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	Humanitarian action critical to prevent starvation and death by WFP, FAO, OCHA, agencies   Apr 2023   WFP chief appeals for greater funding support to address rising hunger   The World Food Program needs $23 billion to feed millions facing hunger and help avert starvation, destabilization of countries and mass migration, outgoing Executive Director David Beasley warned last week. China, oil-rich countries in the Middle East and billionaires whose wealth climbed amid the pandemic must all increase their support for the WFP as global hunger climbs and the Ukraine war distracts donors from other crises, Beasley says.   In an interview Mr. Beasley said he’s “extremely worried” that WFP won’t raise about $23 billion it needs this year to help people in desperate need of support. “Right at this stage, I’ll be surprised if we get 40% of it, quite frankly,” he said.   Last year, the World Food Program raised $14.2 billion from donors, to help 128 million people in more than 120 countries and territories.   David Beasley said he was able to convince the United States last year to increase its funding and Germany to raise its contribution, but he doesn’t think they’ll do it again this year. Other countries need to step up now, he said, starting with China, the world’s second-largest economy which gave WFP just $11 million last year.   Beasley applauded China for its success in substantially reducing hunger and poverty at home, but said China needs “to engage in the multilateral world” and be willing to provide help that is critical. “We need their help, particularly in poorer countries including in Africa".   With high oil prices Gulf countries can also do more, especially Muslim nations that have relations with countries in east Africa, the Sahara and elsewhere in the Middle East, he said, calling on them to increase their contributions.   Mr. Beasley said the wealthiest billionaires made unprecedented profits during the COVID-19 pandemic, and “it’s not too much to ask multibillionaires to step up and help in the crisis”.   “The world has to understand that the next 12 to 18 months is critical, and if we back off the funding, you will have mass migration, and you will have destabilization nations and that will all be on top of starvation among children and people around the world,” he warned.   Beasley said WFP was just forced to cut rations by 50% to 4 million people in Afghanistan, and “these are people who are knocking on famine’s door now.”   “We don’t have enough money just to reach the most vulnerable people now,” he said. “So we are in a crisis right now, where we literally could have hell on earth if we’re not very careful.”   The food crisis “is going to get worse,” he added. Climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine are all to blame, he said.   Among the 350 million people the United Nations classifies as suffering from acute food insecurity — 50 million people are “knocking on famine’s door,” Beasley said.   “That 50 million has got to get food, or otherwise they clearly will die,” he said.   Beasley said he’s been telling leaders in the West and Europe that while they’re focusing everything on Ukraine and Russia, “you better well not forget about what’s south and southeast of you because I can assure you it is coming your way if you don’t pay attention and get on top of it.”   The WFP executive director said leaders have to prioritize the humanitarian needs that are going to have the greatest impact on stability in societies around the world.   Beasley said “it’s hard not to get a little depressed at times by the overwhelming needs” but seeing little girls and boys smiling in the midst of war and suffering from hunger “inspires you not to give up,” he said.   With $400 trillion worth of wealth on the planet, he said, there’s no reason for any child to die of starvation.   * BBC interview with David Beasley: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct4ny4   http://www.wfp.org/countries http://dataviz.vam.wfp.org/version2/ http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/resources/alerts-archive/en/   Mar. 2023   Arif Husain, Chief Economist and Director of Research at the World Food Program:   “A year into the war in Ukraine, international prices of food, fuel and fertilizer remain way too expensive for hundreds of millions of people worldwide”.   Prices today compared to right before COVID in 2020 (Source IMF):   Food Price Index: +32% more expensive today than right before COVID in 2020; Fertilizer Index: +207% more expensive; Crude Oil (Petroleum) Price Index: +31% more expensive; Natural Gas Price Index: +233% more expensive; Maize: +81% more expensive; Rice: +21% more expensive; Wheat: +94% more expensive, Sunflower: +54% more expensive; U.S. Dollar Index: +5% more expensive   Feb. 2023   In a joint Statement, the Heads of the World Food Programme ad Food and Agriculture Organization, described the Global Food and Nutrition Security Crisis.   "Globally, poverty and food insecurity are both on the rise. Supply chain disruptions, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, financial tightening through rising interest rates and the Russia’s war in Ukraine have caused an unprecedented shock to the global food system, with the most vulnerable hit the hardest.   Food inflation remains high in the world, with dozens of countries experiencing double digit inflation. According to WFP, 349 million people across 79 countries are acutely food insecure.   The prevalence of undernourishment is also on the rise, following three years of deterioration. This situation is expected to worsen, with global food supplies projected to drop to a three-year low in 2022/2023. The need is especially dire in 24 countries that FAO and WFP have identified as hunger hotspots, of which 16 are in Africa.   Fertilizer affordability as defined by the ratio between food prices and fertilizer prices is also the lowest since the 2007/2008 food crisis, which is leading to lower food production and impacting smallholder farmers the hardest, worsening the already high local food prices. For example, the reduction in 2022 of the production of rice, for which Africa is the largest importer in the world, coupled with prospects of lower stocks, is of grave concern".   http://www.wfp.org/stories/wfp-and-fao-sound-alarm-global-food-crisis-tightens-its-grip-hunger-hotspots http://www.wfp.org/publications/hunger-hotspots-fao-wfp-early-warnings-acute-food-insecurity-october-2022-january-2023 http://www.wfp.org/stories/child-malnutrition-mounts-un-agencies-issue-call-action http://www.wfp.org/global-hunger-crisis http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/en/ http://www.fao.org/giews/country-analysis/external-assistance/en/   Dec. 2022   Global Humanitarian Overview 2023   The largest global food crisis in modern history is unfolding, driven by conflict, climate shocks and the looming threat of global recession. Hundreds of millions of people are at risk of worsening hunger. Acute food insecurity is escalating, and at least 222 million people across 53 countries are expected to face acute food insecurity and need urgent assistance by the end of 2022.   There is also a gender dimension, with women more likely to be affected by hunger. In 2021, nearly 32 per cent of women in the world were moderately or severely food insecure, compared to nearly 28 per cent of men.   Starvation is a very real risk for 45 million people in 37 countries. As of October 2022, 989,000 people were already in Catastrophe (IPC/CH Phase 5): 301,000 of them were in Somalia, the remainder in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Haiti (which recorded populations in IPC Phase 5 for the first time), South Sudan and Yemen.   On top of this, 60 million children worldwide are at risk of being acutely malnourished by the end of 2022, compared to 47 million in 2019.   Countries facing catastrophic levels of hunger   Afghanistan is facing an unprecedented hunger crisis due to the combination of a collapsing economy, high food prices and persistent drought. Nearly 19 million people – 45 per cent of the population – are facing high levels of acute food insecurity between June and November 2022 – 6 million of them are in Emergency (IPC Phase 4). They include, for the first time since the introduction of IPC in Afghanistan, 20,000 people who are already facing Catastrophic conditions (IPC Phase 5) between March and May 2022 due to limited humanitarian access.   In Ethiopia, the effects of ongoing violence and conflict in 2022 are being compounded by one of the most severe droughts in the last 40 years. More than 20 million people are estimated to be food insecure in the country, including 13 million people in northern Ethiopia. The lack of updated IPC data remains a major concern. The latest available IPC projections were valid up to September 2021, indicating around 401,000 people in Tigray faced Catastrophic conditions (IPC Phase 5).   As of October 2022, Haiti recorded people experiencing Catastrophic levels of food insecurity for the first time: 4.7 million people are currently facing acute hunger (IPC Phase 3 and above), of whom 19,000 are in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5). Natural hazards continue to deliver shocks to an already vulnerable population, which is also facing a stalled economy, poor job prospects and a basic food basket that is out of reach for many Haitians.   In Somalia, an anticipated fifth consecutive season of poor rainfall, exceptionally high food prices, conflict, insecurity and disease outbreaks are causing dire conditions. Famine (IPC Phase 5) is projected among rural residents in Baidoa and Burhakaba districts and among displaced people in Baidoa town of Bay Region in southern Somalia, where malnutrition and mortality are already at alarming levels.   Between October and December 2022, approximately 6.7 million people across Somalia are expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above). This number includes 2.2 million people who are expected to be in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and at least 301,000 people in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5).   The situation in South Sudan remains alarming, with almost two thirds of the population in the most severe phases of acute food insecurity (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above). While a significant scale-up in humanitarian response averted a famine-likely situation in 2021, at least 87,000 people are facing starvation and death (IPC Phase 5) as of October 2022.   In Yemen, earlier projections of 19 million people expected to be in acute food insecurity in the second half of 2022 may be less grim than anticipated. However, the country continues to experience acute levels of food insecurity. Economic crisis, a fragile truce that expired on 2 October, and elevated global commodity prices contribute to instability and hunger. Urgently needed assistance is complicated by increasing operational and food procurement costs, as well as supply shortages and access challenges.   Syria is home to 12 million food insecure people, equating to roughly 54 per cent of the country’s population. Among these people, 2.5 million are severely food insecure.   Conflict remains the key driver of acute food insecurity.   More than 70 per cent of people experiencing hunger live in areas afflicted by war and violence. In 2021, around 139 million people in 24 countries and territories affected by conflict and insecurity were facing Crisis levels of food insecurity or worse (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above). In that same year, conflict was the key driver in three of the four countries with populations in Catastrophe (IPC/CH Phase 5) – Ethiopia, South Sudan and Yemen.   Food prices have been rising at an alarming rate since mid-2020 and now remain at a 10-year high, despite declining slightly in recent months. These fluctuations are unlikely to curb domestic food inflation in countries facing a toxic combination of tumbling currency value and high inflation: 99 countries have had year-on-year food inflation of 10 per cent or more, with food inflation exceeding 15 per cent in 63 countries, making essential purchases unaffordable for many people.   Economic shocks were the main driver of food insecurity across 21 countries. A total of 30.2 million people in these countries were in Crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above) in 2021, reflecting soaring food prices due to uneven global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, high inflation and widespread supply chain disruptions. This was even more acutely felt in sub-Saharan Africa. For example, by the end of July 2022, prices of staple cereals had doubled in parts of South Sudan compared to February 2022.   When families do not have enough food to eat or enough money to buy food, they may resort to extreme coping mechanisms in order to acquire food, including family separation, child labour and child marriage.   The triple crisis: Food, fuel and fertilizer   The war in Ukraine – one of the world’s major breadbaskets – is compounding what is already a year of catastrophic hunger. Together, Ukraine and Russia supply 30 per cent of globally traded wheat, 20 per cent of maize and 70 per cent of sunflower supplies. A shortfall in export supplies is driving prices up, leaving import-dependent countries with higher food import bills – or less food to eat.   Since the crisis in Ukraine began, food shipments from the Black Sea have been reduced and costs have grown significantly, with immediate impact on import-dependent economies. In addition, fertilizer prices are increasing to record levels. This will significantly affect countries’ ability to grow food, increasing food insecurity far beyond 2022 levels.   Extreme climatic and weather events were the main drivers of acute food insecurity in eight African countries, with 23.5 million people in Crisis or worse (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above). In Madagascar, severe droughts pushed almost 14,000 people into Catastrophic levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 5) between April and September 2021.   As needs increase, so do operational costs to help people in need. Scaled-up funding for cash, food and livelihood assistance remains an urgent priority, especially as the global food crisis has not yet reached its peak.   http://humanitarianaction.info/article/hundreds-millions-people-face-hunger-historic-food-crisis-looms http://humanitarianaction.info/gho2023   Hunger Hotspots – FAO-WFP: Oct. 2022 - Jan. 2023   The number of people facing acute food insecurity worldwide is expected to continue to rise precipitously, as the food crisis tightens its grip on 19 ‘hunger hotspots’ – driven by rising conflict, weather extremes, and economic instability aggravated by the pandemic and the ripple effects of the crisis in Ukraine, a joint UN report released today has found.   The ‘Hunger Hotspots – FAO-WFP early warnings on acute food insecurity’ report - issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) calls for urgent humanitarian action to save lives and livelihoods and prevent famine in hotspot countries where acute food insecurity is expected to worsen from October 2022 to January 2023.   The report offers country-specific recommendations on priorities for anticipatory action – short-term protective measures to be put in place before new humanitarian needs materialize; and emergency response – actions to address existing humanitarian needs.   “The severe drought in the Horn of Africa has pushed people to the brink of starvation, destroying crops and killing livestock on which their survival depends. Acute food insecurity is rising fast and spreading across the world. People in the poorest countries in particular who have yet to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic are suffering from the ripple effects of ongoing conflicts, in terms of prices, food and fertilizer supplies, as well as the climate emergency. Without a massively scaled up humanitarian response that has at its core time-sensitive and life-saving agricultural assistance, the situation will likely worsen in many countries in the coming months,” the report states.   “This is the third time in 10 years that Somalia has been threatened with a devastating famine. The famine in 2011 was caused by two consecutive failed rainy seasons as well as conflict. Today we’re staring at a perfect storm: a likely fifth consecutive failed rainy season that will see drought lasting well into 2023. But the people at the sharp end of today’s crisis are also facing soaring food prices and severely limited opportunities to earn a living following the pandemic. We urgently need to get help to those in grave danger of starvation in Somalia and the world’s other hunger hotspots,” said David Beasley, WFP’s Executive Director.   The report spotlights the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa, where the longest drought in over 40 years is forecast to continue - with the fifth failed rainy season in a row on the horizon - adding to the cumulative, devastating effects that successive rainfall deficits, economic crises and conflict have had on vulnerable households since 2020. Water scarcity has led to below average harvests, livestock deaths, and forced hundreds of thousands of people off their land in search of sustenance, while increasing the risk of intercommunal and resource-based conflict.   Up to 26 million people are expected to face Crisis or worse (IPC Phase 3 and above) levels of food insecurity in Somalia, southern and eastern Ethiopia, and northern and eastern Kenya. With humanitarian assistance at risk of being cut due to funding shortfalls, the spectre of large-scale deaths from hunger looms large in Somalia, with famine likely to take hold in the districts of Baidoa and Burhakaba in Bay region come October. Without an adequate humanitarian response, analysts expect that by December, as many as four children or two adults per 10 000 people will die every day. Hundreds of thousands are already facing starvation today with staggering levels of malnutrition expected among children under 5.   Globally, an all-time high of 970,000 people are expected to face catastrophic hunger (IPC Phase 5) and are starving or projected to starve or at risk of deterioration to catastrophic conditions in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen, if no action is taken – ten times more than six years ago when only two countries had populations in Phase 5.   According to the report, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen remain at the ‘highest alert’ as hotspots, alone account for almost a million people facing catastrophic levels of hunger (IPC Phase 5 ‘Catastrophe’) with starvation and death a daily reality and where extreme levels of mortality and malnutrition may unfold without immediate action.   The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kenya, the Sahel, the Sudan and Syria remain ‘of very high concern’ with deteriorating conditions – as in the June edition of the quarterly report – but the alert is extended to the Central African Republic and Pakistan. Meanwhile, Guatemala, Honduras and Malawi have been added to the list of countries, joining Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Madagascar that remain hunger hotspots.   Violent conflict remains the primary driver of acute hunger with analysis indicating a continuation of this trend in 2022, with particular concern for Ethiopia, where an intensification of conflict and interethnic violence in several regions is expected to further escalate, driving up humanitarian needs.   Weather extremes such as floods, tropical storms and droughts remain critical drivers in many parts of the globe, and a “new normal” of consecutive and extreme weather events is becoming clear - particularly in the hotspots. Devastating floods have affected 33 million people in Pakistan alone this year and South Sudan faces a fourth consecutive year of extreme flooding. Meanwhile, a third consecutive season of below-average rainfall is projected in Syria.   For the first time in 20 years, the La Nina climate event has continued through three consecutive years – affecting agriculture and causing crop and livestock losses in many parts of the world, including Afghanistan, West and East Africa and Syria.   On the economic front, the persistently high global prices of food, fuel, and fertilizer – continue to drive high domestic prices and economic instability. Rising inflation rates have led governments to enact monetary-tightening measures in advanced economies which have also increased the cost of credit of low-income countries. This is constraining the ability of heavily indebted countries – the number of countries increased significantly in recent years - to finance the import of essential items.   In the face of these macroeconomic challenges, many governments are introducing austerity measures affecting incomes and purchasing power – particularly among the most vulnerable families. These trends are expected to increase in coming months, the report notes, with poverty and acute food insecurity rising further.   Humanitarian assistance is crucial to save lives and prevent starvation, death and the total collapse of livelihoods – the report notes, highlighting that insecurity, administrative and bureaucratic impediments, movement restrictions and physical barriers severely limit humanitarian responders’ access to people facing acute hunger in eleven of the hotspot countries, including all six of the countries where populations are facing or are projected to face starvation (IPC Phase 5), or are at risk of deterioration towards catastrophic conditions.   The report calls for targeted humanitarian action to save lives and livelihoods in the 19 hunger hotspots, noting that in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, humanitarian action will be critical in preventing further starvation and death.   http://www.wfp.org/news/food-crisis-tightens-its-grip-19-hunger-hotspots-famine-looms-horn-africa-new-report Visit the related web page
	One person in 23 will need humanitarian assistance in 2023 by UN News, OCHA, WFP, Unicef, agencies   Feb. 2023 (OCHA)   “So often, longstanding development issues can combine with climate chaos, economic shocks and violent conflicts, spinning into a whirlwind of humanitarian disaster,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. “Around the world today, over 340 million people are in need of humanitarian aid.”   In 2022, the UN and its humanitarian partners reached nearly 160 million people, but the surge in humanitarian needs is fast outpacing the ability to respond.   UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths:   "The humanitarian landscape before us is a rough and rugged one. Needs are spiralling across the world. Humanitarian crises are piling on top of each other, and desperate people are looking to us in their hour of need.   The world is facing the largest food crisis in modern history, and famine is knocking on many doors. Human rights, especially women’s rights, are under vicious attack in many places, punishing entire societies.   Tensions are high where injustice has been left to fester for decades. In Ukraine, a brutal war is about to enter its second year.   And today marks two weeks since the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria claimed tens of thousands of lives and caused indescribable destruction.   Allow me to share some of the global numbers we have. More than 350 million people around the world currently need urgent humanitarian assistance. We need almost US$54 billion to meet the basic needs of the worst affected among them. But experience shows that we can expect to raise barely half of that amount.   Each year, our count of people in need, and dollars to raise, takes another jump. The trend is clear, and there are three main reasons for this. First, old wars don’t end as new ones start. Conflicts linger on and become protracted.   Second, the climate emergency is hitting the most vulnerable people worst. We’re in a constant race to mitigate its impact.   Third, economic collapse – fuelled first by the shock of COVID-19, then by the war in Ukraine – is pushing millions of people to the brink.   And while these megacrises mount, the resources needed to respond to them are not keeping up.   As humanitarians, our solidarity will always be with the people we serve. Our role is to listen to the local communities and organizations who are the first responders, and often the only responders, on the front lines.   Our mandate and mantra is “We don’t give up.” But to discharge this mandate, we need help.   To end the wars and conflicts we know and to stop new ones breaking out, we urgently need a surge in diplomatic efforts. I thank all those pushing for peace at all levels.   We also need to address climate change head on, because every flood, heat wave, drought or super storm leaves a humanitarian crisis in its wake.   Decisive action to reduce emissions is long overdue. We must shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy at greater speed.   Right now, a doubling of financing for climate adaptation is required, and we must ensure that the money flows to the right places.   It is unacceptable that the most vulnerable countries – those contributing the least to climate change – receive almost no climate money. This must be reversed.   It will come as no surprise that we need more resources to save lives today. Globally, more than 222 million people don’t know when or even if they’ll eat another meal. Forty-five million people are already on the brink of starvation. Most of them are women and children. These are simply heart-breaking statistics.   Humanitarian action cannot stand alone. We need all hands on deck, working together, with the political will, to stop conflicts, address the climate emergency, fight famines, and be ready for the next emergencies that inevitably lurk around the corner.   http://www.unocha.org/media-centre/news-updates http://www.unocha.org/media-centre/humanitarian-reports http://news.un.org/en/news/topic/humanitarian-aid http://www.ipcinfo.org/ http://humanitarianaction.info/article/hundreds-millions-people-face-hunger-historic-food-crisis-looms http://humanitarianaction.info/gho2023 http://www.wfp.org/stories/child-malnutrition-mounts-un-agencies-issue-call-action http://www.wfp.org/global-hunger-crisis   Feb. 2023   NGOs Call for Urgent Reforms to Famine Prevention   The International Rescue Committee, World Vision International, and Action Against Hunger are calling for urgent reforms to the international community’s response to famine prevention as at least one million people currently face famine conditions.   Global hunger has reached its highest levels in modern history, in large part due to the lingering effects of COVID-19, recurring climate shocks and conflict in Ukraine that have tipped the scale from crisis to catastrophe in some of the most vulnerable places.   There has been a proliferation of international initiatives to address global food insecurity issues related to climate change, food systems, supply chains, and economic development. But what is missing is a robust safety net that kicks in when these efforts falter and a country is headed towards the worst-case scenario of famine. Efforts on wider food insecurity will come too late for people starvating right now.   Five years ago, the world responded to the threat of ‘four famines,’ mobilizing resources early on to prevent many of the worst outcomes. Despite international commitment to “never again” allow famine, six countries are at the highest risk of famine today: Somalia, Afghanistan, Yemen, northeast Nigeria, Ethiopia and South Sudan. They include all four countries that were at risk in 2017.   Across these six countries, one million people are facing famine, putting them at imminent risk of starvation if urgent action is not taken.   Tens of millions more are already struggling to get enough to eat, leaving families going hungry and children becoming acutely malnourished. In Somalia, deaths have been occurring for months and famine is now imminent without urgent action.   In the twenty-first century, famines are predictable and preventable. The world has robust data and warning systems to identify when famines are coming and the tools to act quickly to prevent them. What is lacking is the political will and resources to do so.   An immediate priority should be re-energizing the UN high-level task force on preventing famine, which was established by the UN Secretary-General in 2021 for precisely this purpose. The task force should narrow its focus to the countries at highest risk of famine, as identified in WFP and FAO’s Hunger Hotspots as those in the highest alert level.   In these places, humanitarian aid alone is not enough. The task force should expand to include donors, international financial institutions, NGOs and regional bodies and work closely with affected states and communities to ensure collective commitments to famine prevention and response.   Too often, the international community waits for a formal famine declaration to act. But by then, it is too late and deaths are already occurring en masse. Instead, early warnings should become the catalyst for a no regrets approach.   This reformed high-level task force could play a unique role in raising alarm and focusing attention on these crises as soon as the famine risk is identified, leveraging existing data to trigger early responses.   The task force should act as a vital decision making forum to develop action plans for famine prevention across its diverse members, mobilize resources and address barriers to response through collective action.   There is still an immediate window of opportunity to save hundreds of thousands of lives. The international community must act now to alter the trajectory of these crises and ensure 2023 is not the year of multiple famines.   http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/press-releases/ngos-call-for-urgent-reforms-to-famine-prevention/ http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/press-releases/53-percent-shortfall-in-funds-for-hunger-programs-finds-2023-hunger-gap-report/ http://www.wfp.org/publications/hunger-hotspots-fao-wfp-early-warnings-acute-food-insecurity-october-2022-january-2023   Jan. 2023   Across the globe, children are facing a historic confluence of crises. (UNICEF)   Through the Humanitarian Action for Children appeal 2023, UNICEF is appealing for sufficient funding support to reach more than 110 million children in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.   Today, there are more children in need of humanitarian assistance than at any other time since the Second World War. Across the globe, children are facing a historic confluence of crises – from conflict and displacement to infectious disease outbreaks and soaring rates of malnutrition.   More than 400 million children live in areas under conflict; an estimated 1 billion children – nearly half the world’s children – live in countries at extreme vulnerability to the impacts of climate change; at least 36.5 million children have been displaced from their homes; and 8 million children under age 5 across 15 crisis-hit countries are at risk of death from severe wasting.   In conflict and disaster, children suffer first and suffer most. From protracted conflicts to disease outbreaks to natural disasters, children across the globe face an uncertain future.   But the situation is far from hopeless. We know how to reach children at greatest risk and in greatest need. Decisive and timely humanitarian action can save children’s lives, while also sowing the seeds of future development.   In an increasingly volatile world with more children in need than ever before, it is critical that UNICEF and partners receive adequate funding support to save lives.   “Today, there are more children in need of humanitarian assistance than at any other time in recent history,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Across the globe, they are facing a deadly mix of crises, from conflict and displacement to disease outbreaks and soaring rates of malnutrition. Meanwhile, climate change is making these crises worse and unleashing new ones. It is critical that we have the right support in place to reach children with decisive and timely humanitarian action.”   This year began with an estimated 274 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. Throughout the year, these needs grew considerably, largely due to conflict, including the war in Ukraine; to rising food insecurity; to threats of famine brought about by climate-related and other factors; and to the devastating floods in Pakistan. Around the world, a resurgence of disease outbreaks including cholera and measles bring an additional danger to children in emergencies.   The lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and global economic disruption and instability, including inflation and the rising cost of food and fuel, have had a devastating impact on the lives and wellbeing of millions of the world’s most vulnerable children.   Climate change is also worsening the scale and intensity of emergencies. The last 10 years were the hottest on record and the number of climate-related disasters has tripled in the last 30 years. Today, over 400 million children live in areas of high or extremely high-water vulnerability.   At the same time, children are crossing borders in record numbers, with their families or separated from them, or unaccompanied. Altogether, nearly 37 million children worldwide are displaced due to cascading crises, a level of displaced children not seen since the Second World War.   “The devastating impacts of climate change are an ever-present threat to children,” said Russell. “Which is why we are prioritizing climate adaptation and resilience building as part of our humanitarian response. This will help us to reach children living through today’s crises, while also helping them and their communities prepare for those yet to come.”   Putting national and local organizations at the centre of humanitarian operations is a key strategy in UNICEF’s humanitarian response. Key results in 2022 were made possible by UNICEF’s partnerships, including with humanitarian country teams, UN agencies, civil society and non-governmental organizations, national and local responders and resource partners.   As part of its Humanitarian Action for Children, which sets out the agency’s 2023 appeal, UNICEF plans to reach: 8.2 million children with treatment for severe acute malnutrition. 28 million children with measles vaccinations. 63.7 million people with access to safe water for drinking and domestic needs. 25.7 million children with formal or non-formal education, including early learning.   UNICEF’s works to protect and promote diets, services and practices that prevent, detect and treat child wasting. UNICEF aims to ensure that no child dies from wasting.   UNICEF is accelerating progress on two interrelated fronts simultaneously: (1) reduce the number of children suffering from the more severe forms of wasting; (2) increase the number of children with severe forms of wasting who access treatment.   Public health emergencies: The annual number of outbreaks reported to the World Health Organization has increased more than threefold since 1980. UNICEF is committed to addressing public health emergencies not only through emergency coordination and leadership, responding to the health threat, but also by working to ensure the continuity of essential services.   Blistering heat waves. A global hunger crisis. Deadly conflicts. Displacement. These crises are set to intensify as climate change impacts the frequency, intensity, and duration of emergencies, deepening inequities across the globe, and driving new waves of conflict, displacement, and disease.   UNICEF is also working on strengthening the resilience of communities and health infrastructure to withstand climate hazards, with the aim of better linking its humanitarian response to longer-term community resilience and climate adaptation.   But while the needs of children and families have never been greater, the humanitarian system is struggling to respond to the sheer scale of these crises. From historic floods in Pakistan, to drought across large swathes of Africa – particularly the Horn of Africa – to record-breaking temperatures and a nutrition crisis, climate shocks are driving increased humanitarian needs.   From Afghanistan to Somalia, from Ukraine to Yemen – UNICEF is on the ground in countries around the world, providing children with life-saving services during humanitarian emergencies. We are working to strengthen the systems that children rely on – like health care, protection, water and sanitation – and to make those systems more resilient to climate shocks and other crises.   With humanitarian needs at an unprecedented high, UNICEF is calling on partners to increase support to life-saving humanitarian responses for children.   http://www.unicef.org/emergencies/unicef-launches-appeal-meet-unprecedented-humanitarian-needs http://uni.cf/3lyidIi http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/urgent-action-needed-acute-malnutrition-threatens-lives-millions-vulnerable-children http://www.unicef.org/appeals http://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases http://www.unicef.org/appeals/situation-reports http://www.unicef.org/emergencies   Dec. 2022   One person in 23 will need humanitarian assistance in 2023. (UN News)   UN Secretary-General António Guterres on the Global Humanitarian Overview 2023:   "2022 has been a year of extremes. Conflict brought misery to millions of people. The war in Ukraine accelerated the global food and energy crises. Diseases from cholera to COVID-19 claimed lives and disrupted economies. And the climate crisis is causing deadly drought and unprecedented floods.   Global hunger reached record levels. As we end the year, famine looms in five separate places around the world. And in every crisis, women and girls are last to eat and first to suffer poverty and hunger.   The United Nations and our humanitarian partners have helped to support and protect 157 million people around the world. We listened to people and communities and worked to tailor our programmes to meet their needs. We provided $2 billion in cash assistance to people in crisis situations to save lives.   Humanitarian demands are projected to continue increasing next year. In 2023, we forecast some 339 million people will need humanitarian aid and protection — an increase of 65 million since the beginning of 2022.   The 2023 Global Humanitarian Overview calls for life-saving support to 230 million of the most vulnerable people. Funding these lifesaving operations is a source of hope for millions of people in desperate need".   “Humanitarian needs are shockingly high, as this year’s extreme events are spilling into 2023,” said the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths.   “Lethal droughts and floods are wreaking havoc in communities from Pakistan to the Horn of Africa. The war in Ukraine has turned a part of Europe into a battlefield. More than 100 million people are now displaced worldwide. And all of this on top of the devastation left by the pandemic among the world’s poorest.   “For people on the brink, this appeal is a lifeline. For the international community, it is a strategy to make good on the pledge to leave no one behind.”   The 2023 Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO), launched today by the UN in collaboration with nongovernmental organizations and other humanitarian partners, paints a stark picture.   At least 222 million people in 53 countries will face acute food insecurity by the end of 2022. Forty-five million people in 37 countries risk starvation.   The response plans in the GHO detail how aid agencies working together around specific types of aid – including shelter, food, maternal health, child nutrition and protection – can save and support the lives of a combined 230 million people worldwide.   The GHO is a comprehensive and evidence-based assessment of global humanitarian needs. It provides a snapshot of current and future trends in humanitarian action for large-scale resource mobilization efforts".   Joyce Msuya, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator:   "A global pandemic, an escalating climate crisis, a war in Europe, a global cost of living crisis, extreme levels of poverty.   We are in the middle of the largest global food crisis in modern history, a crisis driven by conflict, climactic shock and the looming threat of global recession. As I speak, close to 1 million people are in famine-like conditions.   More people have been forced from their homes than at any time since the end of the Second World War. Today’s wars are more intense and longer lasting than ever. The war in Syria will have soon dragged on for 12 years. The conflict in Yemen nine.   Women and children are bearing the brunt of these forever wars as hospitals, homes and schools are turned into death traps by warring sides who violate the rules of war every single day.   It is also unsurprising that the world’s humanitarian system is now at breaking point, for every year, as needs rise to record levels, the funding gap grows.   It is a deep sadness that, as of today, our 2022 appeal is less than half funded. And yet, despite this huge shortfall, we’ve provided assistance to 157 million people.   Thanks to the grit and determination of our NGO partners, frontline organizations and local communities, we’ve reached displaced people in 46 countries. And we’ve provided emergency healthcare to more than 40 million people in the first half of the year alone.   This is what we can do with less than half of what we need. This is what we can do despite the threat to aid workers, and despite the access challenges thrown up by war, violence and political chaos.   But with proper funding, we could have more than doubled our impact, reaching millions more men, women and children whose lives have been devastated by disaster. Today, we are appealing for funds to help 230 million people in 68 countries. To restore hope for millions of people who simply want a chance to survive.   This is our SOS call for help. Help for the millions of men, women and children whose lives have been shattered by hunger, conflict, disease, and poverty.   Help which will allow committed frontline workers to provide millions with food, education, vaccines, protection, and shelter.   Help which can only come from countries, corporates and individuals who are fortunate enough to be living in peace, safety and prosperity.   If this SOS is heard, then we will have the power not just to alleviate suffering in the short-term but to ensure millions of the world’s most vulnerable people can secure the right to a life of dignity, away from a world of permanent crisis".   http://humanitarianaction.info/gho2023 http://humanitarianaction.info/article/glance-0   Dec. 2022   One person in 23 will need humanitarian assistance in 2023. (Concern Worldwide)   The last year has been devastating for vulnerable and poorer communities around the world with a 24% increase in the number of people requiring humanitarian assistance.   One person in every 23, a total of 339 million people globally, will require some form of assistance in 2023.   The Irish development and humanitarian organisation, Concern Worldwide, is working in eight of the 10 worst affected countries: Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine.   “A number of factors have contributed to the rise in humanitarian needs; the climate crisis, armed conflict, the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, all compounded by the impacts of the conflict in Ukraine on the global economy which has caused inflation and unstable food prices,” said Carol Morgan, International Programmes Director with Concern.   “It’s people living in the world’s poorest countries that are hit hardest. We see this in the communities Concern works in, they are struggling to afford even the most of basic necessities, and many of their coping mechanisms are exhausted. The world must redouble its efforts to support communities living in extreme poverty.”   The harrowing statistics are contained in the United Nations’ Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO). The GHO is an annual assessment of humanitarian needs and the resources required to address them based on data from international organisations and global, national, and local NGOs.   It says US$51.5 billion is needed to fund the most urgent needs of 230 million people in 68 countries in 2023, 25% more than this time last year. Costs for humanitarian responses has increased substantially, with higher operational costs and commodity prices putting further pressure on limited budgets.   Although the 2022 GHO funding appeal received the highest level of funding ever, it is expected it will be only half-funded by the end of the year. The gap between requirements and funding is greater than ever and this gap has seen millions of people affected by climate crisis and conflict not getting the support they needed.   In Afghanistan, Concern has scaled up operations to reach communities facing extreme hunger and to support Afghan partners responding to several serious earthquakes. Through our emergency and development projects, we have reached 216,019 people in 2022. However, in what is one of the most complex emergency settings in the world, millions of people across the country are on the verge of famine. Concern staff members have witnessed parents at the end of their tether selling their children out of sheer desperation, just to put food on the table. A lack of funding has meant that millions of food insecure people did not get support ahead of the lean season.   In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the majority (73%) of the population live below the US$1.90 poverty line, and DRC is ranked 176 out of 189 countries on the 2019 Human Development Index. The humanitarian context in 2022 has continued to deteriorate due to armed conflict and natural disasters with over 260,000 people being displaced since March this year. Concern has provided cash payments to displaced households to purchase food and essential supplies for their families.   Next year’s GHO appeal will set a new record for the highest ever requirements, demonstrating how conflict, climate change, COVID-19, and heightened costs are pushing more and more people into humanitarian emergency.   http://www.concern.net/press-releases/one-person-23-will-need-humanitarian-assistance-2023 http://www.icrc.org/en/document/humanitarian-crises-world-cant-ignore-2023   Dec. 2022   Global humanitarian needs highest on record. (Oxfam)   Today’s UN 2023 Global Humanitarian Outlook report, reveals that 339 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian aid - the highest caseload in history - Oxfam Global Humanitarian Director, Marta Valdes Garcia:    “One in every 23 people around the world –the equivalent of nearly half of the entire population of Europe– is now in urgent need of humanitarian aid. This news must be an immediate wake-up call.   “The humanitarian needs are outstripping the aid system’s ability to respond. We have to rethink not only how we try to meet those needs, but what the failures are of global systems that are leading to such rapidly growing inequality in the first place.    “Humanitarian aid is flatlining but, again, we’re seeing the UN appealing for even more resources, from the same pool of donors, to help even more desperate people trying to cope in crisis. Again, those most in need will receive only a token of what they are asking for.    “The global humanitarian system is already overwhelmed. We know that people are being made homeless, hungry and sick by climate change, conflict, poverty and inequality, and economic failures – but these are not isolated issues, they’re the same endemic crisis.   “We must not wait any longer. We need a radical overhaul of how our global systems work, putting the dignity and rights of people in crisis first.   “We must both immediately respond to this unprecedented humanitarian need and find ways to change a runaway global financial system where the few are benefitting at the cost of the many. How can we have hundreds of new food and energy billionaires yet we cannot fund basic humanitarian needs to stop millions of people from starving?   “Donors must immediately meet the UN global humanitarian appeal to help save lives now. Funding to prevent disasters should have no strings attached; and decisions and actions must be led by local communities themselves.   “National governments must also tackle the root causes of poverty and inequality that worsens the blow of disasters on those already suffering. One key way this can be done is by injecting resources into global public goods, from climate adaptation to social protection. There is already much insight into what a new global system could be – at heart, by tackling global inequality, climate change and conflict, and focusing on local leadership. What is needed is the political courage to act.”   * The oil and gas industry realise $2.8 billion per day in profits each year. Less than 18 days of those profits would cover the entire $48.82 billion UN humanitarian appeal for 2022.   http://www.oxfam.org/en/research/hunger-heating-world http://www.care-international.org/resources/breaking-silence-report-ten-humanitarian-crises-didnt-make-headlines-2022 http://www.icrc.org/en/document/humanitarian-crises-world-cant-ignore-2023 http://unocha.exposure.co/11-crises-to-watch-in-2023 http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/urgent-action-needed-acute-malnutrition-threatens-lives-millions-vulnerable-children http://www.unicef.org/emergencies/11-emergencies-need-more-support-2023 http://www.savethechildren.net/news/new-analysis-number-people-facing-extreme-hunger-more-50-3-years-afghanistan-worst-hit http://www.rescue.org/article/top-10-crises-world-cant-ignore-2023 http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2023/01/03/ten-humanitarian-crises-trends-to-watch
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