World Humanitarian Day 2024; Act for Humanity by UN News, OCHA, ICRC, Reliefweb, agencies 11:46am 19th Aug, 2024   This World Humanitarian Day, we need those in power to act now to ensure the protection of civilians, including humanitarians, in all conflict zones.    Despite universally accepted international laws to regulate the conduct of armed conflict and limit its impact on civilian lives, violations of these laws continue unabated, unchallenged and unchecked. And while civilians, including aid workers, pay the ultimate price, the perpetrators continue to evade justice. This failure of those in power cannot be allowed to continue.    Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure must stop. Attacks on humanitarian workers and humanitarian assets must stop.    The first half of 2024 has been characterized by attacks against health, education and water and sanitation facilities that has left millions of people without access to the services they need to survive. 2023 was the deadliest year on record for humanitarian workers. In 2023, tens of thousands of civilians were killed and injured in armed conflict,    The brutal hostilities in multiple conflicts around the world have exposed a terrible truth: We are living in an era of impunity. Attacks that kill or injure civilians, including humanitarian and health-care personnel, are devastatingly common. Yet despite widespread condemnation, serious violations of the rules of war too often go unpunished. This status quo is shameful and cannot continue.    This World Humanitarian Day, we demand an end to these violations and the impunity with which they are committed. It is time for those in power to end impunity and #ActForHumanity.    All States, parties to armed conflict, and the wider international community must act to end attacks on civilians and take active steps to protect them – and the critical civilian infrastructure they rely on.    We must confront the normalization of attacks on civilians, including humanitarians, and impunity under International Humanitarian Law (IHL). We must pressure parties to conflict and world leaders to take action to ensure the protection of civilians, including humanitarians, in all conflict zones.    Attacks harming humanitarians have become common and are a violation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). In 2023, 280 humanitarians were killed, most of them were national staff working to help their own communities. So far this year, more than 170 humanitarians have been killed. At least another 150 have been injured or abducted.    All parties to armed conflict – States and non-State armed groups alike – must respect international humanitarian law (IHL). This means they must; Protect all civilians, including humanitarian workers and all civilian objects, including humanitarian assets. Allow humanitarian aid to reach all civilians who need it, safely, quickly and without obstruction. Care for wounded and sick people and protect medical personnel, facilities and transports.    Protect objects indispensable for civilians’ survival, such as crops and drinking water. Treat all people under their control humanely. Torture, sexual violence and other forms of inhumane treatment are strictly prohibited.    Obstructions, denial of humanitarian access, threats to humanitarian workers' safety and movement compromise lifelines to millions of people in need. This results in ordinary people losing access to essentials such as food, water and medical care.    The destruction of hospitals, schools and other critical civilian infrastructure devastates communities for generations. In 2023, global humanitarian operations provided life-saving aid to more than 140 million people. Despite the challenges, humanitarians persist in striving to help all those in need.    This year marks the 75th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions – part of the foundation of IHL and the global consensus that wars must have limits.    Parties to armed conflict are obligated to uphold IHL. All States must use their influence to prevent and end IHL violations. The issue isn’t the absence of rules but the failure to uphold them. We need political will and courage to ensure respect for IHL.    It is vital that all parties to armed conflict and all States adhere to their obligations and leverage their influence to ensure respect for the rules of war and minimize human suffering.    Fulfilling these obligations requires more than mere declarations – it demands immediate and decisive actions. Turning a blind eye when humanitarian workers are targeted only emboldens those who seek to hinder their work.    This only serves to increase food insecurity, childhood malnutrition, involuntary displacement and the spread of infectious diseases and other threats. The immediate effects of these will not only be limited to areas of conflict but often spread far beyond.    http://www.worldhumanitarianday.org/ http://interagencystandingcommittee.org/open-letter-member-states-un-general-assembly-behalf-iasc-principals http://www.un.org/en/observances/humanitarian-day/messages http://www.un.org/en/observances/humanitarian-day http://about.worldhumanitarianday.org/past-campaigns    Statement by members of the NGO Working Group on the Protection of Civilians:    This year marks both the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Security Council’s adoption of the protection of civilians (POC) in armed conflict agenda, and the 75th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions.    Rather than an opportunity to mark progress in strengthening protection of civilians in conflict, the Security Council must reckon with the reality of the shocking civilian toll of armed conflict.    Despite significant effort and investment, including UN Security Council resolutions enshrining the Protection of Civilians as a global priority, 2024 has been characterised by the continued erosion of compliance with international laws and standards, in particular international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL).    A widening gap between legal obligations and practice now threatens 25 years of progress and leaves civilians in conflicts around the world vulnerable to the devastating consequences of these wars.    The disproportionately high impact of armed conflict on women, children, people with disabilities, older people, and other potentially marginalised groups is now the norm rather than the exception.    Today, civilians continue to suffer the tragic effects of war across numerous contexts, including those with UN peace operations or where missions are in the process of drawdown or withdrawal.    Warring parties - including state and non-state actors - continue to kill, maim and cause life-long psychological wounds to civilians, use sexual violence and starvation as weapons of war, and destroy critical civilian infrastructure, the environment, livelihoods and education.    As conflict is increasingly fought in urban areas, the levels of harm to civilians and damage to civilian infrastructure increases exponentially, especially when parties to conflict use explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA).    In all cases, the physical, psychological and reverberating effects of violence often continue to impact civilian lives and livelihoods for generations after the conflict has ended.    We are standing at the threshold, witnessing a deliberate undermining of the collective commitments established to limit the barbarity of war, combined with a lack of accountability when international laws and standards are disregarded.    In addition, survivors are often left without justice or redress. If this accountability gap is not addressed urgently, we risk barrelling further down a path of no return.    As NGOs working in conflict zones around the world, while we seek to strengthen rules and mechanisms to prevent and address civilian harm in armed conflict, the scale of harm and humanitarian need is now far outpacing our ability to respond.    Reversing the tide is not only a legal and moral responsibility but is central to maintaining international peace and security and to making progress on essential shared global goals.    The world has changed considerably in the last 25 years. Armed conflicts have become increasingly complex, urbanised, and asymmetric. Meanwhile, emerging threats such as the use of new technologies and artificial intelligence, mis- and disinformation, and the presence of non-state security actors, including private military and security companies, as well as climate change, continue to change the way armed conflict is fought and the nature and scale of risks to civilians in conflict. A re-commitment to the protection of civilians is more urgent than ever.    This responsibility to prevent and end armed conflicts, regulate how they are fought and hold the perpetrators of violations accountable sits with armed actors, states and with the bodies designed to maintain international peace and security - all of which are currently failing in their duties.    States must not only respect their own legal obligations and commitments, they should also use their leverage to ensure that all parties to a conflict, and those supporting them, respect international norms and standards, including the protection of civilians. Those with power must ensure all civilians, including humanitarians, journalists, human rights defenders and peacebuilders, are not a target.    Major arms exporting States have a role to play in encouraging compliance with these international norms and standards. By ending the supply of weapons, ammunition, and parts and components to contexts where there might be an overriding risk of the commission of violations of IHL and IHRL, States will not only fulfil their obligations under the Geneva Conventions and international customary law to ensure respect for IHL, but also contribute to preventing the suffering of civilians.    Ahead of this year’s UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians, we collectively urge UN Security Council members, the UN Secretary-General, and all UN Member States to inject renewed urgency into ensuring the implementation of international laws and standards, and UNSC Resolutions, for the protection of civilians in armed conflict..    Signed by: Action Against Hunger, Amnesty International, Article 36, CARE, Center for Civilians in Conflict, Concern Worldwide, Control Arms, Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect, Human Rights Watch, Humanitarian Policy Group / ODI, International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW), International Rescue Committee, Legal Action Worldwide, Nonviolent Peace Force, Norwegian Refugee Council, PAX, Plan International, Save the Children, Watchlist for Children and Armed Conflict, World Vision    http://reliefweb.int/report/world/2024-statement-members-ngo-working-group-protection-civilians http://www.unocha.org/news/un-deputy-relief-chief-appeals-security-council-full-protection-civilians http://www.undocs.org/S/2024/385 http://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/geneva-conventions-75th-anniversary-foundational-treaties-save-lives-and-dignity http://www.icrc.org/en/document/75th-anniversary-geneva-conventions http://www.icrc.org/en/document/icrc-president-spoljaric-destruction-despair-should-not-let-us-forget-wars-have-limits http://www.icrc.org/en/document/global-and-collective-failure-to-protect-civilians-in-armed-conflict http://www.ifrc.org/get-involved/campaign-us/stand-us-protect-humanity    http://www.care-international.org/news/impunity-must-end-attacks-aid-workers-rise-record-high http://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2024/08/un-women-statement-for-world-humanitarian-day http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/08/1153326 http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/meaningful-action-prevent-use-explosive-weapons-populated-areas-could-almost-halve http://www.hi-us.org/en/campaign/stop-bombing-civilians http://www.inew.org/news/ http://www.unicef.org/topics/humanitarian-action-and-emergencies http://data.stopwaronchildren.org http://www.stopwaronchildren.org/    http://www.unfpa.org/news/health-and-humanitarian-workers-face-record-violence-here-are-5-reasons-world-must-take-action http://insecurityinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/The-Effects-on-Health-Care-of-the-Use-of-Explosive-Weapons-July-2024.pdf http://www.msf.org/ http://www.globalr2p.org/resources/resolution-2286-protection-of-civilians-s-res-2286/ http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/remarks-unrwa-chief-staff-mr-ben-majekodunmi-world-humanitarian-day-2024-un-commemoration http://unocha.exposure.co/act-for-humanity http://odi.org/en/insights/world-humanitarian-day-2024-act-for-humanity/ http://www.interaction.org/blog/world-humanitarian-day-2024/ http://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/mercy-corps-world-humanitarian-day-2024 http://www.helpage.org/news/world-humanitarian-day-2024-a-call-to-protect-those-who-serve http://www.concern.net/news/world-failing-humanitarian-workers-and-people-they-support    June 2024    Millions of people are teetering on the brink of starvation, by 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, at least 310 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.    Over 37 million people across 47 countries require immediate emergency assistance to save lives. With a further 24.5 million children acutely malnourished undermining their life chances. FAO and WFP have jointly warned that between June and October 2024, acute food insecurity is likely to deteriorate further in 18 hunger hotspots. Hotspots of highest concern are Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Palestine and Haiti.    In Palestine, based on an analysis conducted in March 2024, 1.1 million people – half of the population of the Gaza Strip – is expected to fall into IPC Phase 5 (famine) by mid-July. For Sudan, an IPC alert in March called for urgent action to prevent famine, as populations are at risk of facing starvation and total collapse of livelihoods. An updated IPC analysis reflecting the rapid and alarming deterioration is expected to be published in the coming weeks.    In South Sudan, 79,000 people and in Mali, more than 2,500 people are projected to face Catastrophic conditions (IPC/CH Phase 5) this year. In Haiti, already critical levels of acute food insecurity are likely to deteriorate in the coming months, with the risk of catastrophic conditions re-emerging.    While drivers of food insecurity are interlinked, and the impact of economic shocks and natural hazards have grown in importance in recent years, 65% of acutely food insecure people live in fragile or conflict affected contexts. 16 out of 18 hunger hotspot countries at risk of significant deterioration from June to November 2024 have conflict and violence as primary cause, particularly those at the highest alert level, including Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan and Haiti.    Globally, armed violence continues to be on the rise: 2023 saw a 12% increase in conflict compared to 2022, and a 40% increase compared to 2020. The total number of internally displaced people, mainly conflict-induced, grew by over 50% over the past five years. The effects of conflicts are also increasingly spreading beyond borders, causing cross-border population movement and regional spill-over effects.    Conflict continues severely hampering humanitarian access, hindering assistance in reaching those most in need, and often driving up operational costs.    Conflict and instability are compounded by a slowdown of economic growth in emerging markets and developing economies. Many countries worldwide continue struggling with high debt levels – putting at risk investments into protecting their people, especially the most vulnerable.    Food inflation rates continue to be persistently high in dozens of countries, diminishing purchasing power and threatening households’ access to food. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, food prices have at least doubled in 26 countries.    Weather extremes, such as excessive rains, tropical storms, cyclones, flooding, droughts and increased climate variability remain significant drivers of acute food insecurity in some countries and regions.    Southern Africa is facing severe El Nino induced droughts and floods across the region, leading to national disaster declarations in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Namibia, and Madagascar. High rainfall and record high Lake Victoria levels will likely expand multi-year flooding in South Sudan's Sudd wetlands from September, lasting until early next year, potentially causing long-term population displacements.    La Nina is expected to prevail from August this year, significantly influencing rainfall distribution and temperatures. If it materialises, La Nina is likely to bring back drought conditions in Somalia, southeastern Ethiopia, and northeastern Kenya during the growing season of October-December this year, and possibly during the season of March to May next year. La Nina also increases the likelihood of an extremely active hurricane season in the Caribbean, a heightened risk of flooding in the Sahel, and dry conditions during the next winter season in Central Asia.    Following a peak in 2022, 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.    From January to March, WFP was able to reach 62 million people with food, cash, commodity vouchers, and capacity strengthening. During the same period, WFP assisted 5.4 million children under age 5 and PBWG with programmes to prevent malnutrition and 3.8 million children and PBWG with programmes to aid recovery from malnutrition.    In comparison with the 62 million people assisted by WFP from January to March, 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.    WFP is forced to consider the real risk of spreading its resources too thin. For 2024, WFP has been forced to adjust its plan from 150 million people as shared in the February edition of this report to now 139 million people based on projected needs.    This year, WFP is planning to assist 17 million children under age 5 and pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls (PBWG) with malnutrition prevention activities and 16.3 million children and PBWG with programmes to aid recovery from malnutrition.    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 falls 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://reliefweb.int/report/world/wfp-global-operational-response-plan-2024-update-11-june-2024-new-synopsis-format http://www.fightfoodcrises.net/hunger-hotspots/en http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/resources/countries-in-focus/en/ http://www.ipcinfo.org/ http://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/hunger-hotspots-report-famine-looms-in-gaza-while-risk-of-starvation-persists-in-sudan--haiti--mali--and-south-sudan/en http://www.fsinplatform.org/report/global-report-food-crises-2024/ http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/story/conflicts-long-shadow-has-a-name-its-hunger/    26 June 2024    Global Humanitarian Overview 2024 Mid-year update (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.    In many contexts, conflict and lack of respect for international humanitarian law (IHL)—including horrifying attacks against aid workers—as well as the imposition of bureaucratic impediments have hampered humanitarians’ ability to respond, and impacted people’s ability to safely access services and support.    In the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), humanitarian operations were consistently hampered and constrained, while medical evacuation of critical patients was suspended when the Rafah offensive began. And in northern Mozambique, a fresh wave of attacks by non-State armed groups disrupted operations in multiple locations.    A similar story has played out across each of the sectors of humanitarian responses around the world, with life-threatening consequences for people in crisis:    Under-resourcing and attacks against water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure have exposed people to a heightened risk of disease    Globally, more than 100 million targeted people (42 per cent) have not received WASH assistance due to underfunding and attacks on infrastructure. In Afghanistan, insufficient funding has led to a surge in acute watery diarrhoea/cholera cases in high-risk areas, with over 26,500 cases in the first quarter of 2024, mainly affecting children under five.    In Bangladesh (Cox’s Bazaar), half of camps are receiving drinking water below quantity and quality standards, compromising the health of residents. In OPT (Gaza), partners estimate that 67 per cent of water and sanitation facilities have been destroyed or damaged, leaving people to collect water from unreliable resources, which are contributing to elevated levels of disease. In Guatemala, about 95 per cent of people targeted, will not have access to basic WASH, increasing the risk of diarrhoeal disease and healthy development of children.    Curtailed access to education is depriving children of their future    As wars and the climate crisis take their toll, attacks on education mount5 and education remains under-resourced, forcing millions of children out of school and jeopardizing their lives and their futures. In Ukraine, children’s education is significantly disrupted, with schools in some areas only operating if equipped with bomb shelters. In Yemen, over 4.5 million children remain unable to attend school and 1.3 million displaced children are forced to cope with overcrowded classrooms.    In Cameroon, some 38,000 crisis-affected children and adolescents have not received the cash transfers needed to support their schooling.    In Syria, reduced support for education costs and widespread disruptions and attacks have forced more children out of school, with over a million more at risk of dropping out. In OPT, over 600,000 children are missing out on formal schooling, with more than 76 per cent of schools in Gaza now requiring full reconstruction or rehabilitation.    In Mali, 1.5 million out-of-school children are seeing their future economic opportunities evaporate, hindering long-term social cohesion and perpetuating the cycle of poverty. In Afghanistan, the country has passed the 1,000th day in which girls over the age of 11 have been banned from going to secondary school, decimating girls’ futures and leading to an increase in child marriage and early childbearing with dire physical, emotional and economic consequences.    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).    Due to lack of funding, around 3.5 million Afghans will lose access to their yearly wheat consumption, including 50,000 female-headed households, while in Burkina Faso, 1.3 million people will likely face acute food insecurity during the upcoming lean season (June – September 2024). In Zimbabwe, World Vision International was unable to provide 305,000 people with in-kind food assistance during the 2023-2024 Lean Season period.    In South Sudan, WFP is providing only 70 per cent rations, including to Sudanese refugees in catastrophic hunger conditions (IPC5), and only 50 per cent to those in emergency levels of food insecurity (IPC4). In Yemen, about 17.6 million people will continue to suffer from acute food insecurity – this will be especially detrimental among the six million people already facing emergency food insecurity (IPC 4) and there is a risk that pockets of catastrophic levels of food insecurity (IPC 5) could emerge.    Attacks against health-care facilities and workers, and underfunding of health services increase maternal and child mortality, disrupt mental health and psychosocial support and heighten non-communicable disease risk    Globally, 516 attacks against health care facilities, assets and personnel in 12 countries and territories were recorded by the World Health Organization from January to May 20248. Meanwhile, underfunding is leaving millions of people without access to the health services they need to survive.    In Ukraine, 3.5 million people will lose essential primary health care, worsening mental health and increasing non-communicable disease mortality. In Yemen, over 500,000 women will be unable to access vital reproductive health services and about 600,000 children will be deprived of crucial vaccination services and essential childcare.    In Syria, just 63 per cent of hospitals and 52 per cent of primary health care facilities are fully functional due to a combination of conflict and under-resourcing, while hundreds of facilities and mobile medical teams are under threat of closure due to funding shortages, placing 14.9 million people at risk of interrupted access to health and nutrition services.    In Myanmar, health partners have had to prioritize services for internally displaced people, leaving about 1 million non-displaced people who had been targeted for support without assistance. In Uganda, the number of health workers supported by refugee response partners was reduced by 28 per cent (from 2,652 to 1,918) and community health workers, who are critical for health promotion and disease prevention intervention, were reduced by 11 per cent, affecting the availability of vital health services for refugees and host communities.    In Afghanistan, since January 2024, 183 static and mobile health facilities have ceased operations due to funding constraints, limiting primary health care access for approximately 2.1 million Afghans, including pregnant women, children and individuals with disabilities in remote areas.    Internally displaced persons, refugees and migrants are facing cuts in services and support    In Colombia, where massive displacement and climate shocks combine, underfunding has placed the response to vulnerable communities under strain and forced partners to reduce accommodations for refugees and migrants. In Burkina Faso, due to both underfunding and access challenges, 52 per cent of people newly displaced did not receive any assistance in the first quarter of 2024.    In Lebanon, 115,500 refugee families will lose cash assistance from the joint United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees/World Food Programme (UNCHR/WFP) cash programme, representing a 40 per cent drop from 2023, even as more refugees in Lebanon fall below the poverty line. Similarly, in Jordan, the number of refugee families receiving UNHCR cash assistance for basic needs in urban areas has decreased by nearly one-third, while the amount of cash received has decreased by a quarter.    The bottom line – underfunding costs lives    The reality is: when people cannot reach—or 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 robust and tightly prioritized response plans and appeals prepared by humanitarian partners for 2024 are fully funded.    It is equally critical that parties to conflicts—and those who support them—around the globe take immediate action to uphold international humanitarian law, including to protect civilians and ensure that aid workers do not have to risk their lives to save others.    http://humanitarianaction.info/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2024-mid-year-update/article/cost-inaction-0 http://www.unocha.org/latest/news-and-stories http://unocha.exposure.co/ http://news.un.org/en/news/topic/humanitarian-aid http://reliefweb.int http://www.acaps.org/en/thematics/all-topics/humanitarian-access    June 2024    Alarming drop in global funding to people in war and crisis, by Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council.    Halfway into 2024, only 18 percent of the funding needed for humanitarian assistance globally has been received.    “At a time when the world is falling apart for millions of people, we are seeing an increasing trend of international neglect. I have never before seen such a glaring gap between the need for lifesaving aid and available funding. The overall level of humanitarian assistance is totally insufficient, and just a few crises receive funding and attention while most are forgotten,” warned Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council.    “The gap between the growing needs and the available funding has increased over the last decade, but last year was the first year with an actual drop in the amount of funding for humanitarian appeals. The outlook for this year is even bleaker, and more people in dire need are likely to be left without any support at all.”    Humanitarian needs continued to grow during the first half of the year, and 48.7 billion dollars are currently needed to meet the most acute needs. A vast shortfall has developed, with only 9 billion dollars (18 per cent) received as of June 2024 according to OCHA’s mid-year update.    “It is devastating that nations are able to send satellites to the far side of the moon, but unwilling to prevent children from starving to death here on Earth,” said Egeland. “We are reliant on contributions from just a few countries, whilst many nations capable of providing more assistance are doing far too little,” added Egeland.    Around the world, food and cash assistance programmes are being cut. NRC staff have witnessed refugees returning to unsafe conflict areas owing to the reduction of support in their host communities. Others are forced to sell possessions – including farming tools which could otherwise support food security – in order to make ends meet.    The lack of funding for humanitarian assistance is in several countries also compounded by cuts or suspension in development assistance.    “Suspension of development assistance in many countries affected by political crises means the root causes of crisis situations are not being addressed, while humanitarian funds are being exhausted responding to a multitude of needs. It is vital that development financing actors remain engaged.”    http://www.nrc.no/news/2024/july/alarming-drop-in-global-funding-to-people-in-war-and-crisis/    # The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) reports global military spending of $2440 billion in 2023. 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. Visit the related web page
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