Faces of Inequality in Asia by Global Call to Action against Poverty   Apr. 2024   In the dynamic landscape of the Asia, home to over 4.6 billion people, where rapid economic growth coexists with pressing social challenges, the specter of inequality looms large.   The countries with their bustling urban centers and rural hinterlands are marked by significant divide in opportunities and access to essential services.   This report delves into the multifaceted nature of inequality, exploring its various dimensions such as income disparity, gender inequality, regional divides, educational imbalances and challenges to access healthcare facility and social security schemes.   High-income inequality, a prevailing issue across most of the countries, is a harbinger of diverse negative impacts. From hampering child development to limiting the status of women, the ramifications are far-reaching impacting individuals across social, economic, and geographic spectrums.   The existing social security systems, while acknowledged as effective tools in reducing inequality, are not uniformly structured across the countries. Many countries still grapple with bifurcated systems, leaving a substantial portion of the population excluded from the benefits of social security.   Moreover, the lack of universal healthcare compounds the issue, with a significant portion of the population lacking access to essential medical services. This not only perpetuates a cycle of poverty and ill-health but also exposes the region to heightened vulnerabilities during health crises.   As we journey through the case studies presented in Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Pakistan, and the Philippines, we uncover the harsh realities faced by those on the margins.   We will encounter disparities in income, access to education, healthcare, and opportunities that mirror the challenges faced by communities and individuals.   Each story reflects a unique facet of the broader struggle against social disparities, revealing the human cost of systemic failures and the urgent need for inclusive policies.   A Unified Call for Inclusive Policies & Urgent Reforms to redefine Equity   It is high time the policymakers, governments, and civil society collaborated in designing and implementing effective solutions to address the issues of inequality. The voices of those on the margins must guide the formulation of policies, ensuring that social security, healthcare, and essential services become not just aspirations but tangible realities for every individual, irrespective of their socio[1]economic background.   It’s time for the governments in Asia to start formulating policies on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Universal Social Protection Floors (USPF). Only through concerted efforts and commitment can we build a future where dignity, justice, and equal opportunities are the birthright of every citizen.   Key Takeaways   Urgent Systemic Reforms: There is a need for urgent and systemic reforms in social security frameworks, healthcare systems and bureaucratic processes to address the pressing challenges faced by marginalized communities.   Tailored Interventions: Tailored interventions that address the unique needs of diverse communities, considering factors like gender, socio-economic status, and cultural nuances is the need of the hour.   Inclusive Policy Formulation: Policymakers need to incorporate the voices of those on the margins in the formulation of policies, ensuring that the solutions are not one-size-fits-all but cater to the specific challenges faced by different communities.   Collaboration for Change: Collaboration between governments, civil society and international organizations to effect meaningful and sustainable change in the lives of those facing adversity is essential.   Continuous Evaluation: As nations implement reforms such as the Universal Health Care Act in the Philippines, continuous evaluation and adaptation are crucial to ensure the effectiveness of policies and the realization of the fundamental right to healthcare for every citizen.   http://gcap.global/news/faces-of-inequality-in-asia-2023/ http://gcap.global/news/ Visit the related web page
	Chaos across Haiti amid high risk of famine by UN News, IOM, MSF, CARE, agencies   18 Mar. 2024   Sudan conflict: 24 million children exposed to a year of brutality and rights violations, reports UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.   Twelve months into the armed conflict in Sudan, 24 million children are at risk of a generational catastrophe, and their rights to life, survival, protection, education, health, and development have all been gravely violated.   Marking a year of brutality against Sudanese children, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) issued the following media statement, urging Sudan to immediately put an end to these grave violations.   “Since the conflict began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Committee on the Rights of the Child has observed repeated attacks on civilians and civilian objects, widespread killings, including ethnically motivated, and the death of thousands of civilians, many of them are children.   There were worrying reports of rape of civilians, including children, denial of humanitarian access affecting children’s access to basic necessities, and other violations of international law, including violations of children’s economic and social rights.   These violations resulted in 24 million children in Sudan being at risk of generational catastrophe. Among these children, 14 million are in dire need of humanitarian support, 19 million are out of school, and 4 million are displaced, according to UNICEF, making Sudan now the largest child displacement crisis in the world.   Their conditions are appalling, with acute shortages of food and clean drinking water; UNICEF found that 3.7 million children are acutely malnourished, including 730,000 with severe acute malnutrition.   Exacerbating the situation, two-thirds of Sudanese lack access to health care services after 70-80% of hospitals ceased operation following a severe shortage of medical supplies, including lifesaving medicines.   UNICEF has warned that tens of thousands of children will likely die without improved access and additional support, including increased international funding.   The Committee is deeply concerned by these clear violations of children’s rights to life, survival, education and development under international human rights law and international humanitarian law.   The Committee urges Sudan to immediately take all urgent and necessary measures to end these severe violations and fulfil its commitments under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/entire-generation-children-sudan-faces-catastrophe-war-enters-its-second-year http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/03/sudan-conflict-24-million-children-exposed-year-brutality-and-rights http://www.savethechildren.net/news/sudan-nearly-230000-children-and-new-mothers-likely-die-hunger-without-critical-action-save http://www.wfp.org/news/sudans-war-risks-creating-worlds-largest-hunger-crisis-warns-wfp-chief http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-ipc-alert-conflict-surge-threatens-millions-slide-worst-levels-acute-food-insecurity-and-malnutrition-published-29-march-2024 http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/alerts-archive/issue-99/en/   http://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/thousands-still-fleeing-sudan-daily-after-one-year-war http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2024/02/19/sudan-collapse-international-community-we-are-failing-it http://www.care-international.org/news/ten-months-turmoil-sudan-children-battling-malnutrition-conflict-rages http://www.wfp.org/stories/sudans-war-rages-fallout-spreads-nearby-countries http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2024/03/high-commissioner-outlines-insidious-disregard-human-life-sudan   * UN Security Council session: Protection of civilians in armed conflict - Sudan Food Security Crisis (20/3/24): http://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k17/k17g7e6gqe http://www.wfp.org/news/remarks-delivered-carl-skau-wfp-deputy-executive-director-and-chief-operating-officer-security http://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/sudan-fao-issues-stark-warning-over-deeply-concerning-scale-of-hunger/en http://www.unocha.org/news/ocha-warns-security-council-sudan-will-soon-be-worlds-worst-hunger-crisis http://www.nrc.no/news/2024/march/nrc-statement-following-un-security-council-session-on-conflict-induced-hunger-in-sudan/   12 Mar. 2024   Chaos across Haiti amid high risk of famine. (UN News)   The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that Haiti is on the brink of a devastating hunger crisis, with aid operations at risk of “grinding to a halt” amid rampant violence as Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned on Monday and armed gangs tightened their grip on the capital, Port-au-Prince.   The lack of goods and resources is worsening an already precarious economic situation, with water and basic services being “stretched to the limit”, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.   The UN Secretary-General called on all Haitian stakeholders to act responsibly and expressed appreciation to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and partners’ for facilitating a way forward to resolve Haiti’s political crisis through a just-signed agreement to, among other things, appoint an interim prime minister, Mr. Dujarric said.   In Haiti, armed groups have taken control of many of the main roads, flights to Port-au-Prince have been grounded and incomes are plummeting amid a sharp rise in displacement, according to UN agencies.   Gang violence has displaced more than 362,000 Haitians, over half of them children. At least 35,000 have fled from their homes since the beginning of 2024, trying to escape the escalating crisis.   Media reports on Monday said Kenya is now pausing its plans for the support force following the resignation of Mr. Henry, who had in October asked the Security Council to deploy a mission to restore calm amid the growing chaos wreaked by armed gangs.   WFP said that while recent agreements between Haiti and Kenya enabling the deployment of the support mission are promising, failing to address the country’s hunger crisis could itself jeopardise efforts to restore stability.   The WFP’s Executive Director, said the spreading violence is keeping aid workers from reaching communities in need at a time when donor funds are drying up. “Haiti needs more than just boots on the ground,” she said. “Efforts to restore law and order must be matched by an equally effective humanitarian response to meet soaring needs.”   Aid effort ‘running on fumes’   Right now, the $674 million humanitarian response plan for Haiti is just two per cent funded, she said. “Our humanitarian operation in Haiti is running on fumes. We need donors to step up today so we can tackle the rising tide of hunger and halt the slide into chaos.”   The security and political crises are unfolding alongside a largely unaddressed food crisis. In Haiti, Jean-Martin Bauer, WFP country director, warned of an impending famine, stressing that there are levels of hunger in Port-au-Prince that are typically seen in war zones.   “Haiti is one of the world’s most severe food crises,” said Mr. Bauer. Food security has been fragile in Haiti since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020, but today, 1.4 million people are “a step away from famine”, he said. There are more than 200,000 children vulnerable to acute malnutrition.   “We need to ensure security comes back to the country. We need the port to reopen and stocks to be replenished.” If the situation in the capital continues, food prices will sharply increase over already inflated prices that saw costs jump by 25 per cent in southern Haiti in January.   Over the past few days, prices have risen by at least 10 per cent, Mr. Bauer warned. “That’s a recipe for a food crisis,” he said.   Mass hunger is related to unrest, strife and mass migration and without a strong food support for the population, the forthcoming multilateral support mission will not be able achieve its objectives alone, he explained.   While security is needed, a robust humanitarian response plan is imperative, he said.   Security and funding permitting, WFP hopes to reach 2.4 million people in 2024 through emergency assistance in cash and in-kind food rations and is working with the government to provide school meals and to implement longer-term programmes to help Haitian produce their own food, the agency said.   According to the UN Human Rights Office, more than 1,100 people have been killed or injured since January this year, the deadliest month in the last two years.   Outbreaks of deadly violence have caused major disruptions to humanitarian operations – affecting the ability of humanitarian agencies to reach civilians in need, especially those at displacement sites. Road blockages and movement restrictions are also impacting health care workers and compromising people’s ability to access basic social services. In the south of Haiti, the distribution of life-saving aid has been affected by difficulties accessing roads and ports.   More than 1,000 schools across the country, including in Port-au-Prince and other urban areas, have also been temporarily closed since mid-January due to ongoing insecurity.   9 Mar. 2024   The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is deeply concerned by the uprising of violence in Haiti since the end of February.   IOM's latest displacement tracking reveals that 15,000 people have been displaced within just one week, all of them having already experienced displacement.   Ten displacement sites have been entirely emptied due to the successive waves of violence, leaving displaced families traumatized. Urgent needs include access to food, healthcare, water, and hygiene facilities, and psychological support. More than 160,000 people are currently displaced in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area alone.   “Haitians are unable to lead a decent life. They are living in fear, and every day, every hour this situation carries on, the trauma gets worse.” says Philippe Branchat, IOM's Chief in Haiti, underscoring the gravity of the situation.   “Insecurity is growing at the national level: violence in Artibonite, roadblocks in Cap Haitien, and fuel shortages in the South. People living in the capital are locked in, they have nowhere to go. People fleeing cannot reach family members and friends in the rest of the country to find shelter. The capital is surrounded by armed groups and danger. It is a city under siege.”   The collapsing health system, attacks on hospitals by the armed groups, and the lack of health services further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis. Some hospitals have been run over by gangs and had to evacuate staff and patients, including newborns. Medical professionals across the capital are sounding the alarm as their capacity to deliver even the most basic medical services is severely diminished.   Successive displacements, where individuals abandon everything, coupled with experiences of violence, rape, and overcrowded living conditions, have exacerbated distress among the displaced populations.   Across Haiti, 362,000 people are currently internally displaced, some several times over. More than half of them, 180,000, are children. Lack of goods and resources is amplifying an already precarious economic situation.   http://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/haiti-ipc-acute-food-insecurity-snapshot-march-june-2024 http://www.savethechildren.net/news/more-one-million-children-trapped-gang-violence-rages-haiti http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-executive-director-catherine-russell-situation-haiti http://www.unicef.org/emergencies/crisis-haiti http://www.msf.org/new-survey-reveals-extreme-levels-violence-haiti http://www.iom.int/news/waves-violence-storm-port-au-prince-haiti-further-displacing-thousands http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/alerts-archive/issue-98/en/ http://unocha.exposure.co/breaking-point-in-haiti-the-struggle-for-survival   8 Mar. 2024   Violence and insecurity in Northern Nigeria wreaks havoc. (Amnesty, news agencies)   Gunmen have attacked a school in Nigeria’s northwest region on thursday and abducted at least 287 students, the headteacher told authorities, marking the second mass abduction in the West African nation in less than a week.   Locals told reporters the assailants surrounded the government-owned school in Kaduna State’s Kuriga town just as the pupils and students were about to start the school day at around 8 a.m.   Women, children and students are often targeted in the mass abductions in the conflict-hit northern region and many victims are released only after paying ransoms.   Amnesty International reports that on 3 March 2024, suspected Boko Haram fighters abducted at least 400 Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) – most of them women and children – from Babban Sansani, Zulum and Arabic IDP camps in Gamboru Ngala, Borno state.   Yesterday, at least 287 students and their teachers were abducted by gunmen in Kuriga Kaduna state. Hundreds of attackers arrived at the school on motorcycles before seizing the students and teachers and taking them into the bush.   “The latest mass abductions show Nigerian authorities’ lack an effective plan for ending years of atrocities by armed groups and gunmen that are increasingly having a free reign across many parts of Nigeria. Whatever security measures being implemented by the government are clearly not working,” said Isa Sanusi, Director Amnesty International Nigeria.   Amnesty International is urging the Nigerian authorities to comply with the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, to which the country is a state party. Children have the right to protection and education. Authorities must take immediate and concrete measures to prevent abductions that are gradually becoming increasingly common in Nigeria.   Observers say both attacks are a reminder of Nigeria’s worsening security crisis.   * 25/3: Nigerian authorities report they have rescued students and staff who were abducted by gunmen from a school in the country’s north. School officials and residents had said 287 students were taken on 7 March in the town of Kuriga, in the north-western state of Kaduna. A military spokesperson said 137 hostages – 76 female and 61 male – were rescued in the early hours of Sunday in the neighbouring state of Zamfara. A security source said the students had been freed in a forest and were being escorted to Kaduna’s capital for medical tests before being reunited with their families. The governor of Kaduna, Uba Sani, earlier put the number of people kidnapped at more than 200. Given the discrepancies in numbers reported, it was unclear whether any hostages remained in the kidnappers’ hands. Some Kuriga elders said Sani had told them all hostages had been freed.   http://www.unicef.org/nigeria/press-releases/statement-unicef-representative-nigeria-cristian-munduate-abduction-students-kaduna   Mar. 2024   Neglected humanitarian crisis escalates in northwest Nigeria. (MSF)   The level of humanitarian support available to respond to people’s critical needs in northern Nigeria is in dramatic decline. In the northwest, a humanitarian crisis persists, with catastrophic levels of malnutrition and recurrent outbreaks of preventable diseases, says Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). Yet, the situation is largely being ignored by donors and aid organisations.   Over recent years, more than 600,000 people have been displaced from their homes in northwest Nigeria as a result of extreme violence, deteriorating economic conditions, and climate change.   Despite encouraging signs of mobilisation from humanitarian groups and donors in 2023, MSF says that the funding and aid currently available are vastly insufficient for people’s growing humanitarian needs.   “We have repeatedly expressed our concerns to the UN and donors about the alarming and deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the northwest,” says Ahmed Bilal, MSF head of mission. “The lack of recognition of the crisis is having a severe impact on the health and humanitarian needs of people, and is delaying the response, which is desperately needed.”   People living in Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina and Kebbi states, all in the northwest, have been hit by the persistent violence, mainly armed banditry and kidnappings. Last year, more than 2,000 people were killed in more than 1,000 violent incidents in the region, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.   As well as being displaced from their homes, people have lost their livelihoods, and are often no longer able to reach their farms for security reasons. They struggle to find food, and accessing healthcare and other basic services has become increasingly difficult and dangerous.   The crisis has seen rates of malnutrition and other diseases spiral. It is estimated that around 2.6 million children have severe acute malnutrition in the country, of whom 532,163 are in Sokoto, Katsina and Zamfara states, according to national surveys conducted by UNICEF and authorities.   Last year, MSF medical teams working in Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina and Kano states treated 171,465 malnourished children as outpatients and admitted 32,104 children for life-threatening severe acute malnutrition – a 14 per cent rise on the previous year.   In Katsina, our teams found high levels of acute malnutrition in 2023 with 17.4 per cent of the surveyed children suffering from acute malnutrition in Jibia local government area at the beginning of the lean season – not even when access to food is the most difficult.   The high rate of admissions to inpatient facilities has been accompanied by alarming mortality rates. In one of our supported facilities in Zamfara state, it reached 23.1 per cent.   Sadly, many children are dying within 48 hours after arriving in critical condition, too late to be saved due to the barriers in reaching healthcare.   When people fall sick, their families are forced to weigh up the risks of travelling to a health facility against staying put without medical care.   “I cannot recall how many times my village has been attacked,” says Aisha, whose baby is receiving treatment for malaria at an MSF health facility in Gummi, Zamfara state. “We are afraid to travel, but we had no choice, as my baby was very ill and the clinic in my village is short of health staff and medications.”   For aid agencies, security constraints are making it increasingly hard to gain access to certain areas, while escalating violence is impacting and sometimes preventing their work.   “We are very alarmed about forthcoming reductions in funding activities for some organisations amid global cuts to humanitarian assistance,” says Dr Simba Tirima, MSF country representative. “This year might become the worst year yet in terms of humanitarian needs and suffering for people.”   In order to alleviate the suffering of vulnerable communities, MSF believes that priority should be given to preventing and treating malnutrition, and to vaccinating people against preventable diseases.   Faced with the prospect of an alarming 2024, MSF calls upon the humanitarian community and Nigerian government to urgently mobilise across northwest Nigeria, where access is possible, to respond to this neglected humanitarian emergency.   http://www.msf.org/neglected-humanitarian-crisis-escalates-northwest-nigeria   27 Feb. 2024   Somalia's humanitarian crisis demands funding to avert hunger. (CARE)   Catastrophic climate change coupled with conflict has pushed over 4 million Somalis into severe hunger. Currently, one in five Somalis has no access to adequate food. 1.7 million children face acute malnutrition, their young lives hanging in the balance.   Meanwhile, the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) is only 1.6% funded as of 27th February, leaving the most vulnerable without a lifeline.   In 2023, Somalia was at the cusp of a famine. Five consecutive failed rain seasons followed by extreme flooding left 6.9 million people in need. The country witnessed unprecedented levels of displacement that saw 2.9 million people leave their homes in search of food and water.   Since late 2023 and extending into early 2024, devastating floods wreaked havoc on agricultural lands, decimating vital crops and sweeping away livestock—the cornerstone of many Somali families' livelihoods. This dual blow has exacerbated an already dire situation, with soaring food prices persisting well beyond the typical five-year average.   "The urgency of the situation in Somalia cannot be overstated. Lives hang in the balance as resources dwindle in the face of escalating needs. We implore governments and international donors to step up with crucial funding and support," said Ummy Dubow, Country Director at CARE Somalia.   http://www.care-international.org/news/somalias-humanitarian-crisis-demands-immediate-action-and-funding-avert-hunger http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/en/
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