UN slams global 'apathy', launches aid appeal for 2026

The United Nations on Dec 8 hit out at global “apathy” over widespread suffering as it launched its 2026 appeal for humanitarian assistance, which is limited in scope as aid operations confront major funding cuts.

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“This is a time of brutality, impunity and indifference,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told reporters, condemning “the ferocity and the intensity of the killing, the complete disregard for international law, (and) horrific levels of sexual violence” he had seen on the ground in 2025.

“This is a time when the rules are in retreat, when the scaffolding of coexistence is under sustained attack, when our survival antennae have been numbed by distraction and corroded by apathy,” he said.

He said it was also a time “when politicians boast of cutting aid”, as he unveiled a streamlined plan to raise at least US$23 billion (S$29.8 billion) to help 87 million people in the world’s most dangerous places such as Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Haiti and Myanmar.