Berlin, 27 August 2025. In its Transparency Report 2025, published today in both a German and an English edition, the civil search and rescue organisation SOS Humanity provides an overview of the past year’s activities, achievements and challenges.  

Across 20 pages, the report presents concise information about the organisation’s work on land and at sea, featuring figures, facts, interviews and quotes, as well as charts and photographs. It provides insights into the financial situation and challenges of the 2025 financial year; the income and expenditure of the organisation, which is primarily funded by donations, are depicted in detail. 

Nina Geisler, co-managing director of SOS Humanity since July 2025, explains with regard to the financial difficulties of the past year: “In the spring of 2025, the federal government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz completely cancelled state funding for civil search and rescue operations. The fact that saving human lives is no longer considered worthy of funding sends a disastrous message. Ultimately, it is entirely thanks to civil society and our dedicated funding partners that we were still able to carry out every planned mission with our rescue ship Humanity 1 in 2025. Civil society has not let us down. Nevertheless, funding remains our greatest challenge. But we will carry on as long as people’s lives are at risk in the Mediterranean.” 

The transparency report summarises the key events of 2025: in seven missions, SOS Humanity has rescued 1,156 people from distress at sea – the organisation brought their stories of flight, violence and hope to life in the report “Borders of (In)humanity”. To mark its tenth anniversary, SOS Humanity presented new facts and figures on a decade of search and rescue operations at a press conference in early May; at the anniversary reading Tatort Mittelmeer at the sold-out Deutsches Theater Berlin, founder Klaus Vogel’s speech received a standing ovation. In autumn, the purchase and refurbishment of the new sailing ship Humanity 2 – which has been operating flexibly in the Central Mediterranean since 21 August 2026 – expanded our rescue capacity with a second vessel. In court, Italy’s appeal against the 2024 ruling overturning the detention of the Humanity 1 was dismissed – an important message. Finally, SOS Humanity, together with 12 other organisations, founded the Justice Fleet alliance in order to present a united front, both legally and politically. 

You can find the details in the SOS Humanity Transparency Report 2025, now available as the complete online report. 

Download Transparency Report 2025