A year of responding to crises in images

In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic continued unabated around the world, as did the work our teams undertook to respond to it. But the pandemic took a backseat in many countries, as other crises and needs overtook the concerns of the people we assist.

Our teams responded to crises of conflict and displacement. We cared for people with malnutrition and malaria. We supported people who were subjected to sexual violence and rescued those who were in danger crossing the Mediterranean Sea. We saw evidence and the consequences of the climate emergency.

This collection of 55 images, taken between November 2020 and December 2021, was chosen from among an estimated 8,000, from among the around 75 countries we work in. In these images, staff and professional photographers from around the world have captured just some of the stories of people and patients, and our work with them, bearing witness to an essential humanitarian need – access to medical care.