Reference · built on requestCommons signalHazards & public safety

ReliefWeb API

Humanitarian reports, disaster records, and updates from UN OCHA's ReliefWeb, through the v2 JSON API with a pre-approved appname.

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About

ReliefWeb is the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' service for humanitarian information, curated from more than 4,000 sources since 1996. Its read-only API at api.reliefweb.int/v2 returns JSON for nine content types: reports, disasters, countries, jobs, training, sources, blog, book, and references. Disasters group reports by event and carry a name, GLIDE number, status, type, and countries, with event, created, and changed dates. Reports carry title, body, source, country, disaster, disaster_type, theme, format, language, and files. Requests use GET with query parameters or POST with a JSON body, and every call needs an appname that ReliefWeb has pre-approved.

Through Fibric, an operator reads the disasters and reports for your operating and supplier countries and proposes briefings, chases, and watches for your approval.

This is a reference listing. It documents what Fibric would read from ReliefWeb API and what it could propose, based on the publisher's published interfaces. Fibric builds it under a managed deployment when you request it; selecting it here installs nothing.

Inputs

  • Disasters from /v2/disasters with id, name, glide, status, type, country, primary_country, description, date.event, date.created, and date.changed
  • Reports from /v2/reports with title, body, source, country, primary_country, disaster, disaster_type, theme, format, language, file, origin, and date.original
  • Countries from /v2/countries, sources from /v2/sources, and taxonomy terms from /v2/references
  • Jobs from /v2/jobs and training from /v2/training, classified by type, category, location, and requirements
  • Full-text query with value, fields, and operator; filter with field, value, operator, negate, and conditions; facets by field
  • Field selection with fields include and exclude, presets analysis, latest, and minimal, profiles minimal, full, and list, and sort as field:order
  • An OpenAPI document at api.reliefweb.int/v2/swagger/api, and a search converter that turns a reliefweb.int listing URL into the matching API call

Proposed actions

Read-only. This feed informs operators; it changes nothing.

Proposed actions are target capabilities. Every action runs propose-first and needs a validated deployment and the appropriate permissions.

What you can build

  • Brief the morning on overnight disasters

    Each morning the operator lists disasters created or changed since the last run for your operating countries, with status, type, and GLIDE number, and proposes a short section for the brief.

    With Morning Brief

  • Chase suppliers in a declared disaster

    When a disaster record names a supplier's country and the type is flood, storm, or earthquake, the operator lists open purchase orders from there and proposes a chase with the latest reports attached.

    With PO Chase, Lead-Time Drift

  • Attach context to an exception

    For each exception tied to a country with an ongoing disaster, the operator adds the disaster name and the most recent reports so the digest carries the cause.

    With Exception Digest

  • Watch vendors in affected countries

    The operator maps vendor locations to ReliefWeb country terms and proposes an outage watch whenever a new disaster record appears for one of them.

    With Vendor Outage

Requirements

  • A pre-approved appname, built from your organisation name, purpose, and random characters, requested from ReliefWeb before first use
  • The country and disaster_type terms you follow, taken from /v2/references so filters match ReliefWeb's taxonomy
  • A polling plan inside the quotas: at most 1000 entries per call and 1000 calls per day
  • POST with a JSON body for complex queries, since long GET URLs can exceed browser limits
Authentication
No key, but a pre-approved appname parameter is required on every call since 1 November 2025; you request one through ReliefWeb's contact form.

Limits

  • 1000 entries per call and 1000 calls per day; ReliefWeb reviews exceptions case by case
  • The API is read-only; the Publishing API is in testing and needs an API key for listed organisations
  • Report, job, and training content may be copyrighted by the original source, whose rights you must respect
  • ReliefWeb does not guarantee the accuracy of its data and is not responsible for damages from use of the API

Access and pricing

Reference listing. Public feed access is separate from Fibric integration. If you request this feed, your quote covers the build, usage, and support.

Request ReliefWeb API ↗

Questions and answers

Do I need a key to use the ReliefWeb API?
Not a key, but an appname. Since 1 November 2025 every call needs a pre-approved appname, a combination of your organisation name, purpose, and random characters, requested through ReliefWeb's contact form. There are no fees.
What are the quotas?
At most 1000 entries per call and at most 1000 calls per day. ReliefWeb says these should not interfere with most applications and will review cases where they cause significant problems. The limit parameter defaults to 10 and must be between 0 and 1000.
How current and how far back is the data?
Updated in real time, every time content is added to ReliefWeb. Reports run continuously from 1996, with UN reports on major disasters from the 1980s. Jobs and training data are available from 2011 onwards.
Ask about ReliefWeb API

Ask about the capabilities and requirements in this listing.

For project-specific requirements, contact Fibric.

This Commons signal listing is developed, published, and supported by Fibric. It reads public data published by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, ReliefWeb (api.reliefweb.int). Upstream agencies and projects are the property of their respective owners, who are not affiliated with Fibric and do not sponsor or endorse this listing. Trademark policy