In each of the over 75 countries where Doctors Without Borders (MSF) delivered medical assistance in 2024, we saw people acting in solidarity for the principles of dignity and humanity. An operating theatre in Democratic Republic of Congo, a communal nutrition education session in Nigeria, and a demonstration demanding a pharmaceutical corporation in South Africa lowers its drug prices only work when people come together.
We are grateful to the people who came together in 2024 so that we could serve communities around the world.
In July, we finished the largest ever consultation process within MSF to understand how we should evolve as a movement. This consultation drew on the expertise of our network of humanitarians to decide key priorities, such as enhancing our patient-centred approach to care and improving our internal collaboration, for the coming years. The work has already begun to turn this meaningful exchange into meaningful action, so we can become the MSF we want and need to be for the communities we serve.
The dedication of our staff, the trust of our patients, and the support of our private donors mean that MSF provides relief to whomever needs it.Dr Christos Christou, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) International President
Separated by thousands of kilometres, our teams working amid conflict in Sudan and Palestine saw grave violations of international humanitarian law (IHL). In both conflicts, people were confronted with unrelenting onslaught; children were starved through blockades, bombs were dropped on civilian populated areas, and bullets were fired into hospitals. Instead of using IHL as a framework to limit their barbarity in war, we saw indifference and apathy from conflict parties and their backers to these treaties in many conflicts around the world.
Our principles call upon us to face extraordinary challenges. One such growing threat is antimicrobial resistance; as microbes adapt to ensure their own survival, we are now faced with a growing rate of drug-resistant infections globally. Taking antimicrobial resistance as the serious risk that it is – one that could make simple cuts and once treatable diseases deadly – we expanded our antimicrobial stewardship programmes in 2024. In Chad, Eswatini, Iran, and Syria, we began training medical staff on the use of antibiotics and infection prevention and control measures. By the end of the year, we were running antimicrobial resistance stewardship programmes across 42 countries.
MSF works in an ecosystem of humanitarian organisations, all with the common goal of assisting people in need. And we were heartened to see a unified humanitarian response opposing Israel’s attempts to dismantle and impede the work of UNRWA, the largest distributor of aid and provider of healthcare in Gaza. As the humanitarian community as a whole is increasingly prevented from delivering aid impartially and in line with fundamental humanitarian principles, we need to continually confront governments with their commitments to IHL, pressuring them to support the humanitarian community in bringing a lifeline to Gazans.
The dedication of our staff, the trust of our patients, and the support of our private donors mean that MSF provides relief to whomever needs it. We can participate in the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza that made international headlines, as well as vaccinate children against measles more quietly in Somalia and Afghanistan. These concurrent actions are made possible because of the millions of people who donate to MSF. Together, we hold a belief that children deserve to be safe from preventable diseases, and together, we act on this belief.
As we face this critical moment for humanitarianism, when global solidarity is waning, as seen in widespread funding cuts to other organisations, we want to share with you our deep appreciation for remaining committed to humanitarianism with us. Behind every IV placed in a cholera ward, each mosquito net distributed to displaced families, and every pill dispensed to treat tuberculosis, is a movement of people, supported by millions, and acting together in solidarity for our shared principles.
