Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Tanzania

Ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo continued to drive one of the region’s most severe humanitarian crises in 2025, marked by large-scale displacement within the Kivu provinces and across borders into Uganda and Tanzania. ACT Alliance members responded through the Central Africa Appeal, working across the three countries to address urgent humanitarian needs.

The response combined locally led approaches with coordinated regional action. In eastern DRC, 481 displaced and returnee households received agricultural recovery support, including seed protection rations, technical training, and cash-voucher assistance. In Tanzania’s Nyarugusu refugee camp, WASH and hygiene interventions improved sanitation while a multi-channel feedback system resolved community complaints within 3 to 5 days. In Uganda’s Nakivale settlement, 105 shelters were built through a cash-for-work model engaging 1,325 refugees, alongside community-based protection, GBV prevention, and alternative dispute resolution led by local faith actors.

National and international members partnered to deliver coordinated assistance while strengthening cross-border collaboration and joint programming. Coordination with UNHCR and national authorities, a sub-regional monitoring visit, and joint learning processes reinforced alignment across the three countries, improving access to shelter, sanitation, livelihoods, and protection services for affected communities.

Uganda – Nakivale Refugee Settlement

Humanitarian needs in Ukraine remained significant in 2025, despite reduced global visibility. ACT Alliance members continued to respond to conflict-driven needs, with a strong emphasis on locally led programming.

Through the ACT Ukraine appeal, over 7,200 people received multi-sectoral support, including psychosocial care, shelter repairs, health services, and cash assistance. Key interventions included the repair of 221 housing units, protection services for nearly 2,000 individuals, and targeted support to vulnerable groups, including people living with disabilities. Education and community-based services were also strengthened, supporting safe learning environments and local resilience.

Building on earlier work, members expanded the use of Survivor and Community-Led Response (SCLR) methodologies, enabling communities to identify priorities and design contextually relevant interventions. This strengthened community ownership, supported local decision-making, and reinforced accountability to affected populations. A new appeal was launched following the conclusion of the previous response, ensuring continuity of support to communities affected by ongoing conflict.

Middle East:

The MENA region had 5 active humanitarian appeals in 2025, responding to the most affected populations across Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. Members worked to integrate humanitarian emergency support with recovery programming where possible. ACT Alliance advanced a two-year pilot triple nexus approach through the ACT appeal in Jordan and Iraq, integrating humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding components into a single coordinated response. It is implemented by ACT Iraq Forum members Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and Christian Aid Program Kurdistan Region (CAPNI), alongside ACT Jordan Forum member Middle East Council of Churches (MECC); CAPNI is set to join the appeal in 2026. The programme is strengthening joint approaches to protracted crisis response across both countries.

The appeal, with a total budget of USD 3,366,350, targets crisis-affected populations including refugees, internally displaced people, returnees, and vulnerable host communities across multiple governorates in Iraq and key locations in Jordan, including Amman, Madaba, Al Fuheis and Al Zarka.

Early implementation shows strong progress in operationalising the triple nexus approach, particularly through integrated service delivery and locally led programming. In Iraq, LWF completed all planned activities across WASH, livelihoods, protection, preparedness, advocacy, and community engagement, contributing to both immediate response and longer-term recovery and social cohesion.

WASH interventions included community and school-based water conservation awareness, household-level water valve installations, provision of maintenance spare parts to water authorities, and door-to-door outreach, improving access to services, reducing water losses, and strengthening responsible water use.

• A key output was the completed engineering design of a strategic Water Treatment Plant in Sumel District, providing an implementation-ready solution to strengthen long-term water systems and reduce groundwater dependence.
• Livelihoods support reached women and youth through vocational training, in-kind tools, and small grants, strengthening income generation, business sustainability, and household resilience.
• Protection and peacebuilding interventions included GBV awareness, psychosocial support for 129 youth, youth-led peace initiatives, and conflict resolution and leadership training, strengthening social cohesion and community participation.

In Jordan, MECC contributed to livelihoods and social cohesion through vocational training for young Syrian refugees and Jordanian participants in solar photovoltaic installation and hybrid car maintenance. Classroom learning combined with on-the-job placements at private sector companies improved technical skills, employability, and market readiness, strengthening economic resilience among participants. Further social cohesion activities are planned to reinforce positive relations between refugee and host communities.
Coordination mechanisms under the ACT Jordan Forum were strengthened through consultations on the nexus approach and peacebuilding programming, improving shared understanding and coordination among ACT and non-ACT actors in the country.

Implementation in Iraq and Jordan is progressing at different speeds due to funding disbursement timelines, with CAPNI activities commencing in 2026. The pilot has already demonstrated the value of coordinated, multi-member programming in fragile contexts, showing how integrated, locally led, and multi-sectoral approaches can strengthen resilience, improve coordination across country forums, and support more sustainable recovery pathways in protracted crisis settings. It will also inform how ACT Alliance integrates the Nexus mechanism into the evolution of the Alliance’s humanitarian mechanism. An external evaluation and a position paper are planned for 2026 to support the board in taking the necessary decisions.