UN Refugee Agency appeals for aid for Afghan refugees
14/3/2023: The UN Refugee Agency has launched an appeal for $613 million to support over 5 million Afghans sheltering in five neighbouring countries. An estimated 1.6 million have arrived in the region since 2021.
Source: UN Refugee Agency
Half of Syria’s population faces hunger
14/3/2023: Over 12 million people, more than 50% of Syria's population, are currently food insecure and a further 3 million are at risk of sliding into hunger, as the country grapples with the impact of recent earthquakes and the 12-year-long conflict. A funding crunch for the World Food Programme in Syria threatens to curtail food aid, exactly when people need it most.
Source: World Food Programme
FIFA reverses Saudi sponsorship of women’s World Cup
17/3/2023: In an off-field victory for human rights, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association has reversed its sponsorship plans with Visit Saudi, Saudi Arabia’s state tourism authority, for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Saudi Arabia is a global outlier on women’s rights and also violates the rights of LGBT people.
Source: Human Rights Watch
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant for Putin
17/3/2023: The UN-backed International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin of Russia, in connection with alleged war crimes concerning the deportation and “illegal transfer” of children from occupied Ukraine. Neither Russia nor Ukraine are parties to the ICC.
Source: UN News
Global hunger set to spiral as debt crisis bites
6/3/2023: A panel of experts warns that the global food crisis has entered a dangerous new phase as developing country debt skyrockets. They observe that these countries are locked into exporting cash crops to pay off dollar-denominated debts at the expense of feeding local populations.
Source: iPes Food
Breaking the link between polycrisis and poverty
9/3/2023: This year marks the halfway point towards the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Multiple crises are converging on low income and lower-middle income countries, necessitating systemic change in our poverty eradication efforts.
Source: Inter Press Service
World parliaments could take 80 years to achieve gender parity
8/3/2023: Women’s participation in parliaments has never been as diverse and representative as it is in many countries today. However, the World Bank reports that only 14 countries have full legal equality between women and men, and much more needs to be done to increase women’s political representation.
Source: Inter Press Service
Why do 800 mothers die from preventable causes every day?
7/3/2023: New research from UN agencies reveals that progress on ending preventable deaths has slowed over the last five years, putting at risk the 2030 sustainable development goal for maternal health. Maternal deaths continue to be largely concentrated in the poorest parts of the world and in countries affected by conflict.
Source: Inter Press Service
UN Refugee Agency is profoundly concerned by UK Asylum Bill
7/3/2023: The new bill introduced by the UK Government would deny protection to many asylum-seekers in need of safety and protection, according to the UN Refugee Agency. This would be a clear breach of the Refugee Convention and would undermine a longstanding humanitarian tradition of which the British people are rightly proud.
Source: UN Refugee Agency
World Bank backs controversial mega dam in Mozambique
6/3/2023: The government of Mozambique has touted the Mphanda Nkuwa dam as key to the southern African nation reaching its goal of universal energy access by 2030. Environmental groups say the dam threatens to negatively impact local communities and ecosystems.
Source: Climate Home News