The COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating protection concerns in humanitarian crises and exposing vulnerable populations to new threats. Protection clusters are reporting an increase in cases of violence, including a ‘shadow pandemic’ of Gender Based violence (GBV), forced displacement, a rise in xenophobia and stigmatization, alongside discrimination in access to health, food, water, education and legal services for vulnerable and marginalized groups.
Many of our staff have been affected directly or indirectly by manifestations of racism and racial discrimination. It is incumbent upon us to examine and address racism and racial discrimination within our own organizations and in the humanitarian sector, including by expanding diversity at all levels in our workplaces, and fostering more inclusive and diverse ways of working.
The NewYork Times
By Rick Gladstone
Sept. 5, 2020
The first famines of the coronavirus era could soon hit four chronically food-deprived conflict areas — Yemen, South Sudan, northeast Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo — the top humanitarian official of the United Nations has warned.
This video is an adaptation of the children’s book, My Hero is You, released in early 2020 to help educate children around the world about COVID-19. The original book was created by mental health and psychosocial support experts from the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), the highest-level humanitarian coordination forum of the United Nations.
This is the first inter-agency evaluation of the new IASC scale-up mechanism. The independent team found that the scale-up enhanced leadership and increased in-country capacities in the early stages of the response to Cyclone Idai in Mozambique in 2019. This facilitated the provision of relevant and timely assistance. The report identifies key findings, critical gaps and lessons learned, and formulates 13 recommendations to improve collective responses in similar contexts.
Virtual Briefing, New York - 10 August 2020
Mark Lowcock, Emergency Relief Coordinator- As delivered:
Secretary-General, Excellencies, Ministers, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, It is my pleasure to welcome you to this briefing on Lebanon.
We are joined today by:
the United Nations Secretray-General Mr. António Guterres;
His Excellency, Mr. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President of the General Assembly;
The United Nations is working closely with the authorities in Lebanon to support ongoing response in the aftermath of the massive deadly explosion that rocked Beirut on Tuesday, destroying large swathes of the capital. More than 130 people were killed in the blast, which ripped through the port and surrounding area, causing countless injuries and leaving thousands homeless. The Government has declared a two-week state of emergency.
Speaking on Wednesday, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists that support for hospitals and trauma response is a top priority.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) commissioned this study to reflect on what the Covid-19 pandemic response tells us about the fitness of the international crisis financing system. Crises provide moments of opportunity for policymakers.
