On January 13, 2020, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Mark Green met with the United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, who directs the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The two officials discussed some of the world’s most-pressing man-made crises, including Yemen, Venezuela, South Sudan, and Syria. Administrator Green expressed USAID’s continued commitment to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations around the world.

During the meeting, Mr. Lowcock provided an overview of the UN’s recently launched 2020 Global Humanitarian Overview, which projects that 168 million people will need humanitarian aid in 2020. The two officials also noted the operational constraints and access challenges that continue to limit the ability of aid groups to reach vulnerable populations, especially those affected by conflict.