Humanitarian Emergency Fund: annual report 2025-2026

Ministerial Foreword

Simita Kumar – Minister for Equalities and International Development

Across the world, millions of people are enduring the devastating consequences of conflict, displacement and disaster, losing loved ones, homes and livelihoods while facing an increasingly uncertain future.

We are living through a dangerously unpredictable shift in global politics which makes it all too easy to overlook the enormous humanitarian impact of war on the world’s most vulnerable communities. Millions of the world’s most vulnerable people, whose lives have long been blighted by poverty and inequality, are also threatened by the accelerating impact of climate change driven extremes and flood and drought. As humanitarian needs soar, aid budgets have been cut to fund increased defence and other spending in the UK and beyond. Long held humanitarian principles are being undermined with aid workers increasingly targeted as they put their own lives on the line to save others.

Against this desperate backdrop, the Scottish Government remains committed to play its part in helping some of the most vulnerable people survive these deadly crises and help them rebuild their lives. That is the aim of the Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF) which, since 2017, has supported Scottish-based charities and their expert local partners to deliver the most appropriate life-saving support, not only for high profile disasters but also major crises that, despite their scale and impact, all are too often overlooked.

It remains a key pillar of this government’s long held ambition for Scotland to be a good global citizen and is firmly aligned with our wider International Development Programme. Reflecting long-standing global inequalities, this means our humanitarian funding helps shift power to global south organisations and gives local communities a greater voice in aid policy and delivery. It also actively prioritises support for women and girls through our Feminist Approach to International Relations (FAIR).

Over the past year, funding was released 5 times to support wider responses to conflict and climate-driven crises in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Afghanistan, Malawi and a devastating earthquake in Myanmar.

This report provides comprehensive details on the impact of these projects and how Scottish-based humanitarian experts, guided by local partners and communities, have positively collaborated to rapidly deliver the most appropriate responses for those most in need.

Over the past year, there has been a thorough review of the focus and the effectiveness of the HEF and the Scottish Government has recently published its response. There is a commitment not only to increase our overall spending on international development but also the percentage released for humanitarian projects. We will direct more of this rising budget through pooled funding mechanisms such as the START Network’s Global Start Fund. We will also continue our support for Disasters Emergency Committee appeals.

With long established global norms threatened like never before, the Scottish Government will adapt our approaches but keep to our values and principles as we play our part in this vital global effort.