Humanitarian response

Scotland has a long history of responding to humanitarian crises around the world.

We established the Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF) in 2017 – £1 million per annum - to respond to humanitarian emergencies, and to ensure that this funding is used effectively and transparently.

Funds from the HEF are allocated to crises that meet a range of criteria, based on recommendations from the HEF Panel. The panel is made up of representatives from humanitarian aid organisations based in Scotland: British Red Cross, Christian Aid, Islamic Relief, Mercy Corps, Oxfam, Save the Children, SCIAF and Tearfund.  

The HEF Panel meets regularly to assess global crises and advise on how our funding would have the greatest impact. Between 2017 and 2026, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) secretariat  support the administration of the HEF Panel.

In 2025, we commissioned a review of our approach to humanitarian emergency funding by an independent consultant. The review and our response were published in March 2026.

Humanitarian Emergency Fund Annual Report 2024-2025

Humanitarian Emergency Fund: annual report 2024-2025

Humanitarian Emergency Fund: annual report 2023-2024

HEF annual report video

Responses to recent humanitarian crises

The HEF has helped save and rebuild lives in 26 countries since it was established in 2017.

This is a list of where humanitarian support has been allocated recently following recommendations from the HEF Panel:

Malawi: in February 2026, £400,000 was provided to help people facing food shortages in Malawi following prolonged dry spells and widespread flooding. This funding was split equally between Tearfund and SCIAF.
Afghanistan: in January 2026, £250,000 was provided to help people affected by the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan following two major earthquakes in 2025. This funding was administered by Christian Aid and Tearfund and will deliver cash assistance, the provision of essential winter items, hygiene kits and psychosocial care
Sudan and neighbouring countries: in September 2025, £250,000 was pledged to alleviate suffering in conflict-torn Sudan and neighbouring countries. The funding was used by Christian Aid and Tearfund to deliver life-saving assistance in Sudan and South Sudan
Democratic Republic of the Congo: in June 2025, we provided £250,000 through the Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF) to Oxfam Scotland and Tearfund, to support emergency relief efforts across eastern DRC – helping families pay for essentials such as food, fuel, shelter or hygiene items, as well as accessing urgent medical care, trauma services and safe transport
Middle East: in late April 2025, an additional £300,000 funding (additional to that in October 2024) was announced to support humanitarian aid efforts in the Middle East: £240,000 contributed to a fund shared between the Disaster Emergency Committee’s 15 member organisations to help provide urgent assistance to those affected by the ongoing conflict, including food, clean water, medical care, and shelter for displaced individuals in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria; SCIAF and Mercy Corps also each received £30,000 for their responses in Lebanon and Syria
Myanmar: in early April 2025, £250,000 humanitarian aid funding was announced to support millions of people affected by the devastating earthquake in Myanmar: £200,000 contributed to a fund shared between the Disaster Emergency Committee’s 15 member organisations to help provide urgent assistance to those affected; SCIAF and Mercy Corps also each received £25,000 for their responses in Myanmar
Malawi, Zambia and Sudan: in February 2025, we provided additional (IDF) funding for humanitarian support, separate from the £1 million per year HEF funding, for the following, through a number of HEF Panel members:
- £450,000 for the Malawi food crisis, through SCIAF, Oxfam and Christian Aid (£150,000 each for cash assistance programmes)
- £135,000 for the Zambia food crisis, through SCIAF, extending humanitarian funding previously provided in March 2024, for a cash assistance programme
- £400,000 additionally for Sudan and neighbouring countries, through Christian Aid, Islamic Relief, Tearfund and Oxfam (£100,000 each), extending humanitarian funding previously provided in December 2024
Sudan and neighbouring countries: In December 2024, £375,000 was pledged to alleviate suffering in conflict-torn Sudan and neighbouring countries. The funding empowered trusted charity partners Christian Aid, Tearfund and Islamic Relief to deliver life-saving assistance in Sudan, South Sudan and neighbouring Chad
Middle East: in October 2024, we awarded £250,000 to support humanitarian aid efforts in the Middle East. £200,000 contributed to a fund shared between the Disaster Emergency Committee’s 15 member organisations helping to provide food, water, medical assistance and shelter to displaced people in the region. SCIAF and Mercy Corps each received £25,000 to support aid activities
Southern Africa: in October 2024, we provided £175,000 each to SCIAF and Christian Aid to help drought-affected communities in Zambia and Zimbabwe meet their immediate basic needs, including food and safe drinking water
Kenya: in June 2024, the Cabinet Secretary announced funding of £125,000 each to Oxfam and Islamic Relief to support those affected by the severe flooding in Kenya
Malawi: in early 2024, we awarded £500,000 in response to the food crisis in Malawi. Following an expedited peer review process and Ministerial approval, we awarded £250,000 each to SCIAF and to Christian Aid.
Zambia: in March 2024, we awarded £500,000 to respond to the cholera outbreak in Zambia. The funds were granted directly to the British Red Cross as they are the partner of choice for the Government of Zambia and had a live appeal running.
Libya: in December 2023, we awarded £125,000 each to British Red Cross (BRC) and Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) in response to the devasting effects of Storm Daniel which hit north-eastern Libya
Afghanistan: in November 2023, we awarded £125,000 each to Christian Aid and SCIAF after the Herat province of Afghanistan following a series of earthquakes
Sudan: in April 2023, a violent power struggle broke out in Sudan’s capital city, Khartoum. We awarded £125k each to Oxfam and British Red Cross to meet their immediate food and other basic needs through cash transfers alongside access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), emergency shelter and life-saving medical supplies

Additional humanitarian funding: responding to Gaza and other crises

Since 2023, we have provided funding for humanitarian support separately from the £1 million per year HEF funding. This included:

£200,000 to the Global Start Fund in March 2026 to fund locally-led responses to humanitarian crises
£600,000 to the UNOCHA-led Occupied Palestinian Territories Humanitarian Fund (OPT HF)
£400,000 to Kids Operating Room to establish the Gaza HOPES Field Readiness Hub – a rapidly deployable hospital in Gaza to provide essential surgical, maternity and paediatric services
£750,000 in aid as a result of the conflict in Gaza, spent through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNWRA)
£5.3 million to Ukraine following the Russian invasion
£1.25 million for flooding in Pakistan (in addition to £250,000 from the HEF)
£800,000 for Storms Ana and Freddy in Malawi
£500,000 for earthquakes in Türkiye-Syria

Scottish Peace Programme

In 2025, we launched the Scottish Peace Programme which continues our support for the 1325 Women in Conflict Fellowship programme and establishes a new Scottish Peace Platform to coordinate the efforts of civil society, academic, government and private sector stakeholders based in Scotland involved in peace building activities internationally.

If you would like to contribute directly to humanitarian responses (as an individual, a business or organisation), please take a look at the Ready Scotland website, which has a range of resources and guidance.

Information