Concentrating the remaining humanitarian resources among the local actors who face the most danger in the world’s worst crises.

 

Humanitarian access, operational security, and resourcing are all inseparably linked. For that reason, the record-setting levels of violence against aid workers in 2024, followed by the unprecedented US funding freeze in 2025, have created overlapping crises: loss of critical services for communities, heightened risks for aid workers, and erosion of the professional and data capacities that underpin safe and principled operations. The evidence gathered shows that the security risks emerging from programme cuts are not confined to high-profile conflict zones. They span contexts from Gaza to Colombia, with incidents ranging from community protests to targeted attacks on staff. In several cases, downsizing has left national aid actors exposed to disproportionate risk, while misinformation and weaponised narratives have further undermined acceptance. Without decisive action by donors and diplomatic actors, the current patterns point to a future where humanitarian aid operations are scarcer, more dangerous and less effective – precisely when global needs and security risks are rising. Preserving international humanitarian law and norms of principled response to crises will require coordinated political will, sustained financial commitment, and a conscious effort to reverse the drift toward de-professionalisation. Part of this could include concentrating the remaining humanitarian resources among the local actors who face the most danger in the world’s worst crises.