The Humanitarian Coalition
A Canadian coalition of humanitarian organizations that coordinates public appeals and emergency relief for major international disasters.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Humanitarian Coalition, also known in French as La Coalition Humanitaire, is a Canadian nonprofit alliance that brings together major humanitarian and development organizations to coordinate emergency appeals and relief fundraising. Rather than operating as a conventional consumer-facing brand or as a single aid agency, it functions as a shared national platform. Its member organizations retain their own identities, programs, staff, and operational networks, while the coalition provides a common mechanism for mobilizing Canadian public support during major overseas emergencies. The coalition’s membership includes Action Against Hunger, Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Canadian Lutheran World Relief, CARE Canada, Doctors of the World, Humanity & Inclusion, Islamic Relief Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec, Plan International Canada, Save the Children Canada, and World Vision Canada. These organizations cover food security, health, child protection, refugee assistance, disability inclusion, livelihoods, water and sanitation, and other humanitarian priorities. The coalition therefore presents a collective response rather than a single standardized aid product. Since 2010, the coalition has launched or supported Canadian appeals for a wide range of emergencies. The documented response portfolio includes the 2010 Haiti earthquake and Pakistan floods; the 2011 East Africa drought and Japan earthquake; the 2012 Sahel food crisis; the 2014 Ebola outbreak; the 2015 Nepal earthquake and Syrian refugee crisis; the 2017 hunger crisis affecting parts of Africa and Yemen; Cyclone Idai in 2019; the 2020 Beirut explosion; the 2021 Haiti earthquake; and the 2022 Ukraine crisis. Other listed emergencies include Typhoon Rai in the Philippines, Cyclone Eloise in Mozambique, Hurricane Eta in Central America, flooding in Sudan, and forest fires in Bolivia. The coalition states that, since 2005, it has responded to 24 major emergencies and 77 smaller-scale disasters. Its collective appeals have mobilized more than $120 million for emergency needs affecting approximately 27 million people, according to the organization’s reference material. These figures describe cumulative coalition activity and should not be interpreted as annual revenue or as funds belonging to one member agency. Governance is structured around the senior leadership of member organizations. The board is composed of the chief executive officer or executive director of participating agencies, while day-to-day coordination is handled by a secretariat based in Ottawa. The coalition also participates in international cooperation through the Emergency Appeals Alliance, alongside mechanisms such as the United Kingdom’s Disasters Emergency Committee, Germany’s Aktion Deutschland Hilft, and Japan Platform. Its public-facing role is to make emergency response more visible and easier for Canadians to support while allowing participating agencies to deploy through their established field partnerships and capabilities.
History
The Humanitarian Coalition developed as a mechanism for Canadian humanitarian organizations to work together on public emergency appeals. Its model addresses a recurring challenge in disaster response: many organizations may be active in the same crisis, but members of the public can find it difficult to understand which agencies are responding and how to contribute. A shared coalition platform allows participating organizations to communicate a collective humanitarian need while continuing to deliver assistance through their own operational systems. The coalition’s documented emergency work reaches back to 2005, when it began building a cumulative record of responses to major emergencies and smaller disasters. Its activities have included appeals linked to earthquakes, floods, droughts, disease outbreaks, storms, armed-conflict displacement, food insecurity, and other humanitarian crises. The 2010 Haiti earthquake and Pakistan floods were among the emergencies identified in its response history. In 2011, it addressed the East Africa drought and the earthquake in Japan, followed by the Sahel food crisis in 2012. The Ebola outbreak in 2014 and the Nepal earthquake and Syrian refugee crisis in 2015 expanded the range of health, displacement, and emergency-recovery needs represented in its appeals. The coalition continued its work during the hunger crisis affecting parts of Africa and Yemen in 2017, Cyclone Idai in 2019, and the Beirut blast in 2020. It also identified several other emergency responses from this period, including forest fires in Bolivia and flooding in Sudan in 2019, Hurricane Eta in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala in 2020, and Cyclone Eloise in Mozambique and Typhoon Rai in the Philippines in 2021. The 2021 Haiti earthquake and the 2022 Ukraine crisis were later additions to the coalition’s public emergency portfolio. The organization reports that its work since 2005 has covered 24 major emergencies and 77 smaller-scale disasters. It also reports that more than $120 million has been mobilized to address emergency needs affecting 27 million people. These are aggregate impact figures supplied in the organization’s reference material and are not presented here as independently audited financial statements. The coalition is made up of 12 Canadian nongovernmental organizations: Action Against Hunger, Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Canadian Lutheran World Relief, CARE Canada, Doctors of the World, Humanity & Inclusion, Islamic Relief Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec, Plan International Canada, Save the Children Canada, and World Vision Canada. Its board draws on the chief executives or executive directors of member agencies. A secretariat in Ottawa manages day-to-day coordination, public communications, and appeal infrastructure. The coalition also works internationally with the Emergency Appeals Alliance, which includes comparable national appeal mechanisms in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan. Annual and crisis-specific reports are made available through its website in English and French.
- 2022
Ukraine crisis appeal
[1]The coalition launched a Canadian appeal for the humanitarian crisis associated with the war in Ukraine.
- 2015
Nepal earthquake and Syrian refugee crisis appeals
[1]The coalition addressed the Nepal earthquake and the developing Syrian refugee crisis.
- 2014
Ebola outbreak appeal
[1]The coalition mobilized support for humanitarian needs associated with the Ebola outbreak.
- 2011
East Africa drought and Japan earthquake responses
[1]Joint humanitarian appeals addressed drought-related needs in East Africa and earthquake impacts in Japan.
- 2010
Haiti earthquake and Pakistan floods appeals
[1]The coalition’s documented appeal history includes responses to the Haiti earthquake and floods in Pakistan.
- 2005
Beginning of cumulative emergency-response record
[1]The coalition identifies 2005 as the starting point for its cumulative record of responses to major emergencies and smaller disasters.
Products and positioning
A trusted national coordination platform that makes it possible for Canadians to support multiple established humanitarian organizations through unified emergency appeals.
Humanitarian fundraising
Emergency appeals
Joint public appeals launched when a major international disaster creates urgent humanitarian needs. Donations are directed through participating member organizations, which use their own field operations and partner networks to provide assistance.
Emergency-response coordination
Humanitarian response coordination
The coalition provides a shared Canadian framework for communications, fundraising, and coordination among member agencies during emergencies. This complements rather than replaces the specialist capabilities of individual organizations.
Marketing campaigns
- 2022Ukraine crisis appeal
Canada · Ukraine and neighboring affected regions
A coordinated Canadian humanitarian appeal responding to the Ukraine crisis.
- 2021Haiti earthquake appeal
Canada · Haiti
An appeal supporting emergency assistance after the 2021 Haiti earthquake.
- 2020Beirut blast appeal
Canada · Lebanon
A joint appeal for humanitarian support following the Beirut explosion.
- 2019Cyclone Idai appeal
Canada · Southern Africa
A coordinated response to humanitarian needs caused by Cyclone Idai.
- 2015Syrian refugee crisis appeal
Canada · Middle East · Refugee-hosting countries
A multi-year appeal addressing humanitarian needs arising from the Syrian refugee crisis.
Sources2 sources
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