On World Humanitarian Day, New Zealand Red Cross is supporting the global #ProtectHumanity campaign and standing alongside humanitarian workers who show up in the hardest moments to help others in conflict, disaster, and crisis.

Recent strikes on Kyiv, including one attack that left at least 30 people dead and sent tens of thousands of families back into underground shelters, as well as further deadly attacks in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Donetsk, are a stark reminder that civilians across Ukraine continue to bear the heaviest toll.

Thanks to the generosity of New Zealand Red Cross donors, $150,000 raised through our Middle East Humanitarian Crisis Appeal has been distributed to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), helping deliver vital humanitarian assistance to people impacted by conflict in the region.

When Cyclone Ditwah battered Sri Lanka in late November 2025, it unleashed chaos - more than 3,000 landslides and rapid floods swamped 20 out of 25 districts, from tea-covered highlands to lowland rivers. 

Civilians across the Middle East are facing devastating humanitarian consequences from ongoing conflict. Red Cross Red Crescent teams continue to respond as humanitarian needs rise in Lebanon.