Armed groups control large swaths of Port-au-Prince, forcing more than 1.4 million people from their homes<\/strong> and cutting access to food, health, water and education services.<\/p>\n Half the population is not getting enough to eat, and malnutrition among children is rising sharply. Humanitarian efforts are hampered by insecurity and blocked access routes.<\/p>\n According to the UN, six million people of Haiti\u2019s population of around 11.4 million need some form of humanitarian assistance in 2026.<\/p>\n Funding for humanitarian aid in Haiti is a lifeline for millions. The UN\u2019s 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan seeks $880 million to assist 4.2 million of those six million vulnerable people, covering emergency food, shelter, protection, health and education services.<\/p>\n Without these resources, basic lifesaving operations, such as nutrition support for children and protection services for women and girls, cannot reach all of those in need.<\/p>\n UN agencies stress that sufficient donor funds are essential not only to save lives but to stabilise communities torn apart by violence and displacement.<\/p>\n Thousands of people have died as a result of gang violence in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Violence by armed groups has forced 1.4 million people, or 12 per cent of the population, to flee their homes.<\/p>\n Mass displacement has left children without education, healthcare, or safety.<\/p>\n The UN\u2019s most senior humanitarian official in the Caribbean country, Nicole Boni Kouassi, said that said the high level of funding was needed \u201cto preserve the life and dignity of every Haitian, and to keep hope alive for younger generations.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Speaking to donors in August 2025, the UN Secretary-General, Ant\u00f3nio Guterres said \u201cHaiti remains shamefully overlooked and woefully underfunded.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>\n Trucks carrying aid to Haitians are loaded onto boats to bypass areas controlled by gangs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Despite the scale of need, Haiti\u2019s humanitarian appeal is among the least funded crises in the world. For 2025, the UN sought $908 million but received only 24 per cent of that target.<\/p>\n Competing global crises and donor fatigue, together with attention on other emergencies, including in Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza, have left Haiti\u2019s requirements under-resourced.<\/p>\n Funding shortfalls also jeopardize essential operations, such as humanitarian air services that are often the only means of reaching isolated communities.<\/p>\n The result: agencies are forced to prioritize the most urgent cases while many go without assistance.<\/p>\n Failing to fully fund Haiti\u2019s humanitarian response risks broader instability beyond its borders.<\/p>\n The UN\u2019s International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned that unchecked violence, mass displacement and lack of basic services could fuel:<\/p>\n A child who was rescued at sea off a boat of migrants is handed back to the Haitian authorities by the US Coast Guard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Prolonged instability also increases the likelihood of secondary crises, such as public health emergencies and cross-border crime, with ripple effects across the Caribbean and the Americas.<\/p>\n In this context, donor engagement is framed as investment in regional resilience.<\/p>\n In late 2025, the UN officially launched Haiti\u2019s 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan, calling on governments and partners to step up commitments to preserve life and dignity amidst violence and deprivation.<\/p>\n If funding and access improve, aid agencies aim to expand food support, restore basic services, enhance protection for vulnerable groups, and create more resilient pathways to longer-term recovery.<\/p>\n But without stronger financial backing and security improvements, millions of Haitians face increasingly desperate conditions \u2014 and humanitarian needs are likely to deepen.<\/p>\n At the beginning of February, the 2026 appeal was less than four per cent funded.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nWhy funding Haiti matters<\/h2>\n
What is the UN saying?<\/h2>\n
What services have been reduced?<\/h2>\n
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![\"Trucks](\"https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/Collections\/Embargoed\/22-04-2025-WFP-Haiti-02.jpg\/image1170x530cropped.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhy funding has been so difficult to raise<\/h2>\n
Regional or international consequences of not funding humanitarian aid in Haiti<\/h2>\n
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/Collections\/Embargoed\/11-02-2025-US-Coast-Guard-Haiti-01.jpg\/image1024x768.jpg\" "\\"A")
\n<\/div>\nWhat happens next?<\/h2>\n