This briefing at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 gives a clear look at Sudan’s humanitarian crisis, highlighting urgent needs, ongoing relief efforts, and the challenges facing communities and aid responders.
At a World Economic Forum 2026 humanitarian briefing, panelists described Sudan as “one of the gravest humanitarian contexts in the world” after 1,000 days of conflict, with over 20 million hungry and more than 11 million displaced. Moderator Rania Kamara underscored confirmed famine in Al-Fashir and Kadugli and warned that humanitarian gains remain “very fragile,” even as WFP now reaches about 4 million people monthly.
Sudanese activist Hanin Ahmed stressed the crisis is broader than widely reported: famine is affecting Khartoum, conflict is escalating in Kordofan, and disease outbreaks and rising GBV are straining weakened state infrastructure. She highlighted the role of 26,000 Emergency Response Room volunteers, many facing “arresting and kidnapping and killing,” and criticized the international response as “too little and too late.”
New UNHCR High Commissioner Barham Salih, fresh from Chad, described “horrors and atrocities” and emphasized that only political action can end the catastrophe: “No amount of humanitarian assistance… can help… But peace… [can].” He acknowledged severe resource gaps, including water far below emergency standards and mental health support reaching only 16%.
IRC CEO David Miliband framed Sudan as an “avatar for the new world disorder”: an internationalized conflict marked by impunity, civilian targeting, diplomatic paralysis, and an underfunded appeal (28%). The consensus: scale community-led aid, cut external war incentives, and urgently restore diplomacy.
Good afternoon everyone, and a very warm welcome to all of you for this humanitarian briefing on Sudan. We are very grateful that you took the time to join us. My name is Rania Kamara and I am moderating this session today. On Sudan. I will introduce my fantastic panel shortly, but allow me to just start with a few numbers on Sudan. Sudan today represents one of the gravest humanitarian contexts in the world, and it's a regional crisis, one of the worst in our time. We just hit 1000 days on when the conflict started. So three years on and we are still struggling to showcase the pain of more than 20 million who are hungry. In Sudan, more than 11 million who are displaced. In Sudan, it's in fact the largest displacement crisis that we have in the world today. And millions who have also crossed borders to neighboring countries and sought refuge. Malnutrition amongst women and children continues to rise, and humanitarian access is tightening as we speak. And Sudan is one of the few contexts where famine has been confirmed in Al-fashir and Kadugli. Imagine famine and hunger to a point where people and children die amidst the abundance that we are sitting in the middle of. But the good news is where access is possible. Humanitarian action does work. Certainly many of our partners here will speak to how they are working and what they are seeing. And I can certainly tell you on behalf of the World Food Programme who I work for, that we are reaching about 4 million people a month, including areas that were inaccessible just a few months ago. But it's very fragile and the gains are at risk always. Let's dig into the reality of what's happening inside Sudan and its surrounding consequences on the region. The instability that, it could cause, and finally, the systemic choices and collaborations that we can make to make this better. I'm joined with an amazing panel who's going to have an honest and a solution oriented conversation? So allow me to introduce our first panelist, who is known as Haneen Ahmed. She is a Sudanese activist and a leader of the emergency response rooms. If you have not heard of the Ars in the context of Sudan, we have a problem. They are the first responders and the ones who have held the community response to this crisis for the past three years. They and many other Sudanese volunteers have made the biggest difference. In Sudan today. I am also delighted to be joined by, Brahim Saleh. Now you should know Brahim Saleh, but the reason I am delighted he joins us today is he is our new High Commissioner for refugees. And he leads the global response to displacement. He's taken this on three weeks ago at a moment of unprecedented need. And I'd like to congratulate you and very, very welcome the way that we're going to place on your shoulders moving forward. High Commissioner, my third and final panelist is David Miliband. Now, he's known publicly as the president and the CEO of the International Rescue Committee. And his leadership is maybe what is most interesting because he challenges, he pokes, he questions and shapes humanitarian responses across some of the most complex operations in the world. And I'd like to thank all of you for being here. Okay. Question one. Haneen, I just said numbers about Sudan. And for many people, Sudan is a crisis with a lot of numbers. But you know what the situation is like inside the country. What are you seeing that we are not seeing in.
Good afternoon everyone. Situation is devastating on the ground. We have famine not only in Darfur or in the western area of the country, but also in Khartoum in the capital of Sudan. People are facing famine because they are not working for more than two years. There is no job opportunities. Situation is devastating in Kordofan right now as conflict is escalating in south West and North Kordofan. In Al Jazeera state, there is a health outbreak of unknown fever, and also dengue fever. Many other kind of diseases. In Kassala state there is malnutrition. There is cases of health outbreak of. GBV cases as well. Also in Port Sudan and in the northern state, people are fled. So and the state are they have very weak and infrastructure. So they are not able to, to receive, just numbers of refugees. And I want to say that emergency response room is bridging the gap right now on the ground, but unfortunately, without enough resources in terms of the human resources, although we have 26,000 volunteers on the ground. But this is not enough because we are facing, a problem of protection. We are facing a problem of the famine itself. Volunteers are facing famine, are facing, arresting and kidnapping and killing by the warring parties. And I also want to mention that people are fled outside Sudan into neighboring countries like Chad and Egypt. Are they facing another war? There is no any kind of help that although those countries are very generous to open their borders, receiving the Sudanese refugees, but those countries are also poor countries, so there is no enough resources to host those refugees. And I am so sorry, the High Commissioner, to say that. But the role of the UNHCR is and the response is too little and too late, and we are aiming to see more from your side. Thank you.
Thank you, Janine, a lot in that, that we don't often hear about. We hear about the hunger often, but certainly what you flag in terms of fevers and outbreaks and GBV, is disheartening. And the protection concerns, including your own teams. Thank you, High Commissioner. I think Janine has posed a direct question to you. You've just returned from Chad and Kenya and you've seen the refugees directly. Yeah. What protection issues did you see? And certainly what are the gaps in this response as you see it?
I visited Kenya, which houses large numbers of refugees, primarily from South Sudan. There are some Sudanese there too, as well. But in Chad, I met many people who are fleeing the conflict in Sudan. And, I have read I thought that I have read a lot about the conflict and the humanitarian toll and the consequences of this, conflict, the displacement of people. I've seen many TV reports, but nothing can do justice to the scale of the humanitarian, catastrophe, calamity that is unfolding. I went there to bear witness and also to report on this, an ongoing humanitarian crisis. And while we must talk numbers, we're talking about 14 million people or so who have been displaced over the course of 1000 days of this conflict. But beyond the numbers, each individual is a story, is a human life. And the people that I met in Abkhazia, in Vasana and Adra, I literally met people who have just crossed the border, speak of horrors and atrocities, abuse, rape, murders. And it just are truly heart wrenching. In that context, I'll come to the humanitarian assistance and what needs to be done. Nothing can provide a solution to this situation. No amount of humanitarian assistance and relief can help with these people who, have suffered so much. But peace and ending this conflict and for the international community to really do what it takes to get a ceasefire, get a political process, end this conflict, and in a way, also it speaks to some fundamental of this conflict could have been averted or could have been contained early on had there been some concerted international effort. Now, the international humanitarian response is dealing with this in the same context. I have to say, one is humbled also by the open border policies of these, neighboring countries. Certainly Chad, in this case, when I was visiting and also Kenya, for them to open their borders, allow these people in and the host communities welcoming them, the government being, remarkably open. And we can talk about some of the plans that these governments are advocating and are adopting, which are also not worthy. Of course, the humanitarian response is crucial because these provide life saving. Yes, assistance for us as UNHCR, the issue of protection is absolutely sacrosanct. It's vital. And, as they cross the border, this is where, protection is provided. And we have quite an operation across the border, but also delivery of shelter, humanitarian assistance. And I will tell you, I mean, in answer to Hans, the level of available humanitarian assistance is nowhere where is needed. I was, I mean, if numbers that the number of, ten liters of water per day per person is available far, far, far below what is needed, for emergency level of requirement. Talking about medical support, certainly for mental health, reaches about only 16% of those who are in need of it. You're talking about shelter. One in every three families who need shelter. So I'm open about it. I mean, this is this crisis is happening at a time of immense cuts in the aid budget and the humanitarian assistance budget. And, the host nations are also suffering terrible burdens and huge burdens. But there are also amazing initiatives that are taking place dealing with this, whether it is in collaboration with other UN agencies. And I want to report that I have witnessed, the UN collaborative effort through the Arc System Humanitarian Coordinator system and collaboration of the different agencies, whether it is WFP, whether it is Unicef, whether UNHCR, of course, they're being in the lead with these matters is a good, good way of moving forward. But again, my message to the world, this conflict has gone too long, too long that we need to end this conflict, international, regional, concerted efforts need to be brought to bear to end this conflict. But in the meantime, we need international support. We need assistance to people who desperately need it. And in the case of Chad, the government allows for has adopted very progressive policies of inclusion, allowing access to legal systems, even job opportunities. And documentation and you name it. And to integrate these, displaced communities into the local economies as part of a more holistic approach is the right way to go forward.
Thank you very much, High Commissioner. Ten liters per day for water. Three families in a shelter and needs continue to press as people cross the borders. Takes us straight to you. David. You've been working in Sudan and around in the region, and you have seen many crises. And suffering isn't comparable. Suffering is suffering everywhere in the world, I often say. But it would be great to get your insight on how does this crisis compare to other ones as you see it?
Well, thanks very much. It's good to be here. I think that we have to understand that the Sudan crisis is an avatar for what I would call the new World disorder. President Macron yesterday said that there are 60 conflicts going on in the world, and he's right about that. Sudan is remarkable above all, for its size, 33 million people in humanitarian need. It's the top of the International Rescue Committee's emergency watch list, which is our data driven, assessment of humanitarian crises. But we also have to understand it's the largest ever recorded humanitarian crisis since records began. So it's distinguished for that reason. But I say that it's an avatar, for the New World disorder for the following reasons. First, the neglect that Barham has rightly spoken to started when the civilian government came in in 2019 to 2021 and was not properly supported by the international system. Remember, Sudan had an opportunity in 20 after 2019. It's an avatar because it's a civil war. It's a rather, it's not really the right term given the brutality, that there's nothing civil about the war. But it's not just a war being fought, by competing power blocs inside Sudan. We have to call out that all sides and there are more than two sides to Sudan conflict are supported from outside the country. It's an internationalized civil war. Every single neighbor of Sudan is on one side or another. And countries further afield into the Middle East and the Gulf are significantly involved. It's an avatar because civilian death far outstrips the killing of soldiers. So it's civilians are bearing the brunt of the conflict and the absolutely grotesque levels of abuse of civilians give lie to the idea that international humanitarian law, that the writ of humanitarian law runs, it doesn't. In Sudan, we have 500 International Rescue Committee staff working in Sudan. We have a significant presence in Taweelah in the West. The stories of people coming out of Al-fashir, are absolutely chilling. And the survivors are in some ways the lucky ones, but the stories that they bring are absolutely horrific. I think it's also important to say that there are two other reasons why the Sudan crisis is an avatar for this new world disorder, the paralysis of diplomacy is very, very striking. And we can get into that. But also the global response is so, limited. 28% of the UN appeal is funded. And in a way, funding is the easiest thing to, remedy. But it seems to we're turning it into the hardest. Just final point I want to make. This conflict is not static. It's very the battle lines are fluid. The east of the country is more or less, conflict free at the moment. But the conflict in Darfur remains despite the fall subsequent to the fall in Al-fashir. And we're especially concerned about what's happening in the Court of funds, if you like, in the in the middle of the country, towards the south, towards the South Sudan border, where there's active conflict encircled cities that portend further horror. Ahead. And so I think this, the signal that we have to take is that what starts in Sudan, as Biram very clearly demonstrated, doesn't stop in Sudan. And so the there's a brilliant piece by Alex de Waal in the latest issue of, Foreign Affairs, where he says there's no such thing as a local crisis in the Horn of Africa. And I think that's really important. Note to remember.
Absolutely. And thank you also, David, for your insights. Avatar is really an interesting way of characterizing the crisis and a good one that we can take forward. But there are no local crises, I would argue, in the world, actually not not just in the Horn of Africa, but especially in the horn. Conscious of time. I'm going to ask you quickly, what do you think needs to change and who should act? Who would like to start?
I think reinvigorating diplomacy and basically bring about a peaceful, and peaceful and that might be too ambitious, but basically get a ceasefire in place and allow people. And, that is certainly a requirement. In the meantime, we really need to step up in terms of providing more assistance and available. And I will also say we as, UNHCR and for that matter, the international agencies we really need to look at improved ways of delivery and focus on sustainable responses, focus on solutions that develop self-reliance. And I've seen this in Chad and I've seen it, of course, in Kakuma and elsewhere. I mean, the things that they, we've done regarding, for example, boreholes for water to, irrigate land that is being cultivated by host family, host community, families as well as refugees is remarkable. And, you know, we should be really focused on, on some of these, inclusion mechanisms. And certainly among the communities of refugees, you have a lot of talent, a lot of professionals, lawyers, doctors, teachers, you name them who are there and willing to be, accommodated. And by the way, the host community also is welcoming of them for the talent and for the contribution. And basically we need to focus on these areas because with the policies of these governments in Kakuma, in, in Kenya and what the government policies in Chad are also, as I said, allowing for inclusion, allowing instead of just keeping people in situations of, dependency on humanitarian assistance in so-called camps, that's not the way to go forward. We have to really emphasize on those.
Same question.
Okay, so let's address that. Sudan is the neglected issue by the international community, completely neglected issue. And I want to address that. It's not a civil war. It's too full. Men are fighting on power and we are trying to solve it, but unfortunately it is international support. So we need international community to stop the bad influence on this war. And then we can I think we have the ability and we have the willingness Sudanese people to solve this, destroying by by the war. And we need, kind of the food security in terms of and cash assistance with, early stages negotiation and consultation for the grassroots. Also, we need to strengthen local capacity for the and support the community led solution like emergency response room and mutual aid groups, more localized and decolonized fund, pay attention to those who are fled from Sudan, in Egypt, in Chad, Kenya and Uganda as well. Thank you.
Thank you.
Well, I think the story of Sudan's war is a story of impunity. And the only way to tackle impunity is through countervailing power. In some cases, the impunity is petty. It's about bureaucratic constraints on where U.N. officials can go and where they're given permissions to to go by authorities. In other cases, the impunity is massive. It's the siege of cities. And it takes there's also profiteering from the war. Let's not forget that there's economics to this conflict. That is part of the story that we would go into if we had longer. It takes countervailing power to tackle impunity. And each and every stage, I think we have to build up the forces of countervailing power to those who are either party to or profiting from what is this deadly conflict, not just for the people of Sudan, but much more widely, not least for the precedent that it sets? I also just want to flag that the geography of Sudan and its presence and its significance on the Red sea is making it an area of significant geopolitical contestation at a regional level. And that's, I think speaks to the need for UN leadership, both on the political front and on the humanitarian stroke. Development front, recognizing the differences of situation in different parts of the country, because de facto we're facing a divided Sudan at the moment.
Wow. I, I think you all have heard a lot about what is happening and what is possible. We are running out of time, but we would like to open the floor for questions. It's not every day that you find, Haneen and our High commissioner and David at the table. So if there are any questions, we very much welcome them. Sir.
Hi. This is, my name is Saleh. I'm Sudanese, and I work for the private sector, and I think I've met with Mr. Miliband before on efforts to help Sudan. But I think we are all recognizing this is a political issue. And without stopping the political drive, all these other efforts, I think the number of empty chairs speaks about the interest and the opposition, that the topic is taken within the interest of everybody who's attending here or outside the world. Forgotten war, what efforts we are actually doing to extend that political pressure to bring the topic to the center, because so far, all what I'm hearing and with my due respect to all the panelists and people who are talking about the issue, is that I would say camouflaged talk about the involvement, the outside involvement in the war, which without stopping the profiteers from the war, stopping the economical wheel from turning and stopping the external drivers. Stopping the hunger is an immediate need, but it will be a daily issue and it will continue. We could be meeting if we get more years. We could be meeting here in 30 years discussing the same topic if we're allowed the space. Yeah. Thank you.
Thank you for the question. Please.
This is particularly for UNHCR. I'd like to ask you if, what moves you're going to make to increase transparency of UNHCR and the costs of UNHCR. This is something that we've been pressing for a long time, and there's been very little movement.
Great. High Commissioner, would you like to start?
I think. I am, as the newly appointed UNHCR, we are looking at our structures and processes, and we have a management review that we will be launching with the idea of increasing efficiency, and accountability, and for sure, transparency. And by that I mean the following. Of course, there are already a number of auditing requirements and processes by which my hope, my hope, is that to really look for a more real time, monitoring and delivery, process utilizing technology that is available out there. And I consider it to be very important, because that needs to show the leadership of UNHCR efficiency, of course, but also donors who would like to see how their contributions are being delivered on, I mean, again, we can talk numbers about what are the efficiency rates, how much of this assistance is getting to the people intended to. My motto is that there is always room for improvement, and there are always ways that can be done. That dollar that we acquire from a donor and committed to a given project. We need to demonstrate as real time as possible about how that is going. And we're looking, by the way, in that context, to the concept also of the UNHCR becoming a convener as well, to provide delivery of services and assistance, the most cost effective way. This should not be about, you know, institutional turf. It's about the refugees that we intend to the UNHCR's role is absolutely crucial. Central protection, provide emergency assistance when needed. And of course, working for durable solutions to in that context, certainly in the context of delivery of humanitarian assistance. We should be looking and open to finding what I consider to be the best and most cost effective ways of delivery, because I remind myself and my colleagues in the leadership of the UNHCR, we are mindful of the reality that this is assistance allocated for the people. I.e. the refugees. And that will be my commitment to you. And I think this is where UNHCR has been working on, has been developing far more responsive, far more agile, processes. But there is always room for improvement. And I'm hopeful that especially with digitalization of technology, that we can do a better job at it as well.
Thank you very much, High Commissioner. Right. I think we're closing in. just in time.
Don't want the first question to feel that it was ignored. And obviously there's a lot in it. I just say the following. The Trump administration did something important when they established the quad, because they went to the heart of the issue that you're raising, which is what's the role of external actors in the conflict? And they brought together the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. And they issued an important statement in September. I think the duty of, of all of us is to say, well, what's happened since the statement in September, where's the follow up? Because it's the follow up on the follow through that's important. It's set out. That statement set out demands on all parties to the conflict and their supporters. And I think it's important that that is followed through, because since then, there's been a lot that has transgressed every conceivable, human right. Never mind every statement in that quad statement. So I think it's worth it's worth saying that.
Absolutely. And thank you for your questions and responses. I have heard certain words I'm going to repeat in some, hard to summarize these, all the reflections, but it's the largest recorded crisis, humanitarian crisis since we started recording is important to take away for mothers and children who are suffering hunger and disease. And shelter needs. It isn't a long term issue. It is an immediate issue. They need assistance today, while the powers that be also are able to find the longer term solutions. A peaceful end, as you put it, high Commissioner is critical, but with it we need humanitarian assistance that goes into respond to the almost half the population that is in need today across Sudan, because there are needs in food, in cash, in health, in education, in shelter, across the gamut. There are needs. And I really liked what you said about the importance of anchoring this in community solutions in local actors and empowering those that are able to respond. And then finally, to the regional context of this, to the generosity of neighbors who have open borders and host communities who sometimes have less than the refugees crossing and have been incredibly hospitable and welcoming. We are extremely grateful, but the burden has to be lifted from poor families who are accommodating ones in need, and our assistance has to be lifted to cover all of them. So a massive thank you. Sudan is not a background crisis. It's a forefront crisis. And we really look forward to your voices elevating this and asking for more assistance and more peace to take us forward. Thank you once again to my esteemed panel and to EFE for hosting us today. And to those of you who made the time, have a lovely day.
Thank you.