Humanitarian Funding

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) made a significant move in addressing the escalating crisis in Haiti by adopting a resolution on Tuesday to transition the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission into a multinational “Gang Suppression Force” (GSF). This shift comes amid worsening humanitarian and security situations and increasing violence in the Caribbean island nation.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday that approximately 19.5 million people — two out of every five in Sudan — are currently experiencing crisis-level acute hunger or worse nationwide. Sudan is also facing a severe nutrition crisis, with an estimated 825,000 children under five suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

The United Nations Security Council on Monday approved a one-year extension for a multinational police force to help Haiti's embattled national police subdue gangs in the violence-plagued Caribbean nation, and will now consider turning the mission into a full-fledged UN peacekeeping operation. Meanwhile, the number of people facing acute hunger has risen to 5.4 million, according to the latest IPC analysis released Monday.

The latest food security report on Haiti - out this week - shows that a record 5.7 million people - more than half of all Haitians - are expected to experience acute hunger between now and June 2025, driven by relentless gang violence and ongoing economic collapse. Rising armed violence has also fueled massive displacement as armed gangs seek to expand their control, forcing more than one million people from their homes.

As Syria enters its fourteenth year of civil war with no political resolution in sight, United Nations aid agencies are appealing to the international community to remember the plight of millions of people who continue to suffer from violence, devastation, destitution and abuse. Thirteen years of crisis have taken an unimaginable toll on the Syrian people, and the UN warns the crisis continues to wreak havoc on the population, worsening an already dire humanitarian situation.

The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has issued a blunt warning about the worsening political crisis in the country, urging the African Union and the UN Security Council to act swiftly before South Sudan descends into all-out war again. In a statement released Monday, the Commission highlighted ongoing armed violence, human rights violations, and the displacement of civilians, all of which have worsened the already dire humanitarian situation in South Sudan.

The historic power shift in Syria is raising hopes for an end to nearly 14 years of brutal war and one of the world's largest and worst humanitarian crises. Since the fall of the Assad government on Sunday, senior United Nations officials have highlighted the opportunities of the watershed moment, but also reminded of the realities - that more than 16 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and at least 13.6 million Syrians have been displaced by the war.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) says it has succeeded in delivering desperately needed food and nutritional supplies to Sudan's Darfur region, the first WFP convoys to reach the war-torn region in months. But the UN food agency warned Friday that the hunger catastrophe in the country will only worsen unless the people of Sudan receive a steady flow of aid through all possible humanitarian corridors - from neighboring countries and across battle lines.

Monday marks another grim milestone in the conflict in Sudan. Since the fighting started 100 days ago, thousands of civilians have been killed and injured, and millions displaced as a result of the nightmarish violence that broke out. UN agencies and international humanitarian organizations around the world today called attention to the plight of the people of Sudan and demanded action to end the war and improve the humanitarian response to the crisis.

Ahead of the third anniversary of the start of the devastating war in Sudan, humanitarian organizations are warning that essential services and survival-critical systems are collapsing. As the conflict approaches this grim milestone, they are drawing particular attention to the needs of those displaced by the war, both within the country and across borders, as well as to the urgent needs of children and women, who are disproportionately impacted by the ongoing emergency.

The United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) has called Wednesday on the international community to step-up funding efforts, and to not abandon millions of civilians who bear the brunt of the nine months conflict in Sudan. With nearly 25 million people requiring relief aid, a coordinated and continued humanitarian response is urgently needed to address the mounting needs of the world’s largest internal displacement crisis.

At least 70 people were reportedly killed in attacks carried out by heavily armed gang members in the Petite-Rivière de l’Artibonite region of central Haiti between Saturday and Tuesday. Members of the Gran Grif gang stormed the rural Jean-Denis area late Saturday night into Sunday morning, opening fire and burning homes. Nearly 9,000 people were forced to flee as a result of these attacks.

The third High Level Conference on the Lake Chad Region has concluded Tuesday with reaffirmed commitments from Lake Chad Basin countries and international partners for a coordinated, regional and sustainable response, supported by humanitarian and development organizations. More than US$500 million (€458 million) in aid has been pledged to support joint actions at the local level.

Despite a nominal ceasefire that has been extended for another 45 days, escalating Israeli attacks and expanding displacement orders continue to take a heavy toll on the Lebanese people. When the ceasefire was announced in mid-April, it raised hopes of a return to normal life. However, instead of families living in safety, the killing, injuring, and displacement of civilians continues unabated.

The humanitarian organization International Rescue Committee (IRC) has released its annual Emergency Watchlist Wednesday, highlighting the 20 countries most at risk of deteriorating humanitarian crises in 2023.  This year, Somalia, Ethiopia and Afghanistan top the Watchlist, as East Africa faces the worst drought in decades and economic turmoil continues to compound needs in Afghanistan. 

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) expressed deep concern on Wednesday regarding reports that approximately 250 people are feared dead or missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea. The trawler departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh, bound for Malaysia, and reportedly sank last Thursday amid heavy winds, rough seas, and severe overcrowding.

The humanitarian community in Haiti seeks the mobilization of the international community as the country witnesses the continued escalation of violence perpetrated by armed groups in Port-au-Prince and the Département Artibonite. According to a statement released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Thursday, the “world must act now to prevent further atrocities.”