UN Secretary-General: "More than 135 million" need urgent aid as funding collapses

The UN Secretary-General warned that global humanitarian needs are "at an all-time high," citing spiraling conflict, food insecurity and climate change and saying "More than 135 million people now require urgent assistance." The prerecorded message was played for meeting participants.

The Secretary-General said international humanitarian law is being "flagrantly violated," with civilians targeted and "schools and hospitals attacked," and noted that humanitarian workers have been killed. He warned that the "decimation of aid budgets" is forcing "impossible trade-offs between 2024 and 2025," and said that "Global humanitarian funding collapsed by 40%." Those figures were presented as part of the address and were not challenged or disputed during the segment.

The video stressed that the United Nations is still delivering aid on the ground, "providing life-saving assistance to communities, and negotiating safe passage for humanitarian workers and goods." The Secretary-General said the UN is focused on renewing the humanitarian system through reforms tied to "UN 80," including a new humanitarian compact meant to streamline planning, integrate supply chains, improve data sharing and align roles across UN agencies.

He said that remaining humanitarian aid "is not something the United Nations can do alone" and urged member states to bring "political courage" to their discussions. The message closed with a call to "reaffirm the primacy of international humanitarian law, and build a system that delivers for the most vulnerable, no matter the crisis, no matter the need." Following the video, a meeting speaker thanked the Secretary-General and invited the Under-Secretary-General to speak next; the transcript cuts off before that speaker's remarks.

The address was presented as a policy and advocacy appeal; no formal motions, votes or requests for specific budget actions appear in the transcript segment provided.