High-Level Humanitarian Donors Briefing Note: The State of Protection in 2025

This briefing note informs the Global Protection Cluster (GPC) Annual Donor Meeting on 09 December 2025, offering a timely opportunity to reflect on emerging protection trends. It summarises the main developments observed in 2025, providing a shared analysis of the most severe protection risks facing communities across Protection Cluster operations. The note aims to support donors and Member States in aligning political, financial and operational support with realities on the ground. This year’s context is shaped by two major shifts: the deepening of protection risks in large-scale conflicts and protracted crises – from Gaza, Sudan and eastern DRC to Myanmar, Ukraine and multiple contexts across the Sahel and the Americas – and the restructuring of the humanitarian system under the Humanitarian Reset, which prioritises life-saving outcomes and simplified coordination amid significant funding cuts.