Natural disasters1 in 2012

In 2012, 310 natural disasters were recorded in the EM-DAT database. They claimed 9,930 lives, affected over 106 million others and caused economic damages of US$138 billion.

There were no mega-disasters in 2012 in terms of human impact.

The largest disaster of 2012 in terms of mortality was Typhoon Bopha in the Philippines that resulted in 1,901 deaths. It was the strongest tropical cyclone on record to hit the southern Philippine island of Mindanao and affected over 6 million persons.

Executive summary

An earthquake with magnitude 5.6 has hit South Khorasan province in Iran, killing at least eight people and injuring 12. As of 6 December, no further information available

Ireland Donates €70 Million to Emergency Appeals

It was announced today that Ireland has donated more than €70 million to Red Cross emergency appeals over the last 10 years. Speaking at the Irish Red Cross in Dublin, Annita Underlin - Director of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent’s Europe Zone, said that, ‘the generosity of the Irish public has literally changed thousands if not millions of lives around the world’.

sted in Issue 115 - April 2011 News from PAHO/WHO

In December 2010, 26 experts from the international humanitarian community met in Cuba to discuss the use of field hospitals and foreign medical teams during emergency situations. The meeting was organized by PAHO/WHO and included representatives from international organizations, NGOs, and other interested parties coming from the Americas, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and other regions.

The pact, signed yesterday in Geneva by UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres and Brazil's Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, formalizes the Latin American nation's financial support for the work of the agency.

As part of the agreement, young Brazilians will also gain exposure to the work of the Office for the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at its Geneva headquarters and field offices worldwide.

Floods hit Region

Heavy rains and floods in several parts of Egypt in mid-January claimed the lives of at least 15 people and left 780 homes totally destroyed and 1,076 submerged. North and South Sinai, The Red Sea, Aswan and Qena governorates were affected, with strong rains in Suez, Ain Sokhna and Ismailia. Material losses were estimated at over US$25.3 million. Strong wind and heavy rains also swept through the Gaza Strip, Israel and Jordan, destroying homes, knocking out power lines and cutting off roads.

A state of emergency was declared and

- UNHCR should take stronger leadership in pressing governments to find and implement solutions for stateless persons and urge all countries, including the U.S., to become party and adhere to the statelessness conventions.

- H.E. the Amir of Kuwait and the Parliament should formalize and implement a plan to secure the civil and political rights to which every person is entitled. The Ministry of Health should be directed to register every child at birth.

- The United Arab Emirates should evaluate

WFP is deeply concerned that the scourge of hunger and malnutrition is on the increase across the developing world, with now over a billion hungry people on the planet. The global economic downturn is exacerbating the impact of the food crisis and increasing food insecurity for the world's most vulnerable people, reversing progress toward the Millennium Development Goals. This threatens human well-being, peace and stability, and puts an entire generation at risk in many countries.

In 2008, the number of people in need