In 2025, South Sudan continued to face multiple, overlapping shocks and trends that worsened the humanitarian situation and increased the needs of vulnerable communities.
Authorities have reported some 3,000 human casualties, and some 6,000 people injured as well as almost 60,000 houses destroyed or damaged in urban, peri-urban and rural areas. Schools, health facilities and other public amenities have also suffered severe damage.
Between 1 February and 31 March 2026, the Ministry of Health (MoH) reported 494 Palestinians killed and at least 489 injured in the Gaza Strip, underscoring the fragility of the ceasefire in place since 10 October 2025.
Despite generous support from our donors, 50 per cent of UNICEF’s response remained unfunded in 2025. Urgent additional support is needed in 2026 to sustain and scale lifesaving services for the most vulnerable children.
In 2025, the MENA region faced overlapping crises including conflict, displacement, economic collapse, disease outbreaks, and climate shocks, placing children at risk and disrupting access to services.
Since early 2025, Yemen’s humanitarian response has faced acute funding shortfalls, leading to sustained reductions in operational capacity across multiple sectors, including CCCM.
As of 31 December, over 1.3 million Syrians have returned back home since December 2024, with more than 3.7 million registered Syrian refugees continuing to reside in host countries in the region.
Lebanon continues to confront a massive humanitarian crisis, despite the entry into effect of a 10-day ceasefire on 17 April, with hundreds of thousands of people remaining internally displaced and in urgent need of assistance.
Across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, people continue to be exposed to high levels of violence and restrictive policies, resulting in casualties and property damage, prolonging existing displacement, triggering new displacement and deepening humanitarian needs.
As of early 2026, 16.5 million require assistance, while over 1.4 million refugees and 1.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned since December 2024.
During his recent visit to Lebanon on 31 March, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, engaged Government officials, first responders and affected families impacted by the escalation.
As the Syrian Arab Republic (hereafter referred to as Syria) enters a new year, the impact of the shift in power over a year ago (8 December 2024) continues to shape the country.
The economic vulnerability of refugees markedly deteriorated throughout 2025, with the proportion of those reporting an inability to meet half of basic needs increasing from 44% in Q2 to 72% in Q4.
Escalating hostilities in the region in late February triggered an increase in cross-border movements from Lebanon into Syria. Between 2 and 27 March, over 202,477 individuals crossed into Syria through the three official border crossings, according to Syrian authorities.
Following the full-scale invasion of Lebanon launched on 2 March 2026, Israeli airstrikes have continued at high intensity in Beirut’s southern suburbs and across villages in southern and eastern Lebanon.
The cost of living continues to outpace income growth; despite policy measures seeking to enhance purchasing power, current wage levels meet only around one‑third of basic household needs.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited Lebanon in a solidarity mission, highlighting the severity of the crisis and calling for protection of civilians and increased international support. Together with the Government of Lebanon, he launched 2026 Flash Appeal.
