With the end of the year fast approaching, humanitarians are urging donors to step up support for their operations which remain underfunded due to brutal cuts to aid budgets.

The $45.3 billion needed for life-saving activities throughout 2025 was just 21 per cent funded as of September, with nearly $9.6 billion received, the UN aid coordination office OCHA said on Tuesday.

This represents "a staggering decrease of over 40 per cent compared to the same time last year."

Health facilities closed, food aid cut

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OCHA stressed that the funding gaps are having devastating consequences for millions worldwide who are being left without healthcare, food and education.

"In Afghanistan, more than 420 health facilities have closed this year, forcing three million people to go without critical care," the agency said.

In Somalia, cuts to food aid now mean that only 350,000 people will receive support in November, compared to over a million in August, while half a million Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh have lost access to education.

Support saves lives

The UN and its humanitarian partners are doing all they can to reach as many vulnerable people as possible with the limited funding available, OCHA said.

In June, the agency launched a hyper-prioritised global appeal within the broader 2025 Global Humanitarian Overview that called for $29 million to meet the most urgent needs of 114 million people.

"We have been forced into a triage of human survival," UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Coordinator Tom Fletcher said at the time.

"Too many people will not get the support they need, but we will save as many lives as we can with the resources we are given."

OCHA called on donors to step up their investment in humanitarian aid, saying "at a time when global needs are immense, more support is critical to saving lives."