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	120 million people forcibly displaced in 2024 by UN Refugee Agency, IDMC, agencies   June 2024   Forced displacement surged to historic new levels across the globe last year and this, according to the 2024 flagship Global Trends Report from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.   The rise in overall forced displacement – to 120 million by May 2024 – was the 12th consecutive annual increase and reflects both new and mutating conflicts and a failure to resolve long-standing crises. The figure would make the global displaced population equivalent to the 12th largest country in the world, around the size of Japan’s.   A key factor driving the figures higher has been the devastating conflict in Sudan: at the end of 2023, 10.8 million Sudanese remained uprooted. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Myanmar, millions were internally displaced last year by vicious fighting. UNRWA estimates that by the end of last year, up to 1.7 million people (75 per cent of the population) had been displaced in the Gaza Strip by the catastrophic violence, most of whom were Palestine refugees. Syria remains the world’s largest displacement crisis, with 13.8 million forcibly displaced in and outside the country.   “Behind these stark and rising numbers lie countless human tragedies. That suffering must galvanize the international community to act urgently to tackle the root causes of forced displacement,” said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.   “It is high time for warring parties to respect the basic laws of war and international law. The fact is that without better cooperation and concerted efforts to address conflict, human rights violations and the climate crisis, displacement figures will keep rising, bringing fresh misery and costly humanitarian responses.”   The largest increase in displacement figures came from people fleeing conflict who remain in their own country, rising to 68.3 million people according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre – up almost 50 per cent over five years.   The number of refugees, and others in need of international protection, climbed to 43.4 million when including those under UNHCR and UNRWA’s mandates. The vast majority of refugees are hosted in countries neighbouring their own, with 75 per cent residing in low- and middle-income countries that together produce less than 20 per cent of the world’s income.   The report showed that worldwide, more than 5 million internally displaced people and 1 million refugees returned home in 2023. These figures show some progress towards longer-term solutions.   “Refugees – and the communities hosting them – need solidarity and a helping hand. They can and do contribute to societies when they are included,” Grandi added. “Equally, last year millions of people returned home, representing an important glimmer of hope. Solutions are out there – we’ve seen countries like Kenya lead the way in refugee inclusion – but it takes real commitment.”   The report also offered new analysis on the climate crisis and how it increasingly and disproportionately affects forcibly displaced people.   Given the immense challenges facing 120 million forcibly displaced people outlined in the Global Trends report, UNHCR remains steadfast in its commitment to delivering new approaches and solutions to help people forced to flee their homes, wherever they are.   http://www.unhcr.org/global-trends-report-2023 http://www.unhcr.org/global-trends http://www.unhcr.org/news-and-stories http://www.unhcr.org/emergencies http://www.nrc.no/feature/2024/can-the-world-afford-another-crisis/ http://reliefweb.int/report/world/ration-cuts-taking-hungry-feed-starving http://press.un.org/en/2024/ecosoc7173.doc.htm   May 2024   Conflicts drive new record of 75.9 million people living in internal displacement, reports the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre   Conflict and violence in Sudan, Palestine and elsewhere drove the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) around the world to 75.9 million at the end of 2023, a new record, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), which published its annual Global Report on Internal Displacement today.   Of the total, 68.3 million were displaced by conflict and violence and 7.7 million by disasters. Almost half, 46 per cent, of all IDPs live in sub-Saharan Africa.   In Sudan, the 9.1m people displaced at the end of the year was the most ever recorded in a single country since records began in 2008. Sudan's 6 million internal displacements, or forced movements, by conflict during 2023 were more than its previous 14 years combined and the second most ever recorded in one country after Ukraine's 16.9 million in 2022.   In the Gaza Strip, IDMC calculated 3.4 million displacements in the last three months of 2023, which was 17 per cent of total conflict displacements worldwide during the year.   Alexandra Bilak, IDMC director, said the millions of people forced to flee in 2023 were just the "tip of the iceberg", adding to the tens of millions of IDPs already displaced from previous and ongoing conflicts, violence and disasters.   "Over the past two years, we've seen alarming new levels of people having to flee their homes due to conflict and violence, even in regions where the trend had been improving," said Ms Bilak. "Conflict, and the devastation it leaves behind, is keeping millions from rebuilding their lives, often for years on end."   In the past five years, the number of people living in internal displacement as a result of conflict and violence has increased by 22.6 million, or 49 per cent, with the two biggest increases in 2022 and 2023.   "Millions of families are having their lives torn apart by conflict and violence. We have never, ever recorded so many people forced away from their homes and communities. It is a damning verdict on the failures of conflict prevention and peace-making," said Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council.   "The suffering and the displacement last far beyond the news cycle. Too often their fate ends up in silence and neglect. The lack of protection and assistance that millions endure cannot be allowed to continue."   Floods, storms, earthquakes, wildfires and other disasters triggered 26.4 million displacements in 2023, the third highest annual total in the past ten years. The 7.7 million IDPs at the end of 2023 displaced by disasters is the second most since IDMC began recording this metric in 2019.   The 148 countries reporting disaster displacement include high-income countries such as Canada and New Zealand which reported their highest figures ever.   Climate change is making some hazards more frequent and intense, such as cyclone Mocha in the Indian Ocean, Hurricane Otis in Mexico, storm Daniel in the Mediterranean and wildfires in Canada and Greece last summer. It is also making communities more vulnerable and addressing the underlying drivers of displacement more urgent.   "No country is immune to disaster displacement," said Ms Bilak. "But we can see a difference in how displacement affects people in countries that prepare and plan for its impacts and those that don't. Those that look at the data and make prevention, response and long-term development plans that consider displacement fare far better."   As in previous years, floods and storms caused the most disaster displacement, including in south-eastern Africa where cyclone Freddy triggered 1.4 million movements across six countries and territories.   Earthquakes and volcanic activity triggered 6.1 million displacements in 2023, as many as in the past seven years combined. The earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria triggered 4.7 million displacements, one of the largest disaster displacement events since records began in 2008.   http://story.internal-displacement.org/2024-mid-year-update/ http://www.internal-displacement.org/news/conflicts-drive-new-record-of-759-million-people-living-in-internal-displacement/ http://www.internal-displacement.org/global-report/grid2024/ http://www.internal-displacement.org/focus-areas/conflict-and-violence/ http://www.nrc.no/feature/2024/the-worlds-most-neglected-displacement-crises-2023 http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/number-displaced-children-reaches-new-high-433-million http://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-internally-displaced-persons http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5647-planned-relocations-people-context-adverse-effects-climate http://disasterdisplacement.org/news-events/ Visit the related web page
	Global military expenditure reaches record high of $2440bn as critical aid is cut to millions by OCHA, WFP, UNICEF, Red Cross, agencies   As the United Nations Global Humanitarian funding appeal, the World Food Programme, UNICEF, UNHCR, the Red Cross and humanitarian agencies face serious shortfalls in funding to address the most urgent needs of over 300 million people in crisis, news agencies report bumper profits for billionaires, record company super profits and a new world record for global military spending.   The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) reports global military spending of $2440 billion in 2023.   Global military expenditure has reached a record high of $2440bn after the largest annual rise in government spending on arms in over a decade, according to a report. The 6.8% increase between 2022 and 2023 was the steepest since 2009, pushing spending to the highest recorded by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) in its 60-year history.   The two largest spenders – the United States (37%) and China (12%) – made up around half of global military spending, increasing their expenditure by 2.3% and 6% respectively. While dwarfed by the US in military spending, China, as the world’s second biggest spender, allocated an estimated $296bn in 2023, an increase of 6% on 2022. Russia, India, Saudi Arabia and the UK follow in Sipri’s league table.   http://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2024/global-military-spending-surges-amid-war-rising-tensions-and-insecurity   The Forbes 2024 Billionaires list reports that the number of worldwide billionaires grew by 141 in the past year, with 2,781 people holding wealth that exceeds $1 billion. These people own combined assets of $14.2 trillion, exceeding the gross domestic product of every country in the world except the U.S. and China.   Their collective wealth has risen by 120% in the past decade, at the same time as billions of people across the world have seen their living standards decrease in the face of inflation and the cost of living crisis.   Taxing windfall profits of fossil fuels and financial companies. (ActionAid, Oxfam)   In the two years running up to June 2023, 36 companies (14 in fossil fuels and 22 in the banking sector), made windfall profits of US$424 billion. These are not their overall profits, these are just the profits that are above and beyond their normal profits.   In the last two years, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and high inflation and interest rates in much of the world have helped contribute to the bumper profits of fossil fuels companies and the banking sector. By applying a 90% tax on these windfall profits, close to US$382bn could be raised. This money is urgently needed to address hunger, for climate action, to protect vulnerable communities and to build resilience through improved social protection and public services.   26 June 2024   Humanitarian responses across the world are desperately under-resourced, reports the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs   Global Humanitarian Overview 2024 Mid-year update: Cost of inaction. (OCHA)   In the face of major cuts in global funding, humanitarians prepared for 2024 by taking difficult decisions about who, and what, to include and exclude from humanitarian appeals around the world. Based on in-depth needs analyses, targets were tightened and tough choices were made, resulting in a reduction in the global appeal by more than $7 billion from 2023 to 2024 and a reduction in people targeted of 57.4 million.   However, as of the end of May, underfunding and access impediments combined to have devastating consequences, which were particularly acute given the already narrowed focus of the 2024 appeals:   With humanitarian operations globally just 16 per cent funded by the end of May, many humanitarian partners had to drastically reduce, and in some instances halt, critical programmes. While humanitarians were able to reach at least 39.7 million people with some form of humanitarian assistance in the first five months of the year, this represented just 27 per cent of people targeted. This comes on the back of a considerable reduction in people reached in 2023 (143 million), compared to 2022 (157 million), which coincided with a significant decrease in humanitarian funding.   Globally, more than 100 million targeted people (42 per cent) have not received water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) assistance due to underfunding. Cuts in food assistance due to underfunding are leaving people at risk of starvation. As a result of underfunding, food security partners have had to reduce assistance to already vulnerable people, or abandon assistance to people experiencing acute levels of food insecurity (IPC 3). As a result, these people may go into emergency or catastrophic levels of food insecurity (IPC 4 and IPC 5, respectively).   Underfunding is leaving millions of people without access to the health services they need to survive. Underfunding of health services increase maternal and child mortality, heighten non-communicable disease risk, deprive children of crucial vaccination services, reduce disease prevention interventions, limit primary health care access for pregnant women, children and individuals with disabilities.   Internally displaced persons, refugees and migrants are facing very significant cuts in support, with major reductions in assistance to meet their basic needs.   The bottom line – underfunding costs lives. When people cannot be reached with humanitarian assistance, protection and services, their lives and livelihoods are on the line. It is therefore imperative that there be an immediate step-change and a dramatic increase in global giving in order to ensure that the response plans and appeals prepared by humanitarian partners for 2024 are fully funded.   20 June 2024   Millions of people are teetering on the brink of starvation, reports the World Food Programme (WFP)   Millions of people are teetering on the brink of starvation as conflict rages across many corners of the world. This year, over 309 million people are estimated to face acute levels of food insecurity in the 71 countries with WFP operations and where data is available. This number does not yet account for the rapid and alarming deterioration in Sudan, as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis results are not yet available.   An estimated 37.2 million people across 47 countries will be in Emergency or worse levels of acute food insecurity (IPC/CH Phase 4 and above, including severely food insecure) in 2024, and require immediate emergency assistance to save lives and livelihoods.   An estimated 24.5 million children are predicted to be acutely malnourished in the 15 countries with the highest burden in 2024. The convergence of threats may further increase the number of children and pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls (PBWG) affected by acute malnutrition.   FAO and WFP have jointly warned that between June and October 2024, acute food insecurity is likely to deteriorate further in 18 hunger hotspots.   The current funding landscape is affecting the entire humanitarian sector, forcing WFP – and many others - to scale back assistance and refocus efforts on the most severe needs. As a consequence, nearly all of WFP’s largest operations have reduced or plan to substantially reduce their operational plans.   Less funding means that WFP often has to reduce assistance to already vulnerable people, or abandon assistance to people in Crisis levels of acute food insecurity (IPC/CH Phase 3). As a result, there is a real risk they may quickly fall into Emergency (IPC/CH Phase 4) and Catastrophe or Famine (IPC Phase 5) levels.   WFP programs between January to March 2024 provided humanitarian support 62 million of the most highly vulnerable people with food, cash, commodity vouchers, in comparison 93 million people were assisted during the same period last year. This represents 34% fewer people assisted this year, mainly due to reduced funding levels compounded by access constraints.   Food and cash assistance (CBT) distributed during the same periods imply a 50% decrease in food and 43% decrease in CBT, showing an even larger drop than the drop in beneficiaries assisted. This means that food or cash per ration have been reduced further in 2024’s first quarter compared to the same time last year.   Preliminary data for this year suggests that the impact of the funding gap on WFP beneficiaries may be even more severe throughout the year than initially anticipated. WFP monitoring data further highlights the negative consequences of assistance cuts, with rises in malnutrition, early marriage, migration, and child labour, alongside dips in school enrolment. Families are resorting to desperate strategies to cope, such as selling off critical household assets which in turn drive them deeper into poverty and deprivation.   http://humanitarianaction.info/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2024-mid-year-update http://www.unocha.org/news/un-deputy-relief-chief-funding-shortages-force-tougher-aid-decisions http://www.unocha.org/latest/news-and-stories http://reliefweb.int/report/world/wfp-global-operational-response-plan-2024-update-11-june-2024-new-synopsis-format http://www.wfp.org/publications/hunger-hotspots-fao-wfp-early-warnings-acute-food-insecurity-june-october-2024-outlook http://www.fsinplatform.org/report/global-report-food-crises-2024/ http://www.fao.org/emergencies/en http://www.wvi.org/publications/report/enough/ration-cuts-taking-hungry-feed-starving http://www.fightfoodcrises.net/hunger-hotspots/en http://www.ipcinfo.org/   http://www.wfp.org/publications/wfp-global-operational-response-plan-update-10-february-2024 http://www.wfp.org/stories/2023-pictures-ration-cuts-threaten-catastrophe-millions-facing-hunger http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/press-releases/global-hunger-funding-gap-hit-65-percent-for-neediest-countries/ http://humanitarianaction.info/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2024/ http://www.savethechildren.net/news/2023-review-nearly-16000-children-day-plunged-hunger-top-10-worsening-food-crises
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