Fletcher Calls for Global Mobilisation as OCHA Puts Its Disaster Network on Full Alert

The United Nations' top humanitarian official said on 21 October that the developing El Niño event will carry "massive humanitarian consequences" and called for a far wider mobilisation of governments, scientists and companies than the aid system can muster on its own. Speaking in Geneva at a joint press conference with the World Meteorological Organization, Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, described the event as "a behemoth" and "a wrecking ball" that would affect Latin America, Eastern and Southern Africa, Asia and the Pacific through extreme heat, drought and flooding.

The numbers Fletcher put on the table

Fletcher told reporters that 50 million people could face increased hunger as a result of the event. He cited African Development Bank estimates that El Niño will cost African countries between US$10 billion and US$20 billion, and will drive GDP down by between one and two per cent.

In his assessment, the impact lands on regions already carrying other burdens — "widespread conflict, people already displaced, soaring fuel and fertilizer and food prices, and massive aid cuts" — and will not stay within the affected countries. Fletcher said the event would create economic shocks for the global economy and drive further conflict, displacement and migration.

Asked how long the humanitarian consequences might last, Fletcher said it was hard to say, but described several phases: a preparation phase now, in which he said communities are already starting to be hit; a crisis response phase being mobilised in the current period; and a longer tail. "That long-term impact will be felt for months and potentially years to come, I'm afraid," he said. He pointed to choke points including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea in connection with rising fuel, food and fertilizer costs, and said El Niño would add further pressure. Fletcher said the humanitarian community should already be reaching more than 250 million people and that OCHA is finalising its Global Humanitarian Overview for 2027, which he expects the event to push "in the wrong direction."

Money already released, and a two-week window

Fletcher said he has released over US$50 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to help 11 frontline countries, naming Chad, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan among them. He said he has instructed Humanitarian Coordinators to use country-based pooled funds for preparation, and that the global humanitarian plan has been adjusted.

In practice, he said, that means getting cash to families before the shock, helping farmers and herders protect crops and livestock, and moving supplies to safety before roads are cut off — work OCHA labels anticipatory action. Fletcher said the next two weeks are the critical window: Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya need cash and supplies ahead of heavy rains; Southern Africa needs seeds and livestock before planting windows close; Central America needs immediate livelihood assistance; and Asia and the Pacific must prepare for droughts, floods and cyclones. He called on countries, development banks and international financial institutions to move funding before damage is done rather than afterwards.

Appeals to scientists, companies and governments

Fletcher said he was "sounding the alarm that the humanitarian system, this community of ours, cannot alone cope with the threat on this scale." He said he is writing to countries with existing disaster response capacity to ask them to place it on immediate standby, has put OCHA's disaster readiness network on full alert, and has asked frontline countries to be clear about their gaps. He invited the scientific community to join a cell activated that day to share data, forecasts and advice, and asked private sector and technology firms for funding and practical problem-solving support.

On conflict-affected countries, Fletcher said El Niño, the existing caseload, conflict and displacement "are all part of the same equation." He said UNHCR and IOM are preparing for waves of displacement, FAO and WFP for threats to food supplies and livelihoods, and UNICEF and WHO for pressure on water, nutrition and health services. He added that he is personally focused on reaching 11 million people across 10 conflicts who cannot currently be reached because of access constraints, work he said El Niño will make harder and more urgent.

The full remarks are published by OCHA. Further coverage of agency statements is collected in our news section.