These include climate disasters linked to global warming, epidemics, and a long-running conflict in the east that has flared in recent weeks.
The M23 armed group, which is backed by Rwanda, has seized swaths of territory in the east in recent days, complicating humanitarian aid access.
“All warning signals are flashing red. Yet, despite immense challenges, humanitarian action continues to prove its effectiveness in saving lives every day,” said Bruno Lemarquis, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the DRC.
He added that the UN was aiming “to assist the most vulnerable populations, wherever they may be.”
The United Nations’ 2025 humanitarian response plan calls for fighting cholera, measles, and mpox epidemics, helping 1.5 million children who are experiencing acute malnutrition, and giving five million people access to clean drinking water.
It also covers climate disaster planning and aid for the repatriation of displaced individuals.
However, US President Donald Trump’s decision to cut nearly all of Washington’s foreign funding could have an effect on the UN’s plans.
Last year, seventy percent of the UN’s funding for the humanitarian response plan came from the United States.
On Thursday, the UN and the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo made a request for $2.54 billion in humanitarian aid this year to help millions impacted by natural disasters, illnesses, and conflict.
According to a UN statement, the money is “crucial to deliver lifesaving assistance” to the 11 million people in the nation who are most in need, including 7.8 million internally displaced people.
The UN believes that the “unprecedented multidimensional crises” are affecting 21.2 million people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“We must adapt to keep delivering this vital aid without ever compromising the fundamental principles that guide humanitarian action: neutrality, impartiality, independence, and humanity,” said Lemarquis.
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