A new Scottish Government report has highlighted the impact of Scotland's humanitarian aid, detailing how funding has supported tens of thousands of people caught up in some of the world's most severe crises.
The Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF) annual report sets out how £1.4 million of Scottish funding supported life-saving interventions during the 2025-26 financial year.
The fund supported 10 projects across six countries, directly reaching 63,944 people affected by crises including conflict, natural disasters and food insecurity.
Support was provided in Sudan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi.
The report highlights how Scottish-based charities worked with established local organisations to provide assistance tailored to the needs of communities affected by emergencies.
The funding included responses to the March 2025 earthquake in Myanmar, the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Sudan regional crisis and the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.
A further £400,000 was allocated in February 2026 to help address acute food insecurity in Malawi.
The HEF was established by the Scottish Government in 2017 and has provided at least £1 million a year for rapid responses to international humanitarian emergencies.
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Simita Kumar, Minister for Equalities and International Development, said: "We are living through unpredictable shifts in global politics, making it all too easy to overlook the enormous humanitarian impact of war on the world’s most vulnerable communities.
"Millions of lives have for too long been blighted by poverty and inequality and are now being threatened by the accelerating impact of climate change.
"The Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF) has supported Scottish-based charities and their expert local partners to deliver the most appropriate life-saving support, not only for high profile disasters but also major crises that, despite their scale and impact, are all too often overlooked.
"The Scottish Government remains committed to playing its part in helping vulnerable people survive these deadly crises and rebuild their lives."
Frances Guy, outgoing independent chair of the HEF panel, said: "Scottish Government support has helped save thousands of lives in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.
"From the world’s biggest and most acute humanitarian crisis in Sudan to Afghanistan, DR Congo, Malawi, and Myanmar, these vital funds have allowed Scottish charities to work more effectively with long-established and trusted local organisations who really understand what their citizens need in times of extreme crisis.
"Whether that is delivery of food or clean water or increasingly direct cash payments to give families more dignity and choice on what they need the most to make it through unimaginable hardship, the Humanitarian Emergency Fund has been of life-saving importance over the past nine years.
"We are really heartened that the Scottish Government has committed to increasing its overall international development spending during this Parliament as well as its contribution to humanitarian response in the years to come."
Ben Wilson, director of public engagement at SCIAF, said: "The way the HEF worked gave the Scottish Government an excellent opportunity to partner with some of Scotland’s most trusted and best-known international charities.
"By delivering locally led emergency relief alongside organisations like SCIAF, we could show people across Scotland the real difference this funding makes.
"The review of HEF last year brought that model to an end, but we’re looking forward to building a closer relationship with the Scottish Government through HEF 2.0 and partnering with them on delivery, to demonstrate the impact Scottish funding can have on communities in need around the world."
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