Humanitarian Emergency Fund: annual report 2025-2026

Section D: Communications 2025/6

An additional long-term objective of the Fund has been to increase public awareness of humanitarian crises and encourage fundraising as wider demonstration of a commitment that Scotland should be a ‘good global citizen.’ The HEF members collaborated positively once again during the year to secure media coverage, particularly important for less widely reported hidden crises.

There was Scottish newspaper coverage for all Stream 2 projects in DRC, Sudan, Afghanistan and Malawi, with corresponding digital and social media publication by members receiving funding. The DEC also coordinated additional end of calendar year media coverage about the overall work of the Fund.

There was further public engagement about the HEF during a question-and-answer session at the Beyond Borders Festival in August, a gathering of human rights and peace thought leaders as well as the public.

As engagement for the DEC’s ongoing Middle East Humanitarian Appeal continued throughout the year, there was a briefing for the Scottish Parliament’s External Affairs Committee, on how DEC member charities and partners were overcoming significant security and logistics challenges to reach the most vulnerable communities in Gaza.

The DEC also collaborated with the student community in Glasgow to raise awareness of its Myanmar Earthquake Appeal in Scotland. A digital animation was created and shared widely among the student community and further raised the profile of the appeal in the media.