A host of challenges for the humanitarian sector.

© WHO In February 2025, before the ceasefire broke down, Palestinians displaced in southern Gaza were returning en masse to the north of the enclave.

In this editorial, I seek to name and understand the upheavals currently underway.

This article is neither exhaustive nor definitive. Its aim is to explore new situations in order to adapt the humanitarian response. It draws on numerous sources.
As we did before with our series of articles “humanitarian questions”, I invite you to join the debate by sending us your testimonies, analyses, and perspectives at contact@defishumanitaires.com

Challenges converging.
A change of era.

We are experiencing a decisive shift in the political and geopolitical era—some even call it civilizational. Whatever one thinks, populism is advancing globally in various forms, accompanying the collapse of the international order established after the Second World War.

This includes the rise and assertion of power by Russia, China, Turkey, and the Global South in all its diversity. As Giuliano da Empoli said, “Trump is not a historical accident or a fit of madness—we are tipping into a new world.” What is this new world, and what will be the role and place of humanitarian action within it?

BRICS meeting in Kazan, Russia, from 22 to 24 October 2024

Aid funding in decline!

The funding of international humanitarian aid is a reliable indicator of trends and the priorities of UN member states. And funding is collapsing—no one knows when or how it will stabilize. It’s easy and somewhat fair to blame the abrupt freeze on all aid by the Trump administration and the dismantling of USAID.

However, many European countries were ahead of the United States with massive budget cuts—in the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and almost everywhere else to varying degrees, with the exception of the European Union.

Official Development Assistance (ODA), OECD

The reasons vary depending on whether we’re talking about humanitarian aid or development assistance, which fall under Official Development Assistance (ODA). Beyond doubts about aid effectiveness and the rising call for productive investments, the primary reason today is the priority placed on security in the face of the serious risk of the war in Ukraine spreading across Europe. The second reason lies in the state of public finances, national debt, and ongoing tariff wars. Defending one’s freedom, independence, and sovereignty has become a vital priority in the face of mounting threats.

With what consequences?

What will be the human and political consequences of dwindling humanitarian funding? According to OCHA, in 2025, 305.1 million people will require humanitarian aid, but only 189.5 million have been targeted across 72 countries to receive assistance estimated at $47.4 billion.

UNHCR Global Trends Report 2024, 9 October 2024.

However, in 2024, of a $49.6 billion budget, only $21.2 billion was raised—just 43% of the required amount! What will 2025 look like with ODA in free fall?

Among these at-risk populations were 122.6 million forcibly displaced people as of June 2024. Recall: 51.23 million in 2013, 89.27 million in 2021—and the numbers are expected to continue rising. Will we abandon internally displaced people and refugees? What will be the human, migratory, and political fallout from such disengagement?

For instance, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, insufficient funding forced the shutdown of a severe malnutrition treatment program for 220,000 children under 5.

2024 was the deadliest year for humanitarians, with 281 killed—63% in Gaza and the West Bank, mostly nationals. Will we now say to humanitarians: “Take the risks, you’re on your own”?

As a French citizen, I am personally convinced
that we must prepare for a possible expansion of the war in Ukraine in order to contain it—and thus secure peace. And if this does not prevent war from being imposed on us, then we must declare it, fight it, and win it.

What I fail to understand is this: in a world where military budgets total $2.4 trillion, and banking sector profits stand at $1.1 trillion, how is it not possible to find $47 billion to save lives, stabilize countries, and revive development and trade that benefit everyone?

Short-sighted selfishness will catch up with us—and cost even more!

Ukraine and the return of war.

Since February 24, 2022, the war in Ukraine has shattered the principle of inviolable borders and shown that war is once again a conceivable means of resolving conflict. It has killed and wounded hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, displaced millions, and destroyed much of the country and its infrastructure—not to mention Russian losses. The war consumes enormous resources, yet they remain insufficient from Ukraine’s allies.

I’m not convinced we truly grasp the risks and consequences of a potential expansion of this conflict to other frontline countries in Europe—and possibly to us through a domino effect! Let’s be clear-eyed: Vladimir Putin has declared a long-term war against us, supported, tolerated, or ignored by many Global South nations. And if Donald Trump chooses to end U.S. support for Ukraine, the risk of war in Europe would only grow. European countries, however, are not yet prepared for such a scenario. Let’s hope it never comes to pass and that a ceasefire, then a settlement, brings this war to an end.

Yet even if full-scale war isn’t certain, it’s entirely possible. Some experts believe it has already begun—through cyberattacks, propaganda, disinformation, rearmament, and a mobilization of public will. How will humanitarian actors respond to this threat? What could they do if war comes to Europe? What would happen to humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, and independence in such a scenario?

And what about Europe?

Among the world’s top three humanitarian donors, along with the U.S. and Germany (which has slashed much of its aid budget), the European Union remains. At the recent European Humanitarian Forum (EHF) on May 19–20 in Brussels, the European Commission appeared to reassure humanitarian actors—yet never addressed the “elephant in the room”: shrinking budgets.

The agenda was technically sound: ongoing crises, cooperation, coordination, humanitarian diplomacy, the nexus, national actors, climate impact. But it deliberately avoided tackling the decline in ODA and its consequences for humanitarian work. Business as usual! Nevertheless, voices such as VOICE on these issues, UNRWA on Gaza, and informal hallway conversations raised the alarm.

Ursula von der Leyen confirmed the DG ECHO humanitarian budget of €2.5 billion, including the emergency aid reserve (€580 million), in line with the 2021–2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (€11.569 trillion).

This framework is truly strategic, and discussions are beginning for the 2028–2035 cycle.

Here lies the decisive issue! Given the budgetary constraints of EU member states, will the Commission’s budget be sufficient—and how will it be allocated?

Former EU Humanitarian Commissioner Janez Lenarčič rightly emphasized the need for assertive humanitarian diplomacy to preserve humanitarian space, which must now address the question of funding—without which, access to at-risk populations is impossible.

The current Commissioner, Hadja Lahbib, set out a roadmap: We must focus on two areas: first, increase funding, broaden the donor base, and work more efficiently. Second, we must reduce humanitarian needs, often caused by conflict and climate crises.

UNRIC. During the session on the Middle East, attended by Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner, and Philippe Lazzarini, Director of UNRWA, at the European Humanitarian Forum on 20 May 2025 in Brussels.

I fully support this—but we must reframe the European humanitarian issue within the broader challenges the EU faces: internal cohesion, the war in Ukraine and its potential expansion, trade wars with the U.S. and China, and weak, naïve governance amid a world reverting to jungle law. The Europe of nation-states cannot avoid a political aggiornamento (renewal) if it wishes to defend its very existence and role.

The UN in turmoil.

Donald Trump’s early decisions confirmed the decline of globalization and multilateralism, shaking the UN—which is being forced to adapt. Payment delays by the U.S., China, and others threaten a potential $1.1 billion deficit by year-end.

To mark the UN’s 80th anniversary, António Guterres launched the H80—or UN80—initiative in March 2025 to urgently reform the organization amid falling funding.

The UN must now cut costs, consolidate its agencies into four clusters—peace and security, humanitarian affairs, sustainable development, and human rights—reduce its workforce by 20%, and relocate to more affordable cities. This real austerity drive will have operational consequences yet to be fully grasped.

OCHA is contributing with its “Humanitarian Reset” led by Tom Fletcher, launched March 10 and based on a 10-point reform. In brief: prioritizing national actors, context-specific adaptation, prioritization planning, integrated reforms, joint advocacy, bold efficiency measures, field redeployment for emergencies, resource and service pooling, simplified clusters, and a more strategic, high-performing “integrated planning framework.”

Necessity dictates—but what are the consequences for aid and for national and international humanitarian actors who must prepare for these shocks?

While we now know OCHA’s “humanitarian reset,” what about NGOs in their diversity and coordination mechanisms? How will they come through this ordeal?

Humanitarian strengths and weaknesses.

Let’s begin with a brief—too brief—introspection of the humanitarian sector, which we too rarely undertake. But now is the time to dig deeper, both in its flaws and strengths, to reshape humanitarian action for this new world.

Humanitarians often see themselves as belonging to the “good” side, judging others from a perceived moral high ground. They also tend to see nations, empires, or ethnic communities through the lens of NGOs—a grave mistake.

Humanitarians view the world as one global humanity, which is true—but without sufficiently recognizing its diversity, which is both a richness and a source of differences.

Above all, humanitarian action is an existential act to aid any person or population in peril. This cross-border solidarity is more relevant than ever. Humanitarianism isn’t the answer to everything—but without it, what would be the daily fate of those in danger? Every day, around 550,000 humanitarians work to assist 190 million people—men, women, and children—who actively contribute to mutual aid as fellow human beings.

The greatest frustration and limitation of humanitarian work is the inability to help everyone in urgent need. Obstacles abound—from access denial to falling funding.

Crises abound—in the DRC, the Sahel, Yemen, Ukraine, Sudan, Haiti, and Gaza, the latter being the horrifying emblem of the unthinkable becoming routine.

Why did pediatrician Alaa Al-Najjar lose nine of her ten children—Yahya, Rakan, Eve, Jubran, Raslan, Rifan, Sidine, Louqman, and 7-month-old Sidra—in a single airstrike on May 24 in Khan Younis? Only her husband and one child survived. Why?

With its pogrom on October 7, 2023, and the abduction of 251 hostages, Hamas triggered a spiral of endless violence with Israel. As of April 30, 2025: 52,400 deaths (including combatants), 118,014 wounded. By the end of 2024, 87% of housing was damaged or destroyed, over 80% of businesses lost, and two-thirds of roads unusable! As if that weren’t enough, a full humanitarian blockade was imposed on March 2, 2025. Famine is now weaponized—violating international law.

To calm international outrage and limit aid diversion by Hamas or gangs, Israel bypassed competent humanitarian organizations in favor of an ad hoc body: the Humanitarian Foundation for Gaza. Its first distributions ended in chaos, death, and injury.

These ongoing destructions and the blockade seem aimed at the deportation of all or part of Gaza’s population. What do we call that? Is a political solution still possible? Let’s hope the upcoming meeting on Palestine at the UN General Assembly in New York (June 17–20), co-organized by France and Saudi Arabia, will answer that.

In conclusion.

As we publish issue 100 of the Défis Humanitaires online journal, current events reaffirm its value to the humanitarian community and its partners by:

Promoting humanitarian action
Analyzing the cause-effect link between geopolitics and humanitarianism
Documenting the major challenges ahead

Défis Humanitaires is read each month in dozens of countries by thousands of people whom we warmly greet here, with a wish to be useful to their work.

But we also need their support and participation to do more and better. To that end, we invite you to:

Fill out the journal’s feedback questionnaire
Share your thoughts on the journal
Support the journal with a donation via HelloAsso

Thank you for your attention, your loyalty, and your support.

Alain Boinet

I invite you to read the articles published in this issue:

“My fight against malnutrition”

Interview with Michel Lescanne, founder of Nutriset.

Sorting peanuts, which are used in the manufacture of Plumpy’nut, at Hilina, Nutriset Group’s Ethiopian partner.

President and founder of the Nutriset Group and co-inventor of Plumpy’Nut, the first RUTF, Michel Lescanne has just published his memoirs with Eyrolles, with the help of journalist Christian Troubé. Here, he answers our questions.

Alain Boinet:

You’ve just published a book entitled “Mon combat contre la malnutrition” (“My fight against malnutrition”). When and why did you start this fight?

Michel Lescanne:

I founded Nutriset in 1986 on the basis of intuition and determination. As an agricultural engineer, I was convinced that the food industry had solutions to offer to help solve what was then known as “world hunger”. During my studies, I chose as the subject of my dissertation a study on the manufacture of a nutritious cookie for malnourished children in what was then known as the “Third World”. The skepticism of my university jury only strengthened my resolve to succeed. And then there’s my family background. In Normandy, my father ran a dairy cooperative, which later became the Nova Group. So, from childhood, I was immersed in this world. Very early on, reading the works of René Dumont and Josué de Castro helped me to deepen and enrich my objective: to feed these children in distress. It was immediately obvious to me that this would be achieved by setting up a company.

AB:

The early stages of any innovative project are often long and difficult before they succeed. What were the main stages in Nutriset’s development?

ML:

An entrepreneur’s journey is often made up of both successes and failures, from which you need to learn. At Nutriset, we had one compass: to put all our energy into designing products that could save the lives of malnourished children. And the only question we asked ourselves before making a decision was: is this going to help vulnerable populations? When you have a clear mandate, everything becomes clearer. What’s more, we weren’t acting alone, but in liaison with an ecosystem just as motivated as we were: the nutrition researchers who, in their labs, invented formulations, and the humanitarians who tested the products in the field and passed on their requests to us. It was a time of intense mobilization. This enabled us to design and scale up the first F-100 and F-75 high-energy milks, and then, in the mid-1990s, to offer the first ready-to-use therapeutic food in solid form, Plumpy’Nut. This first RUTF – and all the subsequent products targeting the various forms of malnutrition – was at the origin of a veritable revolution in the field: treatment was taken care of directly by the families affected, enabling an ever-increasing number of malnourished children to be helped. Step by step, Nutriset has been able to offer treatment and prevention solutions for children, pregnant and breast-feeding women, people suffering from illnesses such as AIDS, and products for the elderly suffering from malnutrition in France.

Plumpy’nut, the first RUTF for treating malnutrition, has given rise to a wider range of treatment and prevention products. Here is the lipid supplementation product (SQ-LNS) Enov-Nutributter, designed to improve the growth of young children.

AB:

Some twenty years ago, you set up partnerships with local companies in a dozen countries. What was your idea back then? And what stage has this project reached?

ML:

Right from the start, we had the intuition that our products had to be manufactured as close as possible to where they were needed, in the very countries where malnutrition was rife. But there was nothing obvious about that. We had to find local agri-food companies capable of manufacturing our products to the required quality standards and ensuring the supply of raw materials. Many humanitarian organizations were skeptical about the issue. With time, we were able to move forward, using the franchise or subsidiary model. This year, we’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of the PlumpyField network. It’s a source of great pride for us: today, almost half of Nutriset’s nutritional solutions are manufactured locally. This has enabled international humanitarian organizations and the governments of these countries to open new programs and, consequently, to come to the aid of ever more children and vulnerable people. What’s more, these industrial structures are real levers of development for their countries, structuring upstream and downstream agricultural and agro-industrial sectors. The PlumpyField network is present in around ten countries, in Africa, South-East Asia and Haiti. It is set to expand further.

A Plumpy’nut production line at Tanjaka, a member of the PlumpyField network based in Madagascar.

AB:

The world has changed a lot in the last 40 years. How do you see the fight against malnutrition today?

ML:

A great deal of progress has been made in this field over the past forty years, and Nutriset has been able to make a major contribution. Those involved in the fight against malnutrition – Unicef, the World Food Program, NGOs and local governments – now have access to easy-to-use products of recognized effectiveness. But what is sorely lacking is funding, and therefore political will. The figures are still terribly alarming! Malnutrition and its associated causes are responsible for one in two deaths among children under the age of five. If we take into account undernutrition, synonymous with wasting, stunted growth and underweight, micronutrient deficiencies affecting one child in two and one woman in three, overweight and obesity, the new scourge of our century, hundreds of millions of people are concerned! So we must not give up! The recent international Nutrition for Growth summit in Paris showed that it is possible to mobilize all players: public authorities, UN agencies, NGOs, foundations, governments and the private sector. Over 27 billion dollars were pledged to combat malnutrition. At the same time, however, we are receiving contradictory signals from the United States and other donor countries, with an incomprehensible drop in their Official Development Assistance.

The Hilina company in Addis Ababa is a long-standing partner of Nutriset. Fifty years after the great famines that ravaged Ethiopia, this company now covers almost all of the country’s nutritional needs.

AB:

Indeed, President Trump’s US administration recently cut the USAID agency and froze many programs and funding. Similarly, many countries are reducing their Official Development Assistance and humanitarian action. Does this have consequences for the Nutriset Group, your partners and anti-malnutrition programs, and how do you cope?

ML:

Our main buyers are Unicef and the World Food Programme, which are heavily affected by the US restrictions, as are the major international NGOs. Like all humanitarian actors, we observe the day-to-day fluctuations in the US administration’s decisions, notably through our American member of the PlumpyField network, the Edesia company. Like everyone else, we’ve taken note of this abrupt shift by the world’s leading lender, and the disastrous consequences it entails. With less money, we’re going to have to be imaginative and agile. For Nutriset, this means pursuing and expanding our localization policy, for example, by working with new players such as foundations, or by developing specific programs directly with governments. This is what we are doing, for example, in Benin and Côte d’Ivoire.

AB:

What advice would you give to a young person wanting to get involved today?

ML:

Every generation has its own approach to the world and its own way of looking at solutions. I can see that we are entering a world where risks are multiplying, from global warming to the new rules of the geopolitical game, but I remain unfailingly optimistic about human nature’s ability to transcend itself, to give the best of itself. I would say to a young person making a commitment today that, if they have a strong conviction, they must cultivate it and be faithful to it, even in moments of doubt.

Nana Hadiza, 28, holds her twin daughters in her arms as they sit on a hospital bed at Maradi University Hospital in Niger. The twins are being treated for malnutrition with ready-to-use therapeutic foods from Nutriset. © UNICEF/UN0535873/Dejongh

AB:

How would you like to conclude this interview?

ML:

Your magazine has a beautiful title: “Humanitarian Challenges.” For forty years, I have had the good fortune to work alongside exceptional people in humanitarian agencies and NGOs. In a way, we have “grown up together.” I would therefore like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all those who have brought this commitment to life and continue to do so today. At the beginning of my book, I recall the figure of Dr. Pascal Grellety-Bosviel, a Red Cross doctor in the 1980s, who inspired me greatly, along with so many others. I would like to salute all the humanitarian workers of the new generation and tell them not to give up! The fight continues!

My Fight Against Malnutrition, by Michel Lescanne, with Christian Troubé (Editions Eyrolles, $24)

Michel Lescanne:

“Your idea has no future, sir!” Despite having just submitted his final thesis, young agricultural engineer Michel Lescanne remained faithful to his dream: to develop products to combat world hunger. In the 1970s, with famines in Africa dominating the headlines, the challenge was immense. And the obstacles were numerous. Today, the Nutriset Group, which he founded in 1986, is present wherever malnutrition is rife, in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and even France, saving millions of children and adults. It is this remarkable journey that its founder recounts here.

Christian Troubé

A senior reporter specializing in international relations, Christian Troubé first became involved in humanitarian work in the early 1980s during the war in Lebanon. As a journalist, he went on to accompany various NGOs in numerous fields of action. He also served as a volunteer administrator for Action Against Hunger. Author of numerous books on humanitarian issues, he now puts his experience to work for the Nutriset Group, advising on its strategic communications.

Book review: “My Fight Against Malnutrition”

Faced with an alarming situation, “Today, one in four children under the age of five worldwide is malnourished, 165 million suffer from stunted growth, and 50 million are affected by acute malnutrition, which seriously jeopardizes their precarious existence,” Nutriset presents itself as a company specializing in the production of nutritional solutions, with a social mission to combat malnutrition.

Founded in 1986 in Normandy, it has gradually established itself as a key player in this cause on a global scale, combining innovation, scientific expertise, and humanitarian commitment.

A story to understand a struggle: the book My Fight Against Malnutrition

The book My Fight Against Malnutrition, written by Michel Lescanne, founder of Nutriset, and co-authored with journalist Christian Troubé, recounts the development of the company in fifteen chapters, while highlighting the major developments in the fight against malnutrition. This is not simply an entrepreneurial account, but a committed, innovative reflection on experience, providing valuable insight into international humanitarian dynamics. Nutriset’s expertise, as a key player in the sector, makes it a strategic tool for thinking about the challenges of tomorrow.

Raising awareness of malnutrition

It all began in the late 1980s. Michel Lescanne, the son of a dairy farmer in a Normandy cooperative, grew up immersed in the world of nutrition. From an early age, he developed a particular sensitivity to issues of access to food in humanitarian crisis situations.

At that time, child malnutrition was a silent emergency. Famines were addressed through emergency interventions that were often ill-suited to the realities on the ground. The famine in Ethiopia (1984-85), followed by the upheavals of the Rwandan genocide in 1994, highlighted the inadequacy of existing mechanisms. Therapeutic feeding remained underdeveloped, dependent on cumbersome hospital-based solutions that were difficult for the most vulnerable families to access in troubled situations.

It was in this context that, in 1993, Nutriset developed an innovation: F-75 and F-100 therapeutic milks, designed for the effective treatment of severe malnutrition in health centers. These products laid the foundations for Nutriset’s recognition in the humanitarian world.

This discovery presented many challenges for the company. The transition from an individual project in a house in Normandy to the creation of a sustainable structure involved recruiting a team, defining a clear mandate, and seeking funding.

Above all, the latter had to address a structural tension: reconciling economic imperatives with its social mission. How can a corporate status coexist with a non-profit commitment focused on products of public interest? To gain legitimacy, Nutriset must convince, forge alliances, and prove the effectiveness of its solutions. The first NGO partners, by testing the products in the field, such as Action Against Hunger in 1993 in Rwanda, actively participate in their continuous improvement.

Plumpy’Nut: an innovation that is transforming the fight against malnutrition

Since its creation, Nutriset has focused on research and innovation. The company relies on a network of scientists, nutritionists, doctors, NGOs, and laboratories to develop solutions adapted to the constraints of the field. It is within this framework that Plumpy’Nut emerged, a revolutionary Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) developed to address the limitations of therapeutic milks.

Plumpy’Nut is a ready-to-use peanut-based paste rich in calories, protein, and essential micronutrients. Stable and requiring no refrigeration, it can be administered at home without water, allowing families to participate in the healing process. This paradigm shift not only lightens the burden on medical facilities, but above all puts mothers back at the heart of the care process.

This innovation is supported by significant advocacy work with international organizations. Thanks to these efforts, Nutriset has become a partner of major United Nations agencies such as the WFP (World Food Programme) and UNICEF. These partnerships mark the institutionalization of the RUTF approach, which is becoming a global standard in the fight against severe acute malnutrition.

An international company facing contemporary challenges

In 2005, Nutriset initiated a change of scale with the creation of the PlumpyField network, which now has 11 members in several countries in the Global South. This franchise strategy enables decentralized production, closer to local needs, while promoting the autonomy of industrial partners and making a valuable contribution to the food sovereignty of the countries concerned. Today, one-third of Nutriset’s production is carried out by this network.

As part of a global response, Nutriset is also developing targeted product ranges, such as the 1000 Days program, which covers the nutritional needs of pregnant women until their children reach the age of two. These developments reflect an evolution in the socio-cultural approach to nutrition, integrating local dietary practices and family realities.

The company is part of a multi-stakeholder approach, bringing together the public and private sectors, NGOs, researchers, doctors, and nutritionists around a common goal: a coordinated fight against malnutrition, rooted in the dynamics on the ground. This transdisciplinary alliance makes it possible to adapt practices in response to successive crises (Rwanda, Syria, Sahel, etc.) and the latest scientific data.

Challenges for tomorrow: thinking about the future of humanitarian nutrition

Nutriset is part of a broader international movement, notably the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) launched in 2000, which aimed to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, and, since 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. Today, with the proliferation of crises and the evolution of humanitarian response, the issues are becoming more complex.

Michel Lescanne identifies several major challenges for the coming years:

The proliferation of conflicts, requiring a transition from ad hoc aid to sustainable aid
The increase in humanitarian needs, linked to political, economic, and climate crises
The need for constant innovation, with products that respect people and the environment and are produced as close as possible to the areas of intervention
Further reflection on products that place nutrition at the heart of health issues.

Nutriset intends to respond to these challenges by pursuing its mission: to put science at the service of the most vulnerable and to continue to make nutrition a fundamental right accessible to all.

My fight against malnutrition is not just the story of an entrepreneurial journey, it is a call to action. Through Michel Lescanne’s commitment and Nutriset’s trajectory, this book powerfully reminds us that innovation, combined with determination, can save millions of lives. Faced with a persistent scourge, it charts a demanding but necessary course: making nutrition accessible to all!