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The ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ has identified four imbalances that are driving crises in Watchlist countries. These imbalances reinforce each other, spark new crises, spread existing crises and undermine efforts to bring crises under control. The result is not only the growth of humanitarian needs globally, but also the concentration of these needs in the world’s most fragile contexts. 

Without urgent action to address the following imbalances, even more people will be pushed into crisis.

• More conflict, less diplomacy: Rising conflicts and diplomatic failures expose a global shift toward force over peace, paralyzing efforts to resolve disputes.
• More attacks on civilians, fewer consequences: Parties to conflict increasingly violate the laws that were created to protect civilian lives, infrastructure and aid workers.
• More carbon emissions, less climate support: Carbon emissions continue to rise and the highest price is being paid by those who have contributed the least to the problem.
• More wealth accumulation, less poverty alleviation: While the world is getting richer, extreme poverty is growing in Watchlist countries, deepening global inequalities.

The 2025 Emergency Watchlist highlights a deepening divide between countries and communities advancing toward the  (SDGs) and those left behind. The global system built for preventing and addressing humanitarian crises is failing those in greatest need.

We must reshape and rebalance diplomatic and development approaches in Watchlist countries to address humanitarian crises. Here are our key recommendations to drive meaningful change:

1. Increase humanitarian aid spending to match deepening global needs.
2. Relieve debt burdens, expand financing and promote economic stability to address crisis drivers and promote shared prosperity.
3. Improve civilian protection by reforming the U.N. Security Council to increase representation, curb veto abuse and empower regional bodies.
4. Ease civilian suffering by protecting humanitarian access, ensuring aid can be safely delivered to those in need.
5. Invest in climate adaptation and resilience to mitigate the impacts of climate shocks.
6. Expand safe pathways and assistance for refugees to strengthen protection and inclusion.

Read more about the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡â€™s recommendations in the 2025 Watchlist.

The report uses a rigorous process that deploys 74 quantitative and qualitative variables, as well as qualitative insights from the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡â€™s experience of working in more than 40 countries around the world to identify which countries to include on the list and where to rank them. 

A detailed description of the analysis conducted can be found here.