Charity provided $9 million to CERF for 2024 - a one-of-a-kind contribution from a non-governmental entity. This contribution recognizes the importance of Islamic social finance to CERF.

A little girl stands in a compound of a building holding a stuffed toy and looks up
Five-year-old Aya inside a UN Relief and Works Agency school in the Gaza Strip. She clutches her doll to ease her fear while gazing at a sky filled with warplanes. UNICEF/Mohammad Ajjour