Half the population does not eat enough and malnutrition among children is increasing sharply. Humanitarian efforts are hampered by insecurity and blocked access routes.
According to the UN, six million people of Haiti’s population of around 11.4 million will need some form of humanitarian assistance in 2026.
Why it is important to finance Haiti
Funding humanitarian aid in Haiti is a lifeline for millions of people. The UN Humanitarian Response Plan for 2026 seeks $880 million to help 4.2 million of those six million vulnerable people, covering emergency food, shelter, protection, health services and education.
Without these resources, basic life-saving operations, such as nutritional support for children and protective services for women and girls, cannot reach all those in need.
UN agencies emphasize that sufficient funding from donors is essential not only to save lives but also to stabilize communities torn apart by violence and displacement.
Thousands of people have died as a result of gang violence in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.
Violence by armed groups has forced 1.4 million people, or 12 percent of the population, to flee their homes.
Mass displacement has left children without education, healthcare or safety.
What does the UN say?
The UN’s top humanitarian official in the Caribbean country, Nicole Boni Kouassi, said the high level of funding was necessary “to preserve the life and dignity of every Haitian and keep hope alive for younger generations.”
Speaking to donors in August 2025, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that “Haiti remains shamefully ignored and woefully underfunded.”
What services have been reduced?
- Significant cuts to food security services, leaving many people without regular food assistance as food insecurity increases across the country.
- Access to drinking water was restricted, with reductions in water distribution and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) services.
- Primary health care services, including clinical and health support services at the community level, were reduced.
- Humanitarian support related to education was reduced, affecting children already affected by school closures and displacement.
- Restricted protective services, including programs that address gender-based violence, child protection, and survivor support.
Trucks carrying aid to Haitians are loaded onto boats to avoid areas controlled by gangs.
Why has it been so difficult to get financing?
Despite the magnitude of the needs, Haiti’s humanitarian appeal is among the least funded crises in the world. By 2025, the UN requested $908 million, but received only 24 percent of that goal.
Competing global crises and donor fatigue, along with attention paid to other emergencies, including Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza, have left Haiti’s needs under-resourced.
Lack of funding also jeopardizes essential operations, such as humanitarian air services, which are often the only means to reach isolated communities.
The result: Agencies are forced to prioritize the most urgent cases while many are left without assistance.
Regional or international consequences of not financing humanitarian aid in Haiti
Failure to fully fund Haiti’s humanitarian response risks broader instability beyond its borders.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned that rampant violence, mass displacement and lack of basic services could fuel:
- Irregular migration
- Pressures increase on neighboring countries
- Undermining regional economic and security cooperation
The United States Coast Guard returns to Haitian authorities a child who was rescued at sea from a migrant boat.
Prolonged instability also increases the likelihood of secondary crises, such as public health emergencies and cross-border crime, with knock-on effects throughout the Caribbean and the Americas.
In this context, donor engagement is framed as an investment in regional resilience.
What happens next?
In late 2025, the UN officially launched Haiti’s 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan, calling on governments and partners to step up their commitments to preserve life and dignity amid violence and deprivation.
If funding and access improve, aid agencies aim to expand food support, restore basic services, improve protection for vulnerable groups and create more resilient pathways to longer-term recovery.
But without greater financial support and security improvements, millions of Haitians face increasingly desperate conditions, and humanitarian needs are likely to become more acute.
At the beginning of February, the 2026 appeal was less than four percent funded.