United States of America
Disasters
Dear Friends,
This February, I had the privilege to visit a new MSF pediatric program in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, where hundreds of thousands of Syrians have sought refuge. The project, in the city of Zahle, occupies an entire floor of a government hospital that houses pediatric inpatients and provides general and intensive care for children.
The families served are primarily Syrian refugees. Many are marginalized and cut off from health care. Children, naturally, are the most vulnerable among them.
HIGHLIGHTS
Cholera transmission declines countrywide, persists in Budi and Juba counties
WFP reaches 4.5 million people with food assistance to date in 2017
Relief actors record 830 humanitarian access incidents from January–September
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
HOUSTON (Oct. 17, 2017)—Habitat for Humanity is commencing the long-term phase of its Habitat Hammers Backhurricane recovery initiative, pledging to help more than 6,000 families across regions impacted by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
The nonprofit housing leader is seeking to raise $100 million to support the repair, rebuilding and new construction of homes to assist low- and moderate-income families in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.
HIGHLIGHTS
Ar Raqqah offensive displaces nearly 268,800 people since April; up to 8,000 people remain in two neighborhoods in city of Ar Raqqah
Humanitarian convoys reach city of Dayr az Zawr following SARG military advances into the city in September
USG humanitarian assistance to Syria reaches nearly $7.5 billion since start of Syria crisis
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Overview
Between 1 January and 31 July 2017, 25,556 refugees were submitted by UNHCR for resettlement to 22 countries in Europe, only 11% less than the total for 2016 and already 130% more than the average rate of 11,100 submissions per year during the last decade.
MOGADISHU — The Somali government said search and rescue operations have ended, three days after a massive explosion killed hundreds of people at a busy intersection in Mogadishu.
Official casualty figures stand at 281 dead and more than 300 wounded, but the death toll could still rise, Information Minister Abdurrahman Omar Osman said Tuesday.
"The number can increase because there may be other victims either taken by their relatives who later died or others who died from their wounds," he told VOA's Somali service.
The ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) is a weekly bulletin for epidemiologists and health professionals on active public health threats. This issue of the ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) covers the period 8-14 October 2017 and includes updates on Legionnaires' disease, influenza, rubella, measles, West Nile fever, chikungunya, cholera and plague.
On Monday 16 October 2017 the Council adopted the EU Annual Report on Human Rights And Democracy in the World in 2016.
2016 was a challenging year for human rights and democracy, with a shrinking space for civil society and complex humanitarian and political crises emerging. In this context, the European Union showed leadership and remained strongly committed to promote and protect human rights and democracy across the world.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Health agencies record nearly 772,000 suspected cholera cases and 2,132 related deaths as of September 30
• Approximately 1.5 million civil servants have not received consistent salary payments since September 2016
• Bureaucratic obstructions, insecurity, and lack of humanitarian access continue to constrain response efforts
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
HIGHLIGHTS
Vulnerable populations in six Southern African countries will likely require humanitarian assistance through mid-2018
FAW infestations reported in at least eight Southern Africa countries
USAID/FFP provides nearly $47 million in additional funding to improve food security throughout the region
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Manus Island detainees have written to Papua New Guinea authorities pleading not to be forcibly resettled in PNG.
Read more on Radio New Zealand International.
BAGHDAD, 15 October, 2017 – Hundreds of thousands of children and their families in Iraq who have suffered the pain of brutal conflict and displacement will have regular access to lifesaving clean drinking water, and services that respond to gender based violence thanks to help from the U.S. government.
HIGHLIGHTS
Humanitarian needs remain high for vulnerable populations along the contact line
Exposure to mines, ERW impedes access to basic services and resources
USAID/OFDA partners provide critical health, protection, shelter, and WASH assistance to vulnerable populations in eastern Ukraine
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
HIGHLIGHTS
Violence in DRC continues to generate population movement, critical humanitarian needs
Heavy rainfall and resultant flooding in South Kivu results in 12 deaths, nearly 20 injuries, and an estimated 90 missing persons
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
HIGHLIGHTS
The GoI commences military operations to retake Hawija and Shirqat from ISIS on September 21
Political tensions increase in Iraq following September 25 Kurdish independence referendum
USG contributes more than $601 million to the Iraq humanitarian response in FY 2017
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Blog Post by Rachel Vogelstein and Jamille Bigio
Last week, the United States government enacted the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017, which was signed into law by President Trump on October 6. The bipartisan act will strengthen efforts to prevent, mitigate, and resolve conflict by increasing women’s participation in negotiation and mediation processes.
Here are three things to know about this new law:
It recognizes the critical link between women’s participation and peace
HIGHLIGHTS
Persistent insecurity across much of CAR threatens humanitarian access and leaves tens of thousands of people in need of emergency assistance
Clashes among various armed groups displace more than 191,000 people from February to August
USAID/FFP contributes $7.8 million to respond to growing and urgent food insecurity in the region
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
HIGHLIGHTS
Nearly one million people displaced in Somalia from January to August, more than 800,000 primarily due to drought conditions
Clashes in Ethiopia’s Oromiya and Somali regions displace populations, exacerbate humanitarian needs
USG provided more than $1 billion in humanitarian funding for the Horn of Africa regional response in FY 2017
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
El huracán Irma, tormenta categoría 5, azotó el Caribe a partir del 6 de septiembre. En menos de dos semanas, el huracán María, la segunda tormenta de categoría 5, golpeó nuevamente la región. La USAID envío un Equipo de Asistencia para Respuesta ante Desastres. (DART, por sus siglas en inglés) el 7 de septiembre. El DART - que a su máximo contaba con 54 integrantes - se desplegó a 11 lugares en el Caribe para dirigir la respuesta humanitaria del gobierno de los Estados Unidos en coordinación con los gobiernos afectados.
