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	UNICEF appeals for support for the world’s most vulnerable children by Rima Salah, Unicef Deputy Executive Director   UNICEF has appealed for US$1.28 billion to fund its humanitarian operations in 2012, assisting children in more than 25 countries globally. The list of countries includes many long standing or so-called “silent” emergencies, but the crisis in Somalia and in other countries in the Horn of Africa accounts for nearly one-third of the total amount.   “While much of the world’s attention focuses on the humanitarian needs in the Horn of Africa, we must not forget those in the many long-standing emergencies around the globe, the silent emergencies,” said Rima Salah, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, at the launch of UNICEF’s 2012 Humanitarian Action for Children report in Geneva today. The report is accessible via the link below.   “In the Sahel, we are facing a nutrition crisis of a larger magnitude than usual. In addition, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad and the Central African Republic, to name just a few, are all emergencies requiring funding if their most vulnerable people, children and women, are to survive,” she added.   The UNICEF report describes the daily situation of some of the world’s most vulnerable children and women caught up in emergencies across the world and the funding required to meet their immediate and long-term needs, their right to healthy survival and development.   It highlights the massive humanitarian operation in the Horn of Africa where UNICEF activated its highest level of emergency response to run an operation to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of children and women on the brink of survival in that region.   It also notes the needs of children and their families displaced by violence stemming from the November 2010 elections in Cote d’Ivoire and the independence of South Sudan from the Republic of the Sudan; the five million people affected by a second year of flooding in Pakistan and the operation to rebuild Haiti two years after an earthquake shattered the poorest country in the western hemisphere.   The report cites the wave of political turmoil and change in the Middle East and North Africa as creating humanitarian needs in the region especially in countries such as Yemen which is already affected by a long standing emergency crisis.   On long-term emergencies, the UNICEF reports says: “Throughout the world, millions of children are living amidst crises that persist for years. While some of these emergencies attract significant media and political attention, others never reach international awareness, and many become ‘silent emergencies’ in which deep humanitarian need, existing far from the public eye, is too easily and quickly overlooked.”   The report stresses the importance of emergency preparedness and building resilience as critical in reducing death and injury in emergency situations.   The conflict in the East and Northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to have a profound impact on millions of people over many years, according to the report.   As of June 2011, more than 1.5 million people, half of them children, were displaced by ethnic violence. Millions of children in conflict-affected areas were out of school, and attacks involving mass sexual violence were common in some provinces, and measles and cholera epidemics threatened the lives of many millions of children.   In Haiti, UNICEF and its partners continue to assist survivors of the 2010 quake and take steps to increase the resilience of the most vulnerable Haitians. In 2011, UNICEF helped reunite 2,500 separated children with their families and established 193 temporary schools to serve nearly 86,000 children.   “We have achieved many positive results in emergency settings in 2011 but the urgent and long term needs of millions of children and their families will continue in 2012. UNICEF requires adequate funding in order to fulfill its commitments towards children.” Salah said. “They not only represent the future but are the most vulnerable, and deserve generous and consistent support from the donor community.” Visit the related web page
	When Hunger Strikes by Reliefweb, Muslim Aid & agencies   There are many parts of the world suffering from malnutrition and hunger that adversely affect mental and physical growth of the affected individuals. Many a times, these effects are irreversible. Apart from being an unacceptable phenomenon morally, hunger also acts as an obstruction to the economic and social growth of the poorest nations. Recent food crises and economic downturns have further deteriorated the situation especially in areas like the Horn of Africa and Sahel.   Economists attribute the growing food insecurities to factors such as decline in food stocks, population growth, volatile prices of energy and food, recent climate changes and link between current financial markets and the future of agriculture. These factors have both short and long term consequences that can push certain economies deeper into poverty.   The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development defines poverty as a state which “encompasses different aspects of deprivation that relate to human capabilities including consumption and food security, health, education, rights, voice, security, dignity and decent work”. But poverty can’t be seen merely as an effect of hunger. Both phenomena are part of a bigger vicious circle. Poverty is one of the primary causes of hunger. It can be caused by malnutrition that affects the physical and mental capacities of people, lowering their economic productivity and outcome. Malnutrition is one of the results of extreme hunger. Thus, there runs a cycle of cause and effect that impacts the human capital as a whole.   The development and growth of the most vulnerable of communities will seem an unachievable target until issues of hunger and malnutrition are not catered to. In this context, development essentially means combating food insecurities in order to fight poverty. Most of the international NGOs and charities work towards the common goal of alleviating poverty and responding to food security issues forms an integral part of their action plan. Providing food assistance to the poor and vulnerable can be undertaken both as a short term as well as a long term response.   The short term responses cater mainly to countries which are currently facing a crisis or are in a post crisis situation. Such scenarios require immediate and effective mobilisation of resources for improving the nutrition levels of affected people, restoring their livelihoods, at least at the basic level, and re-establishing a zone of food security. Various tools are employed by international humanitarian agencies for ensuring these goals, including monitoring of nutrition levels, screening, treatment, restoring access to resources and services for livestock rearing and agriculture and providing supplies and cash vouchers for food to the affected populations. Muslim Aid, for instance, distributed over 80,650 food packets to the Tsunami affected regions of Sri Lanka to help restore food security.   As a long term response, the international community has realised the importance of agriculture for tackling food insecurity and thereby, poverty. Thus, humanitarian projects to revive and promote agriculture are essential in the current global situation. Also, concentration should be more on food production for local needs rather than export in the developing countries. Social transfer also provides direct support for the vulnerable communities by allowing a better management of unprecedented shocks through provision of regular contributions or services by NGOs or the government to individuals and households. Unlike acute interventions during emergencies, these transfers, via food, voucher or money distribution, can be scheduled enabling households to keep their livelihoods intact during difficult situations like flood or drought. This will ultimately accelerate the rehabilitation process if a crisis or disaster strikes.   Malnutrition or under-nutrition also needs to be addressed in order to break the vicious circle. Specific attention needs to be paid to women and young children who usually fall victims to malnutrition first. It is also vital for international NGOs, like Muslim Aid, to address the other aspects that cause malnutrition, such as access to drinking water, healthcare, hygiene, access to education and better livelihood opportunities etc. Therefore, the impetus falls on the international humanitarian institutions to devise plans and projects that cater to the problem of food insecurity and malnutrition for breaking the cycle that is affecting various international communities and taking a heavy toll on the individuals and the economy at large.   * A recent IRIN feature explores efforts to make aid and charity more effective in the Muslim world see: http://www.irinnews.org/Report/95564/Analysis-A-faith-based-aid-revolution-in-the-Muslim-world Visit the related web page
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