The agreement was signed in Geneva on Monday and commits the US to fund UN-led emergency programmes in 17 crisis-affected countries, as well as the UN Central Emergency Response Fund.
UN Emergency Relief Co-ordinator Tom Fletcher described the deal as a landmark commitment that would help save tens of millions of lives at a time when humanitarian workers are operating under increasingly difficult conditions.
He noted that the funding would support the UN’s 2026 humanitarian plan, which targets assistance for 87 million people globally. The plan has been streamlined to reduce duplication, cut bureaucracy and improve efficiency across the humanitarian system.
Countries set to benefit from the agreement include Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Ukraine, Haiti, Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Mozambique, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Bangladesh, Syria, Uganda, Kenya and Chad.
Fletcher stressed that the true measure of the agreement would be its impact on communities affected by conflict, climate shocks and displacement. He added that accountability mechanisms would ensure that funds are closely tracked and directed toward life-saving assistance.
The agreement also reinforces the UN’s Humanitarian Reset initiative, launched in March 2025, which focuses on delivering aid faster and closer to people in need.
Fletcher linked humanitarian action to the need for renewed diplomatic efforts, calling for 2026 to be a year focused on peacemaking and conflict resolution, noting that ending wars remains the most effective way to reduce humanitarian suffering.
He concluded that the agreement marked the beginning of a renewed effort to meet urgent global humanitarian needs, rather than the end of the process.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
