Early Warning and Anticipatory Action

The global humanitarian situation in 2025 was characterised by a growing number of challenges: protracted armed conflicts, increasing violations of international humanitarian law and other legal frameworks intended to protect civilians, and heightened obstacles to humanitarian access. At the same time, natural disasters and deteriorating socioeconomic conditions continued to affect already vulnerable groups severely.

Considering these highly complex circumstances, Swedish humanitarian assistance remained principled, needs‑based, and flexible, delivering clear results. In 2025, Sida disbursed approximately SEK 4.6 billion in humanitarian aid, representing around 19 per cent of Sweden’s total development assistance. Support was directed to some of the most complex and severe crises, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Palestine and Sudan, guided by Sweden’s humanitarian allocation model, funding decisions are based on the severity of humanitarian needs.

Sustainable use and management of the earth’s resources is a prerequisite for reduced poverty and sustainable societies – for current and for future generations. In 43 per cent of Sida’s support in 2025, efforts to combat the effects of climate change and improving the environment were a significant part in initiatives in different sectors and thematic areas.1 This included efforts to avoid and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to strengthen resilience to climate change, improve environmental sustainability, restore and sustainably manage natural resources and biodiversity, retain carbon sinks, halt desertification and support disaster risk reduction.