May 1, 2026 – Peace and Security
As the Middle East crisis persists, its humanitarian consequences are escalating, with disruptions to aid routes and soaring food and fuel prices devastating the lives and rights of the world’s most vulnerable populations, UN agencies warned on Friday.
Increased insecurity and instability around crucial Gulf shipping lanes, including the Strait of Hormuz, are pushing up the cost of essential goods and delaying the delivery of vital supplies, Carlotta Wolf, spokesperson for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), informed reporters in Geneva.
“Soaring transport, food, and fuel costs disproportionately impact individuals already living in emergency situations, including millions of refugees and displaced persons who are among the most severely affected, while simultaneously diminishing the capacity of aid organizations to provide timely assistance,” she stated.
Aid Supplies Rerouted
UNHCR has had to adapt to the situation by diverting sea cargo and increasingly depending on alternative land corridors, Ms. Wolf explained, which results in longer transport times and incurs additional expenses.
Freight rates from countries supplying relief items have climbed by nearly 18 percent since the crisis began, while the capacity of UNHCR’s global transport providers has fallen from 97 to 77 percent since the start of 2026.
“For certain shipments, costs have more than doubled, such as the transport expenses for relief items from UNHCR’s global stockpiles in Dubai to our operations in Sudan and Chad,” Ms. Wolf noted.
The UNHCR spokesperson voiced particular concern regarding the situation in Africa, a continent grappling with numerous overlapping and “often tragically neglected” displacement crises.
In Kenya, home to one of UNHCR’s global stockpiles, the surge in fuel prices has impacted the availability of trucks for containers of emergency supplies bound for major aid operations in Ethiopia, DR Congo, and South Sudan.
Delayed Delivery
This implies that “people in desperate need are receiving essential items later than required,” Ms. Wolf stated.
She further emphasized that UNHCR’s global operations are only 23 percent funded out of the total required $8.5 billion.
“Every single dollar spent additionally on transportation is a dollar less that we can provide to people forced to flee…The impact on the people we serve is already palpable,” she remarked.
Restrictions on the free passage of fertilizer through the Strait of Hormuz are also pushing up food prices, and inflation is escalating, meaning that individuals already struggling to survive in emergency contexts can afford even fewer basic goods, the UNHCR spokesperson asserted.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Thursday that the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz could plunge tens of millions into poverty, exacerbate global hunger, and have prolonged detrimental effects on the global economy.
Fuel Shortages Suffocate Communities
Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN human rights office (OHCHR), highlighted the devastating and immediate human rights impact of the situation, particularly the scarcity of fuel.
“A small farmer in Africa, Asia, or Latin America cannot operate his machinery on his small plot of land,” which is essential for sustaining his extended family, he explained. Diesel-powered generators are rendered inoperable, school buses cannot run, and children are deprived of an education.
“It invariably impacts the most vulnerable first,” he concluded.
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