In Gaza under bombardment, across conflict-torn Sudan, along Ukraine's frontlines: in 2024, NRC’s teams worked tirelessly to deliver assistance where it was needed most.

In the face of unprecedented global displacement, we provided vital support to 9.1 million people in 40 countries in 2024.

Keep reading to learn how we made an impact.

Despite continuous bombing, attacks on hospitals and residential areas, killings of civilians and aid workers, and the blockade of fuel and emergency aid, NRC’s teams managed to reach more than 253,000 Palestinians in Gaza with aid in 2024. 

Our emergency response focused on several critical areas:  

• We distributed tents and other materials so that families could set up simple emergency shelters.
  
• We provided financial support to help families meet their basic needs, like food.

• We delivered clean water to help prevent the spread of diseases.

• We ensured that children had access to education and safe spaces to play in.

• We offered information and legal aid to help people secure their housing and property rights.

In September 2024, a staggering 1.4 million people needed shelter support in Gaza.

In Gaza, NRC coordinates aid organisations’ work to secure a roof over people’s heads. We also distribute tents and materials so that families can set up simple emergency shelters for themselves. 

Emergency response  
NRC has dedicated emergency specialists across the world, including two emergency response teams that are deployed to start up operations in new countries, or scale up our response in countries where emergency needs are growing.

In Gaza, we deployed 27 emergency responders despite extremely challenging conditions. In Sudan, which entered its second year of civil war in 2024, our teams deployed over 70 people to expand aid operations into new areas. We also responded rapidly to escalating violence in Lebanon and launched an emergency response for unmet needs in Haiti, where violence has caused displacement to triple, with one million people forced to flee their homes. 

In 2024, we continued our vital support to people affected by Sudan’s escalating crisis, reaching more than one million people. As war and famine displaced millions and left half the population in need of aid, NRC provided food, shelter, clean water, education, and legal support.  

Famine was declared in five areas of Sudan last year. The conflict has caused food prices to skyrocket, leaving many people unable to afford even basic commodities. To combat hunger, we partnered with local communities to run communal kitchens. In addition, we subsidised bakeries, enabling them to halve the price of bread. We also provided cash to vulnerable families and communities.

Read about why we are putting cash directly into people’s hands here.

The war in Ukraine has caused massive suffering, death, destruction and displacement since it escalated three years ago.

In 2024, intensified attacks on civilian infrastructure and fighting along the frontlines deepened the humanitarian crisis.

Last year, we supported 285,000 people in Ukraine. We focused on helping children and young people return to education by rehabilitating damaged schools, building protective shelters, and creating safe, supportive learning environments. Our Better Learning Programme provided teachers and parents with tools to help children manage stress and trauma, enabling over 32,500 young people to focus on their education, even amid the chaos.

Read more about how we help children, parents and teachers in Ukraine. 

Beyond education, NRC delivered life-saving assistance including heaters, cash support for food and fuel, and legal aid to help displaced families secure essential documents, housing, and access to public services.  

In neighbouring Poland and Moldova, we extended our support to 65,000 more people displaced by the conflict. 

As war continues to affect millions, NRC remains committed to standing with those in need, providing hope, protection, and the chance to rebuild. 

Read more about our impact in Ukraine here. 

We believe that standing by the side of displaced people happens not only with assistance, but also with powerful advocacy and pushing for action at national and international levels.

When our teams were on the ground in Gaza, they were also talking to the international media, providing firsthand accounts of the devastation unfolding before their eyes. Our eyewitness reports on the humanitarian catastrophe helped inform global discussions and efforts.

In Sudan, where millions face displacement and hunger, NRC’s persistent advocacy with local authorities helped secure crucial access for humanitarian organisations, enabling lifesaving aid to reach communities in Darfur cut off by conflict.  

We turned the spotlight on emergencies that don’t receive global attention or enough funds through our annual neglected displacement crises report. By highlighting situations in places like Burkina Faso, where more than 800,000 children can’t go to school regularly anymore, we were able to shed light on emergencies that rarely make the headlines.

Much of our work happens in areas affected by sanctions and counterterrorism rules. We work with governments to make sure these rules do not block aid from reaching those who need it most. In 2024, our advocacy helped secure a landmark UN Security Council decision protecting humanitarian work in areas where designated armed groups are present. This enabled assistance to reach over 100 million people in countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and Syria.

Our Secretary General Jan Egeland brought the reality of these crises to decision-makers through high-profile media appearances on BBC, CNN and other major media outlets. He also got to speak with world leaders and the UN Security Council. 

NRC was featured in more than 32,000 news stories globally in 2024. 

At a time when humanitarian principles are under threat, NRC has been a steadfast voice calling for the protection of civilians, respect for international humanitarian law, and the removal of barriers that prevent aid from reaching those who need it most.

By combining on-the-ground expertise with strategic advocacy, we’ve worked to ensure that the lives and rights of displaced people command global attention and action. 

Aid is becoming increasingly tied to political agendas, conflicts are growing more complex, and funding is harder to find. 

We remain firmly committed to reaching those most at risk. Our work is grounded in humanitarian principles and human rights, and we continue to deliver vital assistance to people affected by conflict and displacement.  

Thanks to the unwavering support of our generous donors, we reached 9.1 million people last year. None of this would have been possible without you.