A total of 274 million people worldwide need emergency aid and protection in 2022, a 17 per cent increase compared to last year, UN humanitarians said on December 2 in its latest Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO).
In the GHO, the UN estimates that 41 billion dollar is required to provide relief and protection to the 183 million people most in need. It makes a point that one in 29 people worldwide needs help in 2022, which was another significant increase from one in 33 in 2020 and one in 45 in 2019.
Stating that humanitarian system was strong, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Martin Griffiths said that the challenges are increasing and new crises continue to emerge.
EXTREME POVERTY
The GHO states that more than one per cent of the world’s population is displaced and extreme poverty is rising again and 45 million people are on the edge of famine. The report also mentions that women and girls suffer the most, as gender inequalities and protection risks are heightened.
EMERGENCY SITUATION
,The report mentions that Middle East and North Africa, and West and Central Africa continued to have the most humanitarian needs due to protracted crises. It also mentions that sharp increases in needs are evident in Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Southern and East Africa in the last two years. The GHO states that five years ago, only Haiti had an HRP in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, there are six in place across the region now, the report added. With respect to Afghanistan, the report states that more than 24 million people require life-saving assistance. In Syria, basic service delivery continues to be vastly inadequate and hampered by damaged infrastructure, lack of critical supplies and increasingly, financial unaffordability. Despite continued efforts to mitigate the risk of famine in Yemen, 25.9 million people are affected because of food insecurity that is caused by climate shocks, unprecedented levels of conflict, insecurity and disease outbreaks.
With respect to Myanmar, the report states that the people faced an unprecedented political, human rights and humanitarian crisis, with needs escalating dramatically since the military takeover and a severe COVID-19 third wave in 2021. In Haiti, 43 per cent of the population needs humanitarian assistance. South Sudan also faced its highest levels of food insecurity and malnutrition since the country declared independence 10 years ago.
COVID19
In the report, the UN says that COVID 19 had dealt a heavy blow on the people across the globe. Only four per cent of the seven billion vaccines administered have reached countries with a Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). In two thirds of these countries, 20 million additional people have been pushed into extreme poverty. Moreover, the pandemic severely impacted health systems worldwide. Testing, diagnosis and treatment for HIV TB and malaria decreased. Antenatal-care visits fell by 43 per cent and 23 million children worldwide missed basic childhood vaccines in 2021. School closures also hit vulnerable children the hardest. Globally, 870 million students face disruptions to their education. Remote learning cannot reach everyone; 2.2 billion children have no Internet access at home.
CLIMATE CRISIS
Martin Griffiths noted that climate crisis presented an immediate existential threat to the lives and livelihoods of many. In 2020, extreme climatic and weather events drove almost 16 million people into food crises in 15 countries, he added. Noting that humanitarian action must adapt to the climate crisis, he said “we cannot risk overlooking other thread while we fight the climate crisis. We all must continue advocating for the full and equal participation of women girls at all levels of education, the economy and public life.” Climate related disaster events are more frequent and variable. Up to 216 million people may have to move within their own countries by 2050 due to the effects of climate change.
WOMEN AND CHILDREN
Women, and girls remain at increased risk of conflict-related sexual violence. “Attacks against humanitarian workers and assets continue; 117 humanitarian workers were killed in 2020, 108 of whom were working in their own country,” the report said. Moreover, the gender-poverty gap also widened and 247 million women live on less than 1.90 dollars a day. For every three months that COVID-19 lockdowns continue, an additional 15 million Gender Based Violence cases are expected to occur, the UN Body said and added that over 70 per cent of women and girls experienced Gender Based Violence.
