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Humanitarian impact of conflicts on older people

A Westminster Hall debate on the humanitarian impact of conflicts on older people will take place from 1.30pm to 3.00pm on Thursday 9 July 2026. The debate was scheduled by the Backbench Business Committee and will be led by Jim Shannon MP (DUP).

Many civilian groups face increased risk of harm during wars. This briefing provides an overview of the rising incidence of armed conflict, UK Government policy, and further reading on the impact of armed conflict on older people.

Rising incidence of armed conflict

Conflict monitors continue to record a high level of armed conflict globally. For 2025, the Peace Research Institute in Oslo recorded 65 state-based conflicts across 35 states, the highest recorded incidence since 1945.

While many conflicts are between states, in many situations non-state armed groups are the primary actors. In 2025, the International Committee of the Red Cross recorded more than 383 armed groups of humanitarian concern globally, with 204 million people living in areas contested or controlled by such groups. Most of the armed groups are in Africa and the Middle East.

Armed conflict is a significant driver of population displacement, disruptor of basic services like education and healthcare, raises food insecurity, weakens economies and undermines state capacity in what are often already-fragile situations. The World Bank estimates, by 2030, that most people living in poverty globally will live in fragile (often conflict-affected) states.  

As noted in the further reading below, there are often data gaps assessing the effects of conflict on older people.

UK Government policy

The government says that it “recognise[s] that people with existing vulnerabilities, including older people, can be disproportionately affected by humanitarian crises” and that all government-funded organisations “are required to demonstrate commitment to equality and inclusion in their work”.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) disability inclusion and rights strategy 2022 to 2030 says that the government “aims to protect the rights of all people at all stages of their lives”:

FCDO takes a life course approach, aiming to protect the rights of all people at all stages of their lives. We will continue to consider the diverse experiences, priorities and requirements of older people, many of whom have disabilities, impacting their autonomy, dignity and social participation. We recognise the critical role of older people and their representative organisations, including older women and widows of all ages who face additional discrimination and abuse.

The FCDO strategy also supports partner adherence to Humanitarian inclusion standards for older people and people with disabilities.

While UK aid is being reduced to 0.3% of gross national income (GNI) by 2027, the government has said that it will prioritise responding to humanitarian crises. The Commons Library briefing on UK aid: Reducing spending to 0.3% of GNI by 2027/28,  has more on UK policy and spending in general. The National Audit Office also published a report on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Responding to sudden-onset humanitarian crises in June 2026.

HelpAge International estimated in a 2024 report that out of gender equality projects analysed, only a very small proportion included specific references to older women.

Armed conflict and older people: Reading and resources

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR), Protecting older people in times of war and displacement, 1 April 2026 (Report documenting the experiences of older people in the Ukraine conflict).

HelpAge International, Funding for older people in humanitarian crises: reversing continued neglect (PDF), 6 October 2025 (Study exposing the global neglect of older people in humanitarian crises).

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR), Older persons in armed conflict and peacebuilding: Note by the Secretary-General, A/80/203, 18 July 2025 (Report identifying the unique challenges faced by older persons in armed conflicts and during occupation, including barriers to access to essential services, discrimination in the humanitarian response and systemic barriers to protection)

Amnesty International, Older persons in armed conflict and peacebuilding: Submission to the independent expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, March 2025 (Report highlighting older persons heightened risks in armed conflict. The report makes recommendations, which include accessible evacuation, targeted aid, inclusive policies, data disaggregation, and a UN convention on older persons’ rights to address systemic gaps and ensure protection).

HelpAge International, Why older people are overlooked in humanitarian aid, 18 February 2025 (Blog by Chris McIvor, Regional Representative for Eurasia and the Middle East, examining the ongoing exclusion of older people in humanitarian crises and the urgent need for more inclusive aid responses.)

International Development Committee (IDC), Age International submission to the IDC inquiry on the FCDO’s approach to displaced people, January 2025 (Written evidence to the IDC ’s inquiry on The FCDO’s approach to displaced people, outlining the specific problems older people are facing in Gaza and challenges they face in conflicts elsewhere).

HelpAge International, Older voices in humanitarian crises: Calling for change (PDF), 9 May 2016 (Report documenting older refugees escaping conflict in Syria, Ukraine and South Sudan, illustrating the failure of the humanitarian system to protect older people’s rights or meet their needs. The report highlights limited progress made to address the neglect of older people and other vulnerable groups).

Amnesty International, Older People’s Rights (Webpage concerned with older people, including sections on armed conflict, humanitarian assistance and a call to create an international convention on the rights of older people). 

Human Rights Watch, No one is spared: Abuses against older people in armed conflict, 23 February 2022 (Research from 2013 to 2021 in fifteen countries that found older people face the same abuses during war and armed conflict as younger people and often face heightened risk because of their old age).