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	World Humanitarian Day: #ActForHumanity by UN News, OCHA, ICRC, WHO, agencies   Aug. 2025   A Call to #ActForHumanity   On the 19th of August, we mark World Humanitarian Day — a time to honor those who step into crises to help others, and to stand with the millions of people whose lives hang in the balance.   This year the message is clear: the humanitarian system is stretched to its limits; underfunded, overwhelmed and under attack.   Where bombs fall and disasters strike, humanitarian workers are the ones holding the line keeping people alive, often at great personal risk. But more and more those who help are becoming targets themselves.   In 2024 alone over 380 humanitarian workers were killed. Some in the line of duty, others in their homes. Hundreds more have been injured, kidnapped or detained, and there is reason to fear 2025 could be worse.   Too often the world looks away, even when these attacks violate international law. The laws meant to protect aid workers are ignored. Those responsible walk free. This silence and lack of accountability cannot continue.   The system is failing not just humanitarian workers, but the people they serve. We’re not at a crossroads anymore. We’re standing at the edge. Needs are rising. Funding is falling. Attacks on aid workers are breaking records.   To pull us back from that edge, this World Humanitarian Day we’re relaunching #ActForHumanity with sharper urgency demanding protection, accountability and action. It’s time to turn global outrage into real pressure on those in power, asking them to:   Protect humanitarian workers and the civilians they serve. Uphold international humanitarian law. Fund the lifelines we claim to support.   If we can’t protect the people who save lives, what does that say about us? If we let this continue, we risk losing not just a system but our sense of humanity.   Leaders ignored last year’s call. This year, we relaunch #ActForHumanity. Let's rally public pressure on those in power to uphold the laws that safeguard humanity, and to protect civilians and humanitarian workers in conflict zones.   Demanding governments, parties to conflict and world leaders uphold international law, end impunity, and #ActForHumanity.   When protection is denied and accountability is absent, our voices and actions must fill the void. Aid workers keep going into danger, through checkpoints, under fire. They show up. So must we.   http://www.un.org/en/observances/humanitarian-day http://www.worldhumanitarianday.org/ http://www.unocha.org/news/world-humanitarian-day-attacks-aid-workers-hit-another-record-humanitarians-call-urgent-action http://www.unocha.org/news/protect-civilians-and-aid-workers-global-call-world-humanitarian-day http://www.unocha.org/world-humanitarian-day http://protect-humanitarian-personnel.org http://healthcluster.who.int/newsroom/news/item/19-08-2025-an-urgent-call-to-action-from-the-global-health-cluster http://www.msf.org/what-cost-killing-humanitarians http://www.unfpa.org/news/international-humanitarian-law-flouted-health-and-aid-workers-are-targeted-conflicts-around http://www.unfpa.org/emergencies   http://www.ifrc.org/article/world-humanitarian-day-2025-urgent-call-honor-respect-and-protect-those-who-actforhumanity http://www.ifrc.org/get-involved/campaign-us/stand-us-protect-humanity http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/ihl-only-as-strong-as-leaders-will-uphold-it http://www.caritas.org/2025/08/world-humanitarian-day-honouring-the-fallen-defending-the-living/ http://www.wvi.org/newsroom/call-safeguard-humanitarian-action-amid-rising-threats-and-global-aid-cuts http://www.wvi.org/publication/world-refugee-day/report-ration-cuts-2025 http://www.ipsnews.net/2025/08/un-staff-federation-remembers-with-sorrow-the-many-who-have-fallen-in-the-line-of-duty/ http://www.rescue.org/press-release/irc-statement-world-humanitarian-day-2025-palestinians-make-almost-one-fifth-aid http://www.acaps.org/en/thematics/all-topics/humanitarian-access   http://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/world-humanitarian-day-2025 http://www.bond.org.uk/news/2025/08/theyre-hunting-us-now-a-humanitarians-reckoning/ http://www.nrc.no/news/2025/august/yemen-aid-organisations-call-for-solidarity-and-urgent-action-on-world-humanitarian-day http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/press-releases/over-100-humanitarian-organizations-call-for-immediate-ceasefire-and-unimpeded-aid-access-in-gaza/ http://www.nrc.no/feature/2025/a-global-displacement-crisis-as-the-world-abandons-aid   June 2025   Humanitarians in action: delivering even amid extreme challenges. (OCHA)   Despite facing extreme underfunding and escalating attacks, humanitarians provided a literal lifeline for millions of people around the world throughout the first months of 2025, in support of the communities they serve, and with local and national actors at the forefront of every response.   Around the world, communities continued to provide the first line of support for one another in times of crisis, from mutual aid efforts through the Emergency Response Rooms in Sudan to community-led kitchens in Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), and solidarity shown by receiving communities to those fleeing violence whether within their own country or across borders.   These efforts were supported by the work of local and national organizations who—despite having to restrict their services and reduce their presence—continued to deliver for those in urgent need.   Since 2025 began, humanitarian agencies—from local and national actors through to international non-governmental organizations (NGO) and United Nations entities—have saved lives and upheld the dignity of people impacted by crises, amid enormous challenges.   In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), following the explosion of violence in the east which displaced at least 660,000 people from January to March 2025, humanitarian actors responded despite the extreme constraints, including acting early to anticipate a cholera outbreak, supported by the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).   In Myanmar, within one month of the devastating earthquakes which struck on 28 March 2025, humanitarian partners had reached at least 600,000 people with water, sanitation and hygiene support, nearly half a million people with food assistance, and more than 100,000 people with emergency shelter and essential household items. Partners in Myanmar also dispatched as mobile medical teams, delivering medical supplies, reuniting separated children with their families and supporting survivors of gender-based violence.   In Sudan, after horrifying violence and insecurity engulfed Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps in April 2025 and forcing the displacement of over 400,000 people, humanitarian partners activated an operational response plans to reach the new arrivals: between 4 and 8 May 2025, 335,000 people received emergency food assistance and 67,000 received emergency nutrition supplies.   Across the border in Chad, UNHCR and its partners worked with authorities to authenticate the medical certificates of Sudanese refugee doctors so they could practice in Chad, providing them with a livelihood and the means to continue help people.   In Haiti, where violence has escalated dramatically and one in every eight children is displaced, humanitarian partners have provided safe spaces and psychosocial support for children in displacement sites and hard-to-reach areas of Port-au-Prince and delivered 4.2 million hot meals to almost 450,000 students, almost 68 per cent of which were prepared with locally sourced products.   In Yemen, which remains one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, 134 humanitarian actors supported an average of 4 million people per month with life-saving protection and assistance in the first quarter of 2025.   UN agencies and humanitarian partner organisations supported displaced communities in 27 countries, delivering life-saving assistance under some of the most challenging conditions. In Ukraine, coordinating the movement of over 83,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), ensuring access to essential services and safety. In Burkina Faso and Yemen, assessments identified critical service gaps, enabling targeted interventions to prevent violence—particularly against displaced women and girls.   The ability of humanitarians to deliver when enabled to do so was showcased during the ceasefire in Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), between 19 January and 18 March 2025. During this time, partners delivered winterization kits to 60,000 children (compared to 10,000 prior to the ceasefire); supported 25 UN-subsidized bakeries (compared to 5 before the ceasefire); and brought 78,000 tonnes of aid into Gaza (compared to 23,000 prior to the ceasefire).   This was followed by the imposition by Israel of an 11-week total aid blockade, during which humanitarian partners continued to deliver whatever aid they could under the most difficult and complex circumstances.   The tireless efforts of humanitarian actors to deliver to people in crisis in a principled manner in the first months of 2025 highlights the ability and commitment of the humanitarian system to assist people in the world’s gravest emergencies, even in the most adverse circumstances.   As global geopolitics shift, it is vital we support principled humanitarian action to reach people in most urgent need. This action is grounded in the work of local and national partners who know their communities best, and leveraging the tools, systems and capacities of the international humanitarian community in support of their efforts.   http://humanitarianaction.info/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2026   22 May 2025   International Framework to Protect Civilians during Armed Conflict Unraveling, speakers warn UN Security Council, urging enforcement of existing Laws. (UN News)   2024 Deadliest Year on Record for Humanitarians, as Civilian Deaths Soared   United Nations officials and humanitarians alike warned that the international framework created to protect civilians during armed conflict is itself under attack during a day-long debate in the UN Security Council today on that topic, as many speakers stressed that civilians will continue to suffer if existing laws are not enforced.   “The short version — the scaffolding built last century to protect us from inhumanity is crumbling; those who will die as a result need us to act,” stated Thomas Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. In 2024, the UN recorded more than 36,000 civilian deaths in 14 armed conflicts, with the real number likely far higher.   He detailed the plight of civilians today: dead, deprived of essential services, forcibly displaced, subjected to “rampant” sexual violence or suffering from “alarming” levels of conflict-driven hunger. “2024 was also the deadliest year on record for humanitarians,” he added.   Spotlighting an unravelling of international law — “despite the lessons of history and clear legal commitments” — he underscored that this jeopardizes the protection architecture that took decades to build.   “There is, though, another path,” he said — provided States act to “salvage what they have built”. This requires that they ensure respect for international law and support efforts to fight impunity. He said they also must acknowledge that, even when parties comply with the law, “the scale of civilian harm can be devastating”, which necessitates strong policy and operational measures to protect civilians. “Let us be remembered not for the warnings we gave, but for the action we took,” he urged.   Next, Sima Bahous, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), emphasized: “In the past year, we have seen bombed maternity wards, blockaded medical supplies and massive funding cuts.” In Afghanistan — where 90 per cent of women lack access to essential healthcare services — a woman dies from preventable pregnancy-related complications every two hours. And, with bans on female workers and shrinking access to care, maternal deaths are projected to rise by 50 per cent in 2026.   Meanwhile, in Gaza, over 28,000 women and girls have been killed since October 2023, she noted, adding: “Tens of thousands have given birth under bombardment and siege, without anaesthetics, postpartum care or clean water.” Urging the Council to treat reproductive violence as a distinct category of harm and hold perpetrators accountable, she added that “trauma compounds over time”. In Gaza, 75 per cent of women suffer from depression; women in Afghanistan describe living in “open-air prisons” and domestic violence is rising in Ukraine.   “Where is the political courage to stop the killing?”, asked Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). “If you do not defend the rules of war today, you are accepting a world where wars are fought with increasing barbarity and disregard for our shared humanity,” she underscored.   “In today’s conflicts, you do not have to pull the trigger to be complicit in the consequences,” she added, stressing that the fourth Geneva Convention contains clear, unambiguous protections for civilians in times of armed conflict.   She therefore urged the Council to prevent any permissive signals that international humanitarian law can be ignored, that life-saving aid can be denied or that principled humanitarian action can be replaced. Peace starts with treating the wounded, reconnecting separated families, ensuring the provision of life-saving aid and sparing civilian populations and infrastructure from harm.   “It is in the darkest moments that our commitment to protecting civilians is most tested and needed,” she said, declaring: “It is possible to protect civilians in war.”   Doing so is especially necessary in the context of children, emphasized Janti Soeripto, President and Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children, as they are “uniquely vulnerable to the effects of war”.   Recalling the words of one of her organization’s healthcare workers in Somalia, describing what happens when children suffer acute malnutrition, she said that “the skin becomes attached to the bone, the child becomes a skeleton” and cries all day “until it stops doing that”. Children, she continued, are also more likely to die from blast injuries: “The blast is more likely to penetrate their small bodies, and they have less blood to lose.”   Observing that humanity faces a “moment where many competing visions of the future are battling for supremacy” and “not an erosion, but an assault” on its values, she said that humanitarians are often asked for technical solutions to inherently political problems.   “Yes, we need support to get food, medicine and schooling to children trapped in conflict,” she acknowledged, but added that it is also necessary for Member States “to do your job”. When civilians suffer because a State makes a political choice to disregard the laws of war, that choice is based on a calculation that the international community will not enforce the law. “We urge you to act,” she concluded.   http://news.un.org/en/news/topic/humanitarian-aid   19 Aug. 2024   Protect civilians and aid workers: A global call on World Humanitarian Day   Open Letter to the Member States of the UN General Assembly, on behalf of the Inter Agency Standing Committee Principals, signed by 413 humanitarian organizations around the world who are calling for the protection of civilians, including their staff:   This World Humanitarian Day, our staff and volunteers around the world will stand in solidarity to spotlight the horrifying toll of armed conflicts on their colleagues and on all civilians, particularly children.   The brutal hostilities we are seeing 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.   In 2023, tens of thousands of civilians were killed or injured in armed conflict, with fatalities among humanitarian workers doubling compared to the previous year.   The toll in 2024 – the number of deaths, injuries, detentions and kidnappings – is already staggering. The overwhelming majority of recorded attacks on aid workers are inflicted on national staff. Women-led organizations and female humanitarian staff face unique and often increased risks, just because they are women. The impact on the mental health of civilians and humanitarian workers has reached unprecedented levels.   And yet parties to conflict continue to flout laws meant to protect civilians, including humanitarian workers, and civilian objects.   This year, on World Humanitarian Day, we appeal to all States, parties to armed conflict, and the wider international community to:   End attacks on civilians and take active steps to protect them – and the critical civilian infrastructure they rely on.   Protect all aid workers, including local and national actors, and their premises and assets and facilitate their work, as called for in UN Security Council Resolution 2730 adopted this May.   Hold perpetrators to account. Those who commit violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) cannot go unpunished.   We should not have to wait for an annual moment such as World Humanitarian Day to remind all parties to armed conflict, and all States, of their obligations under IHL. Adherence to IHL must happen every day irrespective of occasion. It is non-negotiable and is not subject to exceptions.   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.   We will continue to stay and deliver in humanitarian crises around the world – but the situation requires us to take a united stand to call for the protection of our staff, volunteers and the civilians we serve.   http://www.unocha.org/news/protect-civilians-and-aid-workers-global-call-world-humanitarian-day Visit the related web page
	UN report reveals true cost of disasters by UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)   May 2025   Disasters are increasingly expensive and their impacts under-estimated. The Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR) 2025, highlights how direct disaster costs have grown to approximately $202 billion annually, but that the true costs of disasters is over $2.3 trillion when cascading and ecosystem costs are taken into account.   The burden of this cost- and the debt it creates- disproportionately fall on developing countries, but it doesn't need to be this way.   Published by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the GAR 2025 report titled "Resilience Pays: Financing and Investing for our Future," outlines how aligning investments with risk realities can break spirals of debt, uninsurability, and increasing humanitarian needs.   "This year's Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction examines the risks posed by disasters from now to 2050 and presents an indisputable case for action. It shows the eye-watering losses inflicted by disasters today, which hit vulnerable people the hardest. And it demonstrates that, on our current trajectory, costs will continue to mount as the climate crisis worsens.   But it also illustrates that, by boosting and sustaining investment in disaster risk reduction and prevention, we can slow that trend and reap economic benefits - saving lives and livelihoods while driving growth and prosperity, to help reach our Sustainable Development Goals," wrote Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, in his foreword welcoming the report.   The report outlines how the effects of increasing disaster costs are already being felt around the globe, from the emergence of areas deemed too risky for insurance companies to cover, to growing national debts, and recurring humanitarian crises.   However, it also presents case studies and policy recommendations for how investments in resilience can help stop the growing economic cost of disasters, reduce humanitarian needs, and make scarce international assistance resources even more effective.   "Systematic and greater investment in disaster risk reduction and resilience can not only arrest these trends but also reverse them. When riverbank communities have access to scientific tools for planning their land use, when they have resources for building flood protection systems, and when they have early warning systems, they not only reduce damages and losses from floods, but also create conditions for prosperity and sustainable growth in their communities," said Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Head of UNDRR.   The findings of GAR 2025 are especially relevant ahead of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, and speak to specific options for enhancing multilateral finance to better protect smaller developing economies.   The report also shows how the private sector can play a key role in reducing the economic damage of disasters and in filling the protection gap that leaves many countries in a worsening spiral of repeated disasters.   Increasing the quantity and quality of disaster risk reduction investments, in everything from early warning systems to critical infrastructure and schools, will be a focus of many of the discussions at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, which UNDRR is convening from 2 to 6 June, and is hosted by the Government of Switzerland in Geneva.   http://www.undrr.org/news/billions-trillions-flagship-un-report-reveals-true-cost-disasters-and-how-reduce-them http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/05/1163716 http://www.undrr.org/gar/gar2025 http://www.internal-displacement.org/news/disasters-triggered-nearly-265-million-forced-movements-over-the-past-decade/ http://www.iom.int/news/new-report-highlights-sharp-inequalities-displacement-impacts-worldwide http://www.hi-us.org/en/84-of-people-with-disabilities-say-they-are-not-prepared--reducing-the-risk-of-disaster-is-vital http://www.unrisd.org/en/library/blog-posts/still-reaching-for-the-band-aid-vulnerability-risk-and-the-world-social-summit http://www.internal-displacement.org/policy-analysis/unga80-why-displacement-matters-for-global-debates/   4 Dec. 2025   Deadly storms sweep South and Southeast Asia, leaving over 1,600 dead. (UN News)   From Sri Lanka’s central highlands to Indonesia’s flood-swollen river basins, a wave of climate-fuelled cyclones and monsoon rains has unleashed one of the deadliest weather patterns south and southeast Asia has seen in years, killing more than 1,600 people, displacing hundreds of thousands and affecting millions.   Since mid-November, overlapping tropical storms and intensified monsoon systems have triggered catastrophic flooding and landslides across Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Viet Nam.   UN teams across the region are supporting government-led emergency operations with food, health, water and sanitation aid, medical deployments and early recovery assessments, as heavy rains continue and fears grow that the crisis could deepen.   Warm ocean temperatures and shifting storm tracks have produced extreme rainfall in areas that historically faced lower cyclone risk.   Across the region, nearly 11 million people have been affected, including about 1.2 million forced from their homes into shelters, while roads, utilities and farmlands have been washed away.   Sri Lanka bore some of the worst impacts after Cyclone Ditwah made landfall on 28 November, triggering floods and landslides across nearly the entire island.   The highest death tolls were reported in the hill districts of Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Badulla, where landslides swept through plantation communities. Severe flooding also inundated western and north-western districts – including Colombo’s outer suburbs – disrupting markets, transport and water supplies. Children have been especially hard hit, with more than 275,000 estimated to be affected.   In Indonesia, relentless downpours between 22 and 25 November triggered deadly floods and landslides across Aceh, West Sumatra and North Sumatra, devastating dozens of districts.   Official figures indicate more than 830 deaths, with at least 500 people still missing, and more than 880,000 displaced. In total, over three million people have been affected by floodwaters, collapsed hillsides and destroyed infrastructure.   Entire villages have been submerged, bridges washed away and roads cut off, isolating communities and slowing rescue efforts. Emergency teams are relying on helicopters and boats to deliver aid to areas unreachable by land.   Moving east, intensified monsoon rains have battered southern Thailand, where 12 provinces have been affected.   At least 185 people have died, with 367 missing and over four million people impacted. More than 219,000 residents have been displaced as rivers burst their banks and low-lying coastal areas flooded.   In neighbouring Malaysia, flooding across eight northern and central states has displaced around 37,000 people. Authorities continue to issue evacuation orders and weather warnings as rain persists.   Viet Nam is confronting the cumulative toll of one of its harshest typhoon seasons in years. Since October, a succession of storms has flooded and damaged large swathes of the country, particularly in northern and central provinces.   Persistent downpours since mid-November, compounded by Tropical Cyclone Koto, have triggered new landslides and prolonged displacement. A national joint response plan is under way to address food insecurity, health risks and damaged infrastructure.   UN agencies say the storms reflect a broader shift toward more intense and unpredictable weather across the Asia-Pacific. Cyclone Ditwah tracked unusually far south along Sri Lanka’s coast, while Cyclone Senyar formed near the equator in the Strait of Malacca – a rare occurrence.   The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in its latest report issued last week, warned that rising temperatures are fundamentally reshaping the region’s risk landscape.   2 Dec. 2025   Devastating rainfall in Asia claims hundreds of lives. (WMO)   Warmer ocean waters are increasing the potential for extreme rainfall, while rapid urban growth, deforestation and wetland loss are magnifying flood impacts. Even where early warnings were issued, fast-rising waters overwhelmed evacuation routes in some locations.   Devastating rainfall has triggered catastrophic flooding in parts of South and Southeast Asia, claiming hundreds of lives, displacing entire communities and causing massive economic disruption.   Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Viet Nam are among the countries currently worst affected by a combination of monsoon-related rainfall and tropical cyclone activity.   Asia is highly vulnerable to floods, according to the WMO’s State of the Climate in Asia reports. Rising temperatures increase the potential risk of more extreme rainfall because a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture.   “The Asia-Pacific region faces the most intense and frequent tropical cyclone activity in the world. Record-breaking rainfall, storm surges and floods displace millions and cause billions of dollars in economic losses,” WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said.   Monthly Seasonal Climate Outlook Briefings and Scans, highlighting the increased probabilities of above and well above-normal precipitation across several parts of Southeast Asia and the Maritime Continent, and that such prolonged conditions would contribute to increased flood risk. The seasonal climate outlook for South Asia for October to December said that above-normal rainfall is likely across much of central, eastern, and southern South Asia.   Global HydroMet Weekly Scan, issued on 20 and 26 Nov, referring to heavy / very heavy rain, intense thunderstorms, strong winds and storm surge (flash floods / landslides / floods likely) in Sri Lanka, south-eastern India, southern Thailand, Viet Nam, western Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines, including the possible tropical cyclones formation and evolution.   Temperature increase is accelerating in Arab Region. (WMO)   “2024 was the hottest year on record for the Arab region – a continuation of a long-term trend. Temperatures are rising at twice the global average, with intense heatwaves that are pushing society to the limits.   Human health, ecosystems and economies can’t cope with extended spells of more than 50 °Celsius – it is simply too hot to handle.   Droughts are becoming more frequent and severe in one of the world’s most water-stressed regions. And at the same time, we have seen some disruptive and dangerous deluges,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.   The average temperature in 2024 was 1.08 °C above the 1991-2020 average. The length of heatwaves has increased, especially in North Africa and the Near East, with a clear upward trend since 1981, it says. A number of countries reported temperatures of above 50 °C in 2024.   Drought worsened in 2024 in western North Arica after six consecutive failed rainy seasons, especially over Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Conversely – extreme rainfall and flash floods caused death and destruction in otherwise arid countries including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.   The frequency and severity of extreme weather and climate events have increased significantly, with an 83% rise in recorded disasters between 1980–1999 and 2000–2019.   “Climate models covering the Arab region project a potential rise in average temperatures of up to 5°C by the end of the century under high-emission scenarios. Rising sea levels also threaten coastal cities. Declining rainfall affects water scarcity and jeopardizes food production", said Rola Dashti Executive Secretary of Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.   http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166516 http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166509 http://news.un.org/en/tags/extreme-weather http://wmo.int/media/news/devastating-rainfall-asia-claims-hundreds-of-lives http://wmo.int/media/news/temperature-increase-accelerating-arab-region-escalating-impacts http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/over-275000-children-affected-sri-lanka-following-devastating-cyclone http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/millions-children-southeast-asia-affected-relentless-climate-related-disasters http://www.unocha.org/publications/report/sri-lanka/sri-lanka-humanitarian-priorities-plan-cyclone-ditwa http://www.care.org/media-and-press/millions-still-struggling-across-south-and-southeast-asia-after-massive-flooding-landslides/ http://www.careinternational.org.uk/press-office/press-releases/cop30-offers-too-little-as-global-solidarity-fades-failing-vulnerable-communities/   http://www.worldweatherattribution.org/increasing-heavy-rainfall-and-extreme-flood-heights-in-a-warming-climate-threaten-densely-populated-regions-across-sri-lanka-and-the-malacca-strait/ http://www.climatecentre.org/16365/millions-affected-by-severe-flooding-across-asia/ http://www.worldweatherattribution.org/ten-years-of-the-paris-agreement-the-present-and-future-of-extreme-heat/ http://www.worldweatherattribution.org/unequal-evidence-and-impacts-limits-to-adaptation-extreme-weather-in-2025/ http://climate.copernicus.eu/copernicus-2025-course-be-joint-second-warmest-year-november-third-warmest-record http://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/75/12/1016/8303627   July 2025   Global Drought Hotspots Report Catalogs Severe Suffering, Economic Damage.   Fueled by climate change and relentless pressure on land and water resources, some of the most widespread and damaging drought events in recorded history have taken place since 2023, according to a UN-backed report launched today.   Prepared by the U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), with support from the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA), the latest report Drought Hotspots Around the World 2023-2025 provides a comprehensive account of how droughts compound poverty, hunger, energy insecurity, and ecosystem collapse.   Says UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw: “Drought is a silent killer. It creeps in, drains resources, and devastates lives in slow motion. Its scars run deep.”   “Drought is no longer a distant threat,” he adds. “It is here, escalating, and demands urgent global cooperation. When energy, food, and water all go at once, societies start to unravel. That’s the new normal we need to be ready for.”   “This is not a dry spell,” says Dr. Mark Svoboda, report co-author and NDMC Director. "This is a slow-moving global catastrophe, the worst I've ever seen. This report underscores the need for systematic monitoring of how drought affects lives, livelihoods, and the health of the ecosystems that we all depend on."   “The Mediterranean countries represent canaries in the coal mine for all modern economies,” he adds. “The struggles experienced by Spain, Morocco and Turkiye to secure water, food, and energy under persistent drought offer a preview of water futures under unchecked global warming. No country, regardless of wealth or capacity, can afford to be complacent.”   A wide-ranging crisis   The new report synthesizes information from hundreds of government, scientific and media sources to highlight impacts within the most acute drought hotspots in Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, Namibia), the Mediterranean (Spain, Morocco, Türkiye), Latin America (Panama, Amazon Basin), Southeast Asia, and beyond.   Africa: Over 90 million people across Eastern and Southern Africa face acute hunger. Some areas have been enduring their worst ever recorded drought.   Southern Africa, already drought-prone, was devastated with roughly 1/6th of the population (68 million) needing food aid in August 2024.   In Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi, maize and wheat crops have failed repeatedly. In Zimbabwe alone, the 2024 corn crop was down 70% year on year, and maize prices doubled while 9,000 cattle died of thirst and starvation.   In Somalia, the government estimated 43,000 people died in 2022 alone due to drought-linked hunger. As of early 2025, 4.4 million people – a quarter of the population – face crisis-level food insecurity, including 784,000 expected to reach emergency levels.   Zambia suffered one of the world's worst energy crises as the Zambezi River in April 2024 plummeted to 20% of its long-term average. The country’s largest hydroelectric plant, the Kariba Dam, fell to 7% generation capacity, causing blackouts of up to 21 hours per day and shuttering hospitals, bakeries, and factories.   Mediterranean   Spain: Water shortages hit agriculture and domestic supply. By September 2023, two years of drought and record heat caused a 50% drop in Spain’s olive crop, causing its olive oil prices to double across the country.   Morocco: The sheep population was 38% smaller in 2025 relative to 2016s. Turkiye: Drought accelerated groundwater depletion, triggering sinkholes that present hazards to communities and their infrastructure while permanently reducing aquifer storage capacity.   Latin America   Amazon Basin: Record-low river levels in 2023 and 2024 led to mass deaths of fish and endangered dolphins, and disrupted drinking water and transport for hundreds of thousands. As deforestation and fires intensify, the Amazon risks transitioning from a carbon sink to a carbon source.   Panama Canal: Water levels dropped so low that transits were slashed by over one-third, causing major global trade disruptions. Facing multi-week delays, many ships were rerouted to longer, costlier paths via the Suez Canal or South Africa’s infamous Cape of Good Hope. Among the knock-on effects, U.S. soybean exports slowed, and UK grocery stores reported shortages and rising prices of fruits and vegetables.   Southeast Asia   Drought disrupted production and supply chains of key crops such as rice and sugar. In 2023-2024, dry conditions in Thailand and India, for example, triggered shortages.   The 2023–2024 El Nino event amplified already harsh climate change impacts, triggering dry conditions across major agricultural and ecological zones. Drought’s impacts hit hardest in climate hotspots, regions already suffering from warming trends and fragile infrastructure.   “This was a perfect storm,” says report co-author Dr. Kelly Helm Smith, NDMC Assistant Director and drought impacts researcher. “El Nino added fuel to the fire of climate change, compounding the effects for many vulnerable societies and ecosystems past their limits.”   Co-author Dr. Cody Knutson, who oversees NDMC drought planning research, underlined a recent OECD estimate that a drought episode today carries an economic cost at least twice as high as in 2000, with a 35% to 110% increase projected by 2035.   “Ripple effects can turn regional droughts into global economic shocks,” she adds. “No country is immune when critical water-dependent systems start to collapse.”   Women, children among the most affected   Most vulnerable to the effects of drought: Women, children, the elderly, pastoralists, subsistence farmers, and people with chronic illness. Health risks include cholera outbreaks, acute malnutrition, dehydration, and exposure to polluted water.   The report highlights in particular the disproportionate toll on women and children. In Eastern Africa, forced child marriages more than doubled. Though outlawed in Ethiopia, child marriages more than doubled in frequency in the four regions hit hardest by the drought. In Zimbabwe, entire school districts saw mass dropouts due to hunger, costs, and sanitation issues for girls.   In the Amazon, the drought upended life for remote Indigenous and rural communities. In some areas, the Amazon River fell to its lowest level ever recorded, leaving residents stranded – including women giving birth – and entire towns without potable water.   “The coping mechanisms we saw during this drought grew increasingly desperate,” says lead author Paula Guastello, NDMC drought impacts researcher. “Girls pulled from school and forced into marriage, hospitals going dark, and families digging holes in dry riverbeds just to find contaminated water — these are signs of severe crisis."   "As droughts intensify, it is critical that we work together on a global scale to protect the most vulnerable people and ecosystems and re-evaluate whether our current water use practices are sustainable in today's changing world,” Guastello says.   Deputy Executive Secretary of UNCCD Andrea Meza says: “The report shows the deep and widespread impacts of drought in an interconnected world: from its rippling effects on price of basic commodities like rice, sugar and oil from Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean; to disruptions in access to drinking water and food in the Amazon due to low river levels, to tens of millions affected by malnutrition and displacement across Africa."   “The evidence is clear”, adds Meza. “We must urgently invest in sustainable land and water management, nature-based solutions, adapted crops, and integrated public policies to build our resilience to drought ---or face increasing economic shocks, instability and forced migration..   http://www.unccd.int/news-stories/press-releases/global-drought-hotspots-report-catalogs-severe-suffering-economic http://www.unccd.int/news-stories/press-releases/global-drought-hotspots-report-catalogs-severe-suffering-economic   Mar. 2025   Hunger skyrockets by nearly 80 percent in Eastern and Southern Africa over past five years amidst worsening water crisis. (Oxfam)   The climate crisis has dramatically worsened water scarcity in Eastern and Southern Africa over the past few decades, leaving nearly 116 million people –or 40 percent of the population - without safe drinking water, according to a new Oxfam report.   Climate change is supercharging extreme weather events like droughts, cyclones and flash floods, and has led to the disappearance of more than 90 percent of Africa's tropical glaciers and the depletion of groundwater. This has had knock-on effects on Africa’s small-scale farmers, pastoralists and fisherpersons leaving millions without basic food, drinking water or income.   Oxfam’s report -Water-Driven Hunger: How the Climate Crisis Fuels Africa’s Food Emergency – published ahead of World Water Day, looked at the links between water scarcity and hunger in eight of the world’s worst water crises: Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, South Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It found that the number of people experiencing extreme hunger in those countries has surged by nearly 80 percent over the past five years – reaching over 55 million in 2024, up from nearly 31 million in 2019. That is two in every ten persons.   The report warns that La Nina weather pattern, which will last through this month, will worsen floods in swaths of Southern Africa and South Sudan while causing severe drought in East Africa further threatening people’s food availability and income.   Globally, flash floods have become 20 times more frequent between 2000 and 2022 and the duration of droughts has risen by 29% since 2000, impacting the most vulnerable communities.   Existing poverty, deep inequality and chronic under-investment along with poor governance in water systems have compounded this climate-fuelled water crisis. African governments are currently meeting less than half the US$50 billion annual investment target required to achieve water security in Africa by 2030.   Fati N’Zi-Hassane, Oxfam in Africa Director said:   "The climate crisis is not a mere statistic—it has a human face. It affects real people whose livelihoods are being destroyed, while the main contributors to this crisis—big polluters and super-rich—continue to profit. Meanwhile, national governments neglect to support the very communities they should protect."   The Oxfam report also found that:   In the eight countries studied, 91 percent of small-scale farmers depend almost entirely on rainwater for drinking and farming. In Ethiopia, food insecurity has soared by 175 percent over the past five years, with 22 million people struggling to find their next meal.   In Kenya, over 136,000 square kilometers of land have become drier between 1980 and 2020, which has decimated crops and livestock. In Somalia, one failed rainy season is pushing one million more people into crisis-level hunger, raising the total to 4.4 million—24% of the population.   A farmer from Baidoa, Somalia explains: “In the past, we knew when to farm and when to harvest but that has all changed. The rains now come late or not at all. Last year, I lost all my crops and animals. I have now planted, but the rains have still not come. If this continues, I will not be able to feed my family.”   Deep inequalities mean that disadvantaged people like women and girls are too often the first and most severely punished by this water crisis. In Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, women and girls walk up to 10 kilometers in search of water, facing violence and extreme exhaustion. Many women and girls in rural households spend hours each day collecting water—time that could otherwise be spent on education or income generation.   “At the heart of this climate crisis lies a justice crisis. Sub-Saharan Africa receives only 3-4 percent of global climate finance, despite being heavily affected by climate change. Rich polluting nations must pay their fair share. It's not about charity, it's about justice.   “African governments must also double down on their investment in water infrastructures and social protection to effectively manage natural resources, and help the most vulnerable communities cope with climatic shocks,” added N’Zi-Hassane.   http://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/hunger-skyrockets-nearly-80-percent-eastern-and-southern-africa-over-past-five-years http://reliefweb.int/report/world/drought-africa-april-2025-gdo-analytical-report http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/resources/resources-details/en/c/1159591/ http://www.wfp.org/stories/hunger-crisis-threatens-west-and-central-africa-lean-season-looms   Jan. 2025   Global increase in the occurrence and impact of multiyear droughts. (Science Journal)   Between 1980 and 2018, the global land area affected by prolonged droughts increased by an average of around 50,000 square kilometres per year, researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) said in a study published in the journal Science.   “Multi-year droughts cause enormous economic damage, for example in agriculture and power generation,” said Dirk Karger, head of the study. This has been caused by rising temperatures linked to climate change, the researchers explained. These lead to greater fluctuations in precipitation and at the same time increase evaporation from the soil and vegetation.   Over the last 30 years, Earth has experienced an uptick in both frequency and intensity of these punishing, persistent droughts that can last years to decades, the researchers report. Such lengthy precipitation deficits not only shrink the drinking water supply, but can also lead to massive crop failures, food insecurity, increased tree mortality and increased incidence of wildfire.   The analysis measures the rising global toll of megadroughts from 1980 to 2018. Each year, multiyear droughts affected an additional 5 million hectares of land.   Data on precipitation and evapotranspiration — the transfer of water from soil and plants to the atmosphere — allowed the researchers to identify and map megadroughts during that time period, and rank the events by severity. Nearly every continent on Earth has been subject to megadrought during this period.   The worst was southwestern North America’s long-running dry period, which was particularly severe from 2008 to 2014. That drought was the region’s most extreme in 1,200 years and has helped fuel California’s recent bouts with fire, including January’s unusual wintertime wildfires in Los Angeles County.   The growing severity and frequency in Earth’s megadroughts may push even the most resilient ecosystems past their limits, the researchers highlight.   http://www.newscientist.com/article/2464413-severe-droughts-are-getting-bigger-hotter-drier-and-longer/ http://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado4245 http://drought.emergency.copernicus.eu/ http://watercommission.org/#report http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/10/addressing-global-water-and-food-crisis-crucial-human-rights-says-special http://wmo.int/news/media-centre/wmo-report-highlights-growing-shortfalls-and-stress-global-water-resources   Dec. 2024   Confronting the global crisis of land degradation   A major new scientific report charts an urgent course correction for how the world grows food and uses land in order to avoid irretrievably compromising Earth’s capacity to support human and environmental well-being.   Produced under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Johan Rockström at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in collaboration with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the report is launched as nearly 200 UNCCD member states begin their COP16 summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.   Land is the foundation of Earth’s stability, the report underlines. It regulates climate, preserves biodiversity, maintains freshwater systems and provides life-giving resources including food, water and raw materials.   The report, Stepping back from the precipice: Transforming land management to stay within planetary boundaries, draws on roughly 350 information sources to examine land degradation and opportunities to act from a planetary boundaries perspective.   Deforestation, urbanization and unsustainable farming, however, are causing global land degradation at an unprecedented scale, threatening not only different Earth system components but human survival itself.   Moreover, the deterioration of forests and soils undermines Earth’s capacity to cope with the climate and biodiversity crises, which in turn accelerate land degradation in a vicious, downward cycle of impacts.   “If we fail to acknowledge the pivotal role of land and take appropriate action, the consequences will ripple through every aspect of life and extend well into the future, intensifying difficulties for future generations,” said UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw.   Already today, land degradation disrupts food security, drives migration, and fuels conflicts.   The global area impacted by land degradation – approx. 15 million km², more than the entire continent of Antarctica or nearly the size of Russia – is expanding each year by about a million square km.   Planetary boundaries   The report situates both problems and potential solutions related to land use within the scientific framework of the planetary boundaries, which has rapidly gained policy relevance since its unveiling 15 years ago.   The planetary boundaries define nine critical thresholds essential for maintaining Earth’s stability.   How humanity uses or abuses land directly impacts seven of these, including climate change, species loss and ecosystem viability, freshwater systems, and the circulation of naturally occurring elements nitrogen and phosphorus. Change in land use is also a planetary boundary.   Alarmingly, six boundaries have already been breached to date, and two more are close to their thresholds: ocean acidification and the concentration of aerosols in the atmosphere. Only stratospheric ozone – the object of a 1989 treaty to reduce ozone-depleting chemicals – is firmly within its “safe operating space”.   “The aim of the planetary boundaries framework is to provide a measure for achieving human wellbeing within Earth’s ecological limits,” said Johan Rockstrom, lead author of the seminal study introducing the concept in 2009.   “We stand at a precipice and must decide whether to step back and take transformative action, or continue on a path of irreversible environmental change,” he adds.   The benchmark for land use, for example, is the extent of the world’s forests before significant human impact. Anything above 75% keeps us within safe bounds, but forest cover has already been reduced to only 60% of its original area, according to the most recent update of the planetary boundaries framework by Katherine Richardson and colleagues.   Until recently, land ecosystems absorbed nearly one third of human-caused CO₂ pollution, even as those emissions increased by half.   Over the last decade, however, deforestation and climate change have reduced by 20% the capacity of trees and soil to absorb excess CO₂.   Unsustainable agricultural practices   Conventional agriculture is the leading culprit of land degradation, contributing to deforestation, soil erosion and pollution. Unsustainable irrigation practices deplete freshwater resources, while excessive use of nitrogen- and phosphorus-based fertilizers destabilize ecosystems.   Degraded soils lower crop yields and nutritional quality, directly impacting the livelihoods of vulnerable populations. Secondary effects include greater dependency on chemical inputs and increased land conversion for farming.   The infamous Dust Bowl of the 1930s resulted from large-scale land-use changes and inadequate soil conservation.   Land degradation hotspots today stem from intensive agricultural production and high irrigation demands, particularly in dry regions such as South Asia, northern China, the US High Plains, California, and the Mediterranean.   Meanwhile, climate change – which has long since breached its own planetary boundary – accelerates land degradation through extreme weather events, prolonged droughts, and intensified floods. Melting mountain glaciers and altered water cycles heighten vulnerabilities, especially in arid regions.   Rapid urbanization intensifies these challenges, contributing to habitat destruction, pollution, and biodiversity loss.   The impacts of land degradation hit tropical and low-income countries disproportionately, both because they have less resilience and because impacts are concentrated in tropical and arid regions.   Women, youth, Indigenous peoples, and local communities also bear the brunt of environmental decline. Women face increased workloads and health risks, while children suffer from malnutrition and educational setbacks.   Weak governance and corruption exacerbate these challenges. Corruption fosters illegal deforestation and resource exploitation, perpetuating cycles of degradation and inequality.   According to the Prindex initiative, nearly one billion people lack secure land tenure, with the highest concentration in north Africa (28%), sub-Saharan Africa (26%), as well as South and Southeast Asia. The fear of losing one’s home or land undermines efforts to promote sustainable practices.   Agricultural subsidies often incentivize harmful practices, fueling overuse of water and biogeochemical imbalances. Aligning these subsidies with sustainability goals is critical for effective land management.   From 2013 to 2018, more than half-a-trillion dollars were spent on such subsidies across 88 countries, a report by FAO, UNDP and UNEP found in 2021. Nearly 90% went to inefficient, unfair practices that harmed the environment, according to that report.   Transformative action to combat land degradation is needed to ensure a return to the safe operating space for the land-based planetary boundaries. Just as the planetary boundaries are interconnected, so must be the actions to prevent or slow their transgression.   Principles of fairness and justice are key when designing and implementing transformative actions to stop land degradation, ensuring that benefits and burdens are equitably distributed.   Agriculture reform, soil protection, water resource management, digital solutions, sustainable or “green” supply chains, equitable land governance along with the protection and restoration of forests, grasslands, savannas and peatlands are crucial for halting and reversing land and soil degradation.   Regenerative agriculture is primarily defined by its outcomes, including improved soil health, carbon sequestration and biodiversity enhancement. Agroecology emphasises holistic land management, including the integration of forestry, crops and livestock management.   Woodland regeneration, no-till farming, nutrient management, improved grazing, water conservation and harvesting, efficient irrigation, intercropping, organic fertiliser, improved use of compost and biochar – can all enhance soil carbon and boost yields.   Savannas are under severe threat from human-induced land degradation, yet are essential for ecological and human wellbeing. A major store of biodiversity and carbon, they cover 20% of the Earth’s land surface but are increasingly being lost to cropland expansion and misguided afforestation.   The current rate of groundwater extraction exceeds replenishment in 47% of global aquifers, so more efficient irrigation is crucial to reduce agricultural freshwater use.   Globally, the water sector must continue to shift from “grey” infrastructure (dams, reservoirs, channels, treatment plants) to “green” (reforestation, floodplain restoration, forest conservation or recharging aquifers).   More efficient delivery of chemical fertilizer is likewise essential: currently, only 46% of nitrogen and 66% of phosphorus applied as fertilizer is taken up by crops. The rest runs off into freshwater bodies, and coastal areas with dire consequences for the environment.   New technologies coupled with big data and artificial intelligence have made possible innovations such as precision farming, remote sensing and drones that detect and combat land degradation in real time. Benefits likewise accrue from the precise application of water, nutrients and pesticides, along with early pest and disease detection.   Plantix, a free app available in 18 languages, can detect nearly 700 pests and diseases on more than 80 different crops. Improved solar cookstoves can provide households with additional income sources and improve livelihoods, while reducing reliance on forest resources.   Regulatory action, stronger land governance, formalisation of land tenure and better corporate transparency on environmental impacts are all needed as well.   Numerous multilateral agreements on land-system change exist but have largely failed to deliver. The Glasgow Declaration to halt deforestation and land degradation by 2030 was signed by 145 countries at the Glasgow climate summit in 2021, but deforestation has increased since then.   Protecting intact peatlands and rewetting 60% of those already degraded could transform such ecosystems into a net sink, or sponge, of greenhouse gases by the end of the century. Currently, damaged peatlands account for 4% to 5% of global GHG emissions, according to the IUCN.   http://www.unccd.int/resources/reports/stepping-back-precipice-transforming-land-management-stay-within-planetary http://www.unccd.int/news-stories/press-releases/planetary-boundaries-confronting-global-crisis-land-degradation http://wmo.int/media/news/un-conference-stop-treating-land-dirt Visit the related web page
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