MAA00010 August 2012

Period covered: January to June 2012

Overview Seventy three allocations were made by the DREF during the first six months of 2012 for a total of CHF 11,778,445. Eighty per cent of the allocations were made as grants to support response to small or medium-scale disasters, referred to as DREF operations. Twelve emergency appeals received start-up funding loans. The allocations supported response to 69 different operations by 54 National Societies.

(Fuentes: FAO, Federación Internacional de Sociedades de la Cruz Roja y de la Media Luna Roja, Cruz Roja Española).

- A comienzos de 2008, los precios mundiales de los alimentos y del petróleo se dispararon. Entre las posibles causas de esta subida vertiginosa se encontraban los efectos del cambio climático, la crisis financiera, continuadas malas cosechas en países exportadores o la producción de biocombustibles.

Los efectos fueron inmediatos. Se desencadenaron disturbios en más de treinta países y comenzó una grave crisis alimentaria

Infectious diseases cause close to 14 million deaths every year worldwide. But the mortality rate should not be the only factor considered and can even be misleading. Even though noncommunicable diseases are now responsible for the majority of deaths worldwide, this report shows that communicable diseases are still indeed the dominant burden in poor and vulnerable settings. This further increases the inequality for health and care between rich and poor countries.

Red Cross Red Crescent operations responding

The number of countries facing severe food emergencies worldwide stands at 39. Serious food shortages have emerged in eastern Africa, and the food situation remains critical in southern Africa.