Ireland provides over €330 million to respond to humanitarian crises in 2025

Ireland provided over €330 million in direct response to humanitarian crises around the world in 2025, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Helen McEntee, and Minister for International Development and Diaspora Neale Richmond have said.

The funding, through Irish Aid, included providing shelter, food and medicine to people in conflict zones such as Gaza and Sudan, as well as people who felt the impact of climate-related disasters in places such as Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

Ireland's humanitarian assistance reached a record high of €330 million in 2024 and is due to exceed those levels for 2025, driven primarily by Ireland's support for people living in areas of conflict.

Speaking about Ireland's humanitarian contributions this year, Minister McEntee said:

The last 12 months have seen an unprecedented level of humanitarian crises around the world. Ireland responded at scale to extreme levels of need in places affected by conflict, including Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

We also provided immediate emergency assistance to people affected by natural disasters, including the devastating earthquakes in Myanmar and Afghanistan, and climate-related disasters, most recently the flooding in Sri Lanka.

Ireland's continued commitment to humanitarian aid has allowed our partners to respond with rapid life-saving support to support people facing incredible hardship. It provides hope to people in their darkest hour and is an expression of Ireland's values around the world."

In response to the disproportionate risks facing women and girls around the world, Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond, added:

2025 has been a year of immense hardship for millions of people around the world trapped in humanitarian crises. These crises have a particular impact on women and girls, who are at increased risk of violence and are denied basic rights such as education and access to critical medical care. We only need to look at Sudan, where women are being subjected to the most appalling levels of sexual violence, to see the risks facing women and girls in areas of conflict.

Ireland has remained steadfast in its commitment to protecting and promoting the rights of women and girls everywhere. Our partnership with specialist agencies has made a difference in the lives of many women and girls in countries such as Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia. In 2026 we will be increasing our support for the protection of women and girls from sexual and gender based violence in emergencies.

Ireland's humanitarian assistance is channelled through our longstanding partners including Irish and international NGOs, UN agencies, the Red Cross Family and the EU. Those who are most in need and at the greatest risk of being left behind are the main target of Ireland's global humanitarian response.

Ireland also funds the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), working to support the escalating needs of millions of refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced people in critically underfunded contexts, such as Afghanistan and Myanmar. With some 120 million people forcibly displaced in the world today, Ireland's support is needed now more than ever.

The Global Humanitarian Overview for 2026 estimates that 239 million people will be in need of humanitarian assistance in 2026. Ireland will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to support the most vulnerable populations in the most severe humanitarian crises.

• Irish Aid is the Government's programme for international development. Ireland's International Development Policy A Better World identifies Reducing Humanitarian Need as one of four policy priorities.
• Ireland is recognised for its quality humanitarian funding. In line with international best practice we provide funding that is flexible, predictable and multi-year. This type of funding supports our partners to plan and programme more effectively and to respond rapidly to urgent needs as they evolve. Importantly, Ireland's quality funding also provides a strong basis for respectful partnerships with communities, local authorities and local and national NGOs, actors who are front and centre of the humanitarian response.
• Ireland's humanitarian assistance is provided by way of bilateral and multilateral aid and is channelled through a range of trusted partners:  UN agencies, the Red Cross family and Non-Governmental Organisations.
• Ireland's humanitarian spend also includes core contributions to organisations such as UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency), UNOCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) and ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross).

ENDS

22 December 2025