Humanitarian aid depends on good data: what’s wrong with the way it’s collected: The defunding of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), along with reductions in aid from the UK and elsewhere, raises questions about the continued collection of data that helps inform humanitarian efforts. Humanitarian response plans rely on accurate, accessible and up-to-date …
Gaza: what aid agencies can hope to achieve under the strict limits of the four-day humanitarian pause: The four-day humanitarian pause in Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip will be vital to allow humanitarian agencies into the stricken Palestinian enclave with much-needed supplies of food, water, fuel and medicine. But four days is a very …
There’s nothing ‘humanitarian’ about a humanitarian pause in Gaza: Despite the steadily mounting death toll in Gaza, western politicians are still calling for a “humanitarian pause” in Israel’s assault on Gaza. “Humanitarian” is defined as “seeking to promote human welfare as a primary or pre-eminent good” – but, in Gaza’s case, a “humanitarian pause” in …
Israel-Hamas war: there is an important difference between a humanitarian pause and a ceasefire: The Labour Party leader, Keir Starmer, has come under fire from members of his own party for refusing to call for a ceasefire in the Hamas-Israel war, instead pushing for a humanitarian pause in the conflict. As a result, 50 Labour …
Libya floods: why cash is the best way to help get humanitarian aid to people affected by disasters: Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock The heavy rainfall that hit Libya during Storm Daniel caused two dams and four bridges to collapse in the coastal city of Derna, submerging most of the city in floodwater and claiming thousands of lives. …
Sudan conflict: why a humanitarian truce is proving so hard to secure – and what that means for people on the ground: Reports out of Sudan of continuing violence suggest that the seven-day ceasefire organised during talks in Jeddah – the seventh attempt to end the violence in Sudan – is crumbling. A fighter plane …
Open source maps and open data help humanitarian response: Open source maps and open data help humanitarian response hleson Fri, 03/24/2023 – 03:00 Every day people use “open” to have an impact in their world. The Türkiye and Syria Earthquake Response includes over 9,000 people editing OpenStreetMap (OSM), partners providing open licensed satellite imagery, people …
Do humanitarian agencies help refugees become independent? Evidence from history: Refugees take shelter in front of the UN refugee centre in South Africa. Ihsaan Haffejee/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images When 5.3 million Ukrainians entered the EU between February and June 2022, alongside life-saving emergency assistance came similarly crucial support: the right to stay and work …
COVID has reached North Korea, threatening a humanitarian emergency: The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March 2020. But it’s only in recent days, in May 2022, that the secretive Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) has reported its first confirmed cases of the virus. While it may seem somewhat astounding that …
Ukraine: abduction of UK aid workers raises safety questions over humanitarian organisations: Recent video footage showing British aid worker Paul Urey wearing handcuffs has sparked outrage in the UK. The 45-year-old from Warrington in Cheshire made several comments critical of the UK media’s reporting of the invasion, which his mother dismissed as her son “not …
Ukraine war: lessons for mediators from the experience of humanitarian organisations: Despite the discovery of what appears to be grisly evidence of war crimes committed by Russian soldiers against the people of Bucha in the north-west of Ukraine, the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, still insists that negotiation is the only way to end the conflict. …
Drones and driverless cars could help with Ukraine’s humanitarian crisis: RoClickMag/Shutterstock The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to a serious humanitarian crisis. Of Ukraine’s 44 million people, almost one-quarter have been displaced. Around 3.7 million have escaped to neighbouring European countries, while around 6.5 million are estimated to be displaced inside Ukraine. Tragically, deaths …
COVID in Afghanistan: low vaccine coverage and a crumbling health system could trigger a humanitarian crisis: The pandemic has had a big impact on Afghanistan. There have been 177,000 confirmed COVID cases and 7,600 deaths up to March 28 2022, though this is probably a significant under-count. Modelling by the Institute for Health Metrics and …
Sexual abuse during humanitarian operations still happens. What must be done to end it: The World Health Organization (WHO) sign at its headquarters. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images The World Health Organization (WHO) is under fire after allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse surfaced last month. More than 50 women accused aid workers from several …
Comply or leave: the dilemma facing humanitarian agencies: Humanitarian agencies are often thrust into the heart of contentious crises without easy or quick solutions. The Houthis accused the WFP of giving out expired food assistance. The UN agency delivers monthly rations or money to 10.2 million people of Yemen's 26-million population. EPA-EFE/YAHYA ARHAB The Ethiopian …
Humanitarian workers risk life and limb to deliver aid to the most vulnerable: Participants and staff of MSF (Medecins Sans Frontieres) hold lights during a commemoration for victims of attacks. EPA/SALVATORE DI NOLFI Late into a stifling Khartoum night, I sat glued to my phone. I was tracking the desperate, and ultimately failed, attempt to …
A cool Camps Bay Beach image: Drives a Humvee off a landing craft during a simulated Humanitarian Assistance-Disaster Relief mission Image by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command OKINAWA, Japan (Feb. 1, 2019) – Cpl. Hector Guereca, a motor transportation operator with Combat Logistics Battalion 31, drives a Humvee off a landing craft during a simulated Humanitarian Assistance-Disaster …
COVID-19 in India: an unfolding humanitarian crisis: There have been many predictions about how many people have had COVID-19 and whether or not this or that country has reached herd immunity. We have seen this before in Manaus, Brazil, and in India. The optimism is alas always misplaced and occasionally used irresponsibly. We have seen …