View previous stories
	168 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2020 by Mark Lowcock UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs   May 2020   Remarks by UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock: Release of the Updated COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan:   COVID-19 has now affected every country and almost every person on the planet. But the most devastating and destabilizing impacts will be felt in the world's poorest countries.   They face a double whammy. First, the direct health impact, with the first peak of the disease expected in many in the next 3 to 6 months.   Second, the impact of the global recession and the domestic measures taken to contain the virus.   We can right now see incomes plummeting and jobs disappearing, food supplies falling and prices soaring, children missing vaccinations, meals and school.   We must be prepared for a rise in conflict, hunger, poverty and disease as economies contract, export earnings, remittances and tourism disappear, and health systems are put under strain.   Lockdowns and economic recession may mean a hunger pandemic ahead for millions.   In many places the impact of national measures to contain the spread of the virus and the global recession may be larger than the direct impact of the disease.   We must fight the disease, but in the poorest countries it won't be the only battle we face. A coronavirus vaccine is essential, but it will not save a child starving to death.   If we do not act swiftly, we face a reversal of the development gains we have made over several decades.   Based on our analysis, the cost of protecting the most vulnerable 10 percent of people in the world is equivalent to just 1 percent of the global stimulus package the world's richest countries have put in place to save the global economy.   To meet these costs, wealthy countries will need to make significant one-off increases in their foreign aid commitments. And international financial institutions will need to change lending agreements with vulnerable countries.   The alternative is dealing with the spill-over effects over many years to come. That would prove even more painful, and much more expensive. For everyone.   This cannot be business as usual. Extraordinary measures are needed, reflecting the extraordinary problem we face.   The humanitarian system is collaborating in a concerted effort to respond to the humanitarian impacts of the virus on the world's poorest and most vulnerable people.   On 25 March we published the COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan. This is the international community's primary fundraising vehicle to fight the virus in the most vulnerable low and middle income countries. It brings together appeals from across the UN system. Nongovernmental organizations and NGO consortiums are key partners in delivering it. They have been instrumental in helping shape the plan and they will be funded through it.   Humanitarian needs continue to rise. Today's updated Plan has been costed at $6.7 billion for the remainder of 2020. It includes nine additional vulnerable countries, beyond the fifty-four covered in the 25 March version. More countries are on a watch list for possible future inclusion.   Today's update includes a lot more programs to tackle the growth in food insecurity. It outlines measures to address the needs of the most vulnerable, including women and girls, children, the elderly, and people living with disabilities.   Since the last GHRP, we have stepped up our efforts to prevent and address gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, and to offer support for mental health. Despite operational challenges, our UN and NGO partners on the ground are ready to fully implement this updated plan.   Donors provided more than $1 billion so far. That generosity has already helped us achieve results. But it's clear that much more is needed.   Some people may be sceptical that additional resources can be generated in the current circumstances. That is not our experience. After the financial crisis of 2008-09 fund raising for UN coordinated humanitarian appeals increased by more than 40% by 2010. A result of human generosity and empathy but also a calculation of national interest in the donor countries.   I urge donors to act with empathy and self-interest today. As the Secretary-General has said, this pandemic threatens the whole of humanity. The whole of humanity must respond.   * Updated COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan: http://bit.ly/3dsBUrS   http://reliefweb.int/report/world/updated-covid-19-global-humanitarian-response-plan http://news.un.org/en/story/2020/05/1063442 http://interagencystandingcommittee.org/inter-agency-standing-committee/un-issues-67-billion-appeal-protect-millions-lives-and-stem-spread http://interagencystandingcommittee.org/covid-19-outbreak-readiness-and-response   Dec. 2019   The Global Humanitarian Overview 2020. (OCHA)   A record 168 million people worldwide will need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2020. Protracted conflicts, extreme weather events and crumbling economies have pushed millions to the brink of survival.   The United Nations in collaboration with hundreds of non-governmental humanitarian organizations today present the global overview of their plans to assist 109 million of the most vulnerable people caught up in humanitarian crises worldwide.   One in every 45 people on the planet are in need of food, shelter, health care, emergency education, protection or other basic assistance. The global humanitarian community stands ready to help and counts on the international community's continued generosity to help them save more lives and alleviate human suffering in crises spanning 53 countries from Afghanistan to Zambia.   "Every day, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners deliver lifesaving aid to millions of people worldwide," Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a message to donors. "I urge you to help us meet the humanitarian challenges that lie ahead in 2020".   Comparable figures show that the number of people in need globally has increased by some 22 million over the past year. The main drivers of need are protracted and highly violent conflicts, extreme weather events associated with climate change and under-performing economies.   The plans set out in the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO 2020) aim to reach 109 million vulnerable people with aid and protection. The combined requirements are nearly US$29 billion.   "The brutal truth is 2020 will be difficult for millions of people. The good news is that the humanitarian response is getting better and faster in reaching the most vulnerable, including women, children and people with disabilities," Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock said, launching the Global Humanitarian Overview in Geneva.   "In humanitarian crises, I continue to be amazed by people's determination to rebuild their lives, and encouraged by their hope for a better future.   "Today we have laid out a plan to help those who need it most. But it will only work if everyone continues to play their part. Climate change, conflict and economic instability are devastating millions of lives. Together we must stand up, face facts, and fight back."   International donors have provided funds to the inter-agency appeals, but the needs continue to outstrip the funding.   In 2019, more people than forecasted needed humanitarian assistance, mostly because of conflicts and natural disasters.   Donors generously provided a $16 billion for inter-agency appeals between January and November 2019. Aid groups reached 64 per cent of the people targeted to receive aid through Humanitarian Response Plans in 22 of the countries for which data were available.   Recent trends and challenges   In 2019, many more people needed humanitarian assistance than we had forecast, largely because of conflicts and extreme climate events. Donors provided a record $16 billion for inter-agency appeals between January and November 2019.   Compliance with international law is declining. Armed conflicts are killing and maiming a record number of children, forcing them to flee their homes. They are becoming a lost generation. Women and girls are at higher risk of sexual and gender-based violence. One in five people living in conflict areas has a mental health condition.   Highly violent conflicts are causing widespread hunger, displacement, death and destruction around the world. They are taking a heavy toll on civilians, who account for 90 per cent of the casualties when explosive weapons are used in populated areas.   There were 791 attacks against health workers and health-care facilities in the first nine months of 2019, resulting in at least 171 deaths. In 2018, 131 aid workers were killed and 130 were kidnapped in 400 attacks. Attacks against health and aid workers are putting millions of people at risk by denying them care and aid.   Emerging trends and risks   Climate change is increasing people's vulnerability to humanitarian crises. The world's eight worst food crises are all linked to both conflict and climate shocks.   Infectious diseases are becoming more prevalent and harder to control, because of conflict, weak health systems, poor water and sanitation, and lack of access to vaccinations.   In 2019, 33 low-income countries were in, or at risk of, debt distress. Of these, 12 countries with humanitarian appeals are home to 40 per cent of the people in need of humanitarian assistance. A global economic slowdown could further increase vulnerability in countries already experiencing economic stress and debt problems.   Humanitarian needs and requirements   In 2020, nearly 168 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection. This represents one in about 45 people in the world, and is the highest figure in decades. The United Nations and partner organizations aim to assist nearly 109 million of the most vulnerable people. This will require funding of $28.8 billion.   The situation will keep getting worse unless climate change and the root causes of conflict are better addressed. On current trends, projections show that more than 200 million people could be in need of assistance by 2022.   The humanitarian system is more effective better prioritized, more innovative and more inclusive than ever. In the first nine months of 2019, humanitarian organizations reached 64 per cent of people targeted to receive aid through Humanitarian Response Plans (HRPs).   Globally, at the start of 2019 some 821 million people were undernourished, including 113 million who suffered from acute hunger. Conflict is the key driver of hunger. By the beginning of 2019, armed conflicts and persecution had driven a record number of nearly 71 million people from their homes.   Regional and country overview   Yemen is the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and the number of people in need is expected to remain close to 2019 levels of 24 million, almost 80 per cent of the population. The humanitarian response in Yemen is also the world's largest, despite huge challenges.   The conflict in Syria continues to drive the world's largest refugee crisis, with 5.6 million refugees in the region. In addition, more than 6 million Syrians are internally displaced.   Humanitarian needs will also remain exceptionally high in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and South Sudan.   In Sudan, a deepening economic crisis has significantly increased food insecurity and weakened essential services, including health, water and education. The new civilian authorities need more international support.   In the Sahel, displacement has dramatically increased, and hunger has reached critical levels. In the Lake Chad Basin, the humanitarian crisis shows no signs of abating as it enters its seventh year.   The needs have also grown significantly in several other countries, including Afghanistan, where almost one quarter of the population is likely to need humanitarian assistance following years of violent conflict, as well as severe drought.   In Venezuela, a deepening economic crisis has led to a severe reduction in the income of many households and a sharp deterioration in water, power and health services, prompting many to leave.   A deepening political and socioeconomic crisis has also significantly increased needs in Haiti, with 4.2 million people expected to be food insecure by March 2020.   Note to Editors:   The Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) 2020 launched on 4 December 2019 is an authoritative and evidence-based assessment of world humanitarian needs.   The Global Humanitarian Overview 2020 is based on Humanitarian Response Plans in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, occupied Palestinian territories, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen.   Other types of inter-agency plans are included for Bangladesh, DPR Korea and Venezuela/Regional. The GHO also includes Regional Refugee Response Plans for Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan and Syria.   http://unocha.org/GHO2020 http://www.unocha.org/global-humanitarian-overview-2020 http://hum-insight.info/ http://news.un.org/en/story/2019/12/1052731   # Note: Total world military expenditure rose to US$1822 billion in 2018, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).   Dec. 2019   The UN's relief coordinator, Mark Lowcock, believes next year could be worse than a 'terrible' 2019, when conflict, the climate emergency and economic desperation left over 150 million vulnerable people in need of humanitarian assistance.   Extreme storms, drought and other disasters driven by the climate crisis hit the world's poorest 'first and worst', Lowcock told the Guardian, with women, girls and those with disabilities the most badly affected.   In an end of year interview in which Lowcock examined the challenges that lie ahead, he said Syria, southern Africa and Venezuela were on his worry list.   It's been a terrible year. A year ago, I made a series of assessments which turned out to be wrong. I forecast 145 million people who need humanitarian assistance. It turned out to be 165 million, said the UN under-secretary general and emergency relief coordinator.   Lowcock said much of his work this year has been related to the climate emergency. He travelled to Malawi and Zimbabwe, a week before Cyclone Idai hit neighbouring Mozambique. Ironically I was there because of the drought, he said.   The agency is now dealing with floods in South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. The UN has warned climate disasters are happened at a rate of one per week.   The people who are getting hit first and worst are the most vulnerable, said Lowcock. It's much more devastating in poorer countries. And it's always among the most vulnerable groups. Women and girls and people with disabilities in every crisis we deal with are the most vulnerable and are often forgotten.   Every year we manage to reach 100 million people with humanitarian assistance, we certainly save millions of lives. Without what these brilliant humanitarian agencies do, things could be a lot worse.   http://www.unocha.org/global-humanitarian-overview-2020 http://hum-insight.info/   June 2019   Currently 143 million people need life-saving humanitarian assistance   In the last year, I have travelled to many countries in crisis to see for myself the humanitarian conditions on the ground and to help identify priorities as we move forward. From Bangladesh to Chad, from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Zimbabwe, from Syria to Yemen, from Afghanistan to Indonesia, I've seen incredible strength and resilience in the face of, at times, unimaginable levels of suffering.   Currently 143 million people need life-saving humanitarian assistance. Most of them are women and girls. Many of them are disabled people.   Conflict, violence and persecution, compounded by climate change, mounting pressures on natural resources, institutional fragility and endemic poverty, continue to drive this suffering. The results are growing food insecurity and mass displacement.   Much of the suffering is also caused by violations of international humanitarian law, with widespread, indiscriminate killing and routine - even deliberate - destruction of civilian infrastructure like hospitals and schools.   We are also seeing tactics of siege, starve and surrender reemerge, driving up acute hunger.   Rape and other forms of sexual violence are being used as deliberate tactics of war. And aid workers are killed, kidnapped, harassed and intimidated.   According to Humanitarian Outcomes, 2018 was the second worst year on record for aid worker security, with 126 aid workers killed, 143 wounded, and 130 kidnapped.   As of the most recent count, war, violence and persecution have uprooted over 70 million people - an increase of 66 per cent - two thirds - over the past decade.   Most of those people are displaced within their own countries, ripped apart from their local areas and their sources of livelihoods.   At the same time, climate change is causing more frequent and prolonged extreme weather events.   Prolonged and repeated droughts are devastating farmers and herders in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel. In the Horn of Africa for example, the chances of drought have now increased from once every seven years to once every two and a half years. While in the Sahel, per capita water availability has dropped by over 40 per cent in the past 20 years.   Storms and flooding are becoming more intense. Cyclone Idai that hit southern Africa in March was the strongest cyclone ever to hit the southern hemisphere.   Last year natural disasters displaced 17 million people within their own borders, and affected a total of 68 million, while causing over $130 billion in economic damage.   Since the World Food Programme and the Food and Agricultural Organization sounded the alarm on rising levels of hunger due to conflict two years ago, food insecurity levels have remained exceptionally high.   143 million people are on the verge of crisis-level food insecurity. Sixty per cent of the more than 820 million hungry people in the world live in conflict-affected countries.   The breakdown of health systems in fragile settings, combined with more urbanized populations and other factors are making it harder to contain disease outbreaks and epidemics.   The current Ebola crisis in the DRC has infected more than 2,000 people, with over 1,500 confirmed deaths, and it comes just a few years after the world's worst ever Ebola outbreak in West Africa.   While we rightly focus on the challenges of meeting the needs of those left behind, let us also note some of our achievements.   The humanitarian system through UN supported efforts, reached 100 million people in the last year and is unquestionably saving millions of lives.   In the last year, through UN coordinated assistance programmes, we targeted 98 million people with humanitarian assistance and protection, and we raised a record $15 billion to support our appeals. We helped 7 million children access education, despite being caught up in prolonged emergency situations.   Every month we are reaching millions people caught up in the world's worst humanitarian crisis in Yemen, including providing food and food assistance to 8 million. We are reaching 2 million Somalis helping to stave off another threatened famine and acute severe food insecurity.   None of this work would be possible without the tens of thousands of aid workers who risk their own lives to protect the lives of other people.   I am constantly inspired by the expertise, dedication and human spirit of the many humanitarian workers I continue to meet wherever I travel around the world.   This year we are marking some important milestones. First, we see the 70th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 20th anniversary of the Security Council's Protection of Civilians agenda.   We need to use these opportunities to reaffirm our commitments to uphold international humanitarian law (IHL) and protect civilians in armed conflict.   The laws of war - including the 1949 Geneva Conventions - are cornerstones of the rules-based order. And they are just as relevant today as they were when they were adopted 70 years ago.   The challenge we have right now is not with the content of the law, but with compliance with the law. We need to focus our energies on changing the ways belligerents behave in conflict, including by engaging constructively with non-State armed groups.   States and parties to armed conflict must incorporate and implement IHL norms into domestic law, national policy frameworks, standard operating procedures and rules of engagement.   We also need stronger national and international accountability mechanisms to ensure that perpetrators of violations of humanitarian law, including of sexual-based violence crimes are held accountable. We need to see an end to impunity.   The Secretary-General's call for climate action must be heeded to turn the tide on climate change, which continues to drive mounting humanitarian need.   A few months ago, we witnessed the devastating impact of Cyclones Idai and Kenneth on Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. In addition to expanding anticipatory action, we also need to address the root causes of climate change and vulnerability to it and take action to reduce global emissions.   http://www.unocha.org/media-centre/news-updates http://unocha.exposure.co/ http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/ http://reliefweb.int/ http://insight.wfp.org/ http://www.unicef.org/appeals/ Visit the related web page
	One-in-three women, experience physical, sexual abuse by UN Women, agencies   Violence against women and girls is among the most widespread, and devastating human rights violations in the world, but much of it is often unreported due to impunity, shame and gender inequality, the UN highlighted ahead of the World Day to stamp out abuse of women and girls.   Here is the grim reality, in numbers: A third of all women and girls experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, half of women killed worldwide were killed by their partners or family, and violence perpetrated against women is as common a cause of death and incapacity for those of reproductive age, as cancer, and a greater cause of ill health than road accidents and malaria combined.   The prevalence of the issue, 'means someone around you. A family member, a co-worker, a friend, or even yourself has experienced this type of abuse', Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his message to mark the Day.   'Sexual violence against women and girls is rooted in centuries of male domination', he added, reminding the world that stigma, misconceptions, under-reporting and poor enforcement of laws perpetuate impunity in rape cases. 'All of this must change now', the UN chief urged.   To spotlight the scale of the problem, on this year's International Day of the Elimination of Violence against Women, the United Nations is sharing the many ways in which the scourge manifests itself in physical, sexual and psychological forms, and the organisation is underscoring the life-altering, adverse consequences women suffer as a result.   Intimate partner violence (battering, psychological abuse, marital rape, femicide); sexual violence and harassment (rape, forced sexual acts, unwanted sexual advances, child sexual abuse, forced marriage, street harassment, stalking, cyber- harassment); human trafficking (slavery, sexual exploitation); female genital mutilation; child marriage.   The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women, issued by the UN General Assembly in 1993, defines violence against women as 'any act of gender-based violence that results in, or including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life', the UN highlighted on the Day.   UN Women's Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, expressed her concerns when it comes to rape specifically.   She said the end of the horrendous act would mean eliminating a 'significant weapon of war from the arsenal of conflict', the absence of a daily risk assessment for girls and women who actively work to avoid an incident that could leave them scarred.   'Rape isn't an isolated brief act. It damages flesh and reverberates in memory. It can have life changing, unchosen results - a pregnancy or a transmitted disease', Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka stressed, adding that consequences of a one-time act can sprawl into damaging long-term effects.   'It's long-lasting, devastating effects reach others: family, friends, partners and colleagues', she continued.   In addition, research by the World Health Organization (WHO), details disturbing impacts of violence on women's physical, sexual, reproductive and mental health:   Women who experience physical or sexual abuse are twice as likely to have an abortion, and the experience nearly doubles their likelihood of falling into depression. In some regions, they are 1.5 times more likely to acquire HIV, and evidence exists that sexually assaulted women are 2.3 times more likely to have alcohol disorders.   Some national studies examining incidents in the United States show that up to 70 per cent of women have experienced physical and or sexual violence from an intimate partner, according to UN Women.   The agency cited that nearly a quarter of female college students reported having experienced sexual assault or misconduct in the US, but harm targeting women and girls knows no bounds.   Multi-country investigations by WHO show partner violence to be a reality for 65 per cent of women in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and around 40 per cent of women in South Asia, as well as Andean parts of Latin America.   Meanwhile, even in regions where incidents are less likely, as in East Asia and Western Europe, more than 16 per cent and 19 per cent of women have experienced intimate partner violence, respectively.   Psychological violence is another layer to the problem, with some 82 per cent of women parliamentarians in a recent study, reporting having experienced remarks, gestures, threats, or sexist comments while serving - most often via social media.   While gender-based violence can happen to anyone, women who identify with the LGBTI community, migrants and refugees, indigenous minorities, and those living through humanitarian crises, are particularly vulnerable to gender-based harm.   'Almost universally, most perpetrators of rape go unreported or unpunished', Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka explained. 'For women to report in the first place requires a great deal of resilience to re-live the attack. In many countries, women know that they are overwhelmingly more likely to be blamed than believed'.   Attacks targeting women continue to be an obstacle to achieving equality, and impede the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to leave no one behind.   Criminalizing the offense, placing women in positions of power, and strengthening the capacity of law enforcement, are some steps to increase accountability in incidents of sexual assault.   The effects of such violations suppress voices and traumatize, at 'an intolerable cost to society', said Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka. 'No further generations must struggle to cope with a legacy of violation'.   http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/end-violence-against-women Visit the related web page
	View more stories