Attachments
HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE PLANS 6
PEOPLE IN NEED 29.2 M
PEOPLE TARGETED 14.7 M
REQUIREMENTS (US$) $ 2.29 B
Per the Global Humanitarian Overview 2023, the number of people in need in Latin America and the Caribbean continues to rise, reaching 29.2 million in 2023. One million more people in Northern Central America require critical humanitarian assistance compared to the previous year. In Haiti, there are 300,000 more people in need than in 2022.
Multidimensional vulnerabilities and increasingly interconnected protection risks and humanitarian needs are likely to continue and even worsen in 2023. Food insecurity, recurring disasters compounded by climate change, displacement within and across borders and chronic violence will continue aggravating needs related to food access, nutrition, protection, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and health.
As of the date of publication of the Global Humanitarian Overview 2023, there are Humanitarian Response Plans (HRPs) in place in Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras and Venezuela, totalling US$2.3 billion in requirements to respond to the needs of 14.7 million vulnerable people.
Colombia
PEOPLE IN NEED 7.7 M
PEOPLE TARGETED 1.6 M
REQUIREMENTS (US$) $ 280 M
Despite the past decade’s progress in development and peacebuilding efforts in Colombia, the convergence of scaled-up internal armed conflict and violence in remote areas, increasingly frequent climate-related disasters, the growth in social and economic needs in the wake of COVID-19 and limited institutional capacities to respond to the massive arrival of refugees and migrants has led to deteriorating humanitarian conditions that have left an estimated of 7.7 million people in need.
Hostilities within Colombia have been on the rise since 2021, particularly in the Pacific coast and border areas, due to non-state armed groups’ (NSAGs) ongoing actions in expanding their territorial control. These actions are affecting rural areas the most; an estimated 7.2 million people live in areas with NSAG presence or under NSAG influence or control. Aside from these protection risks, the impact of disasters – particularly those linked to flooding – is also significant. The Government declared a national emergency status after the La Niña phenomenon affected more than 500,000 people in 2022. The impact of hostilities and disasters are converging more and more in areas where local State offices have limited response capacities and where the most affected populations are among the poorest and most vulnerable groups in Colombia, notably indigenous and Afro-Colombian people. Moreover, the arrival of millions of refugees and migrants has added a burden on host communities, mostly in already-fragile areas.
These emergencies, the resulting growth in humanitarian needs, the difficult conditions in remote communities and the challenges in reaching these locations are just some of the obstacles that the Government and international organizations face in providing a timely and comprehensive response. The current Government has made efforts to promote participation and inclusive dialogues, emphasizing protection, security and victim-centred approaches to provide short-term humanitarian responses for affected people and engage in long-term planning to address structural issues. Humanitarian organizations stand ready to complement this assistance to respond to 1.6 million people in 2023, including those affected by internal conflict or disasters, focusing on rapid emergency response, strengthening prevention and protection efforts and contributing to solutions and community capacity building so that vulnerable people can recover.
El Salvador
PEOPLE IN NEED 1.1 M
PEOPLE TARGETED 0.49 M
REQUIREMENTS (US$) $ 98.4 M
The 2022 global economic crisis had a significant impact in El Salvador, given the country’s high public debt, inflation, commodity dependence and growing fiscal pressure. An across-the-board increase in prices, coupled with the impact of an active rainy season, are pushing already-vulnerable populations to the brink.
Multiple nationwide flood emergencies kept the National Civil Protection System constantly active throughout the year. Hurricane Bonnie’s damage, which included deadly floods that wiped out crops, damaged homes and triggered hundreds of landslides, prompted the country’s legislature to declare a 15-day national state of emergency on 5 July. September alone saw the rainy season flooding across the country that claimed 19 lives, triggered nearly 300 landslides and blocked more than 270 roads. On 8 October, Tropical Storm Julia’s impact led the Government to declare another state of emergency after heavy rains forced all schools in the country to suspend classes and drove thousands of people to shelters.
Although the annual homicide rate declined for the fifth consecutive year, the rate of violent deaths among women increased from 3.4 per every 100,000 women in 2020 to 3.9 in 2021, laying bare El Salvador’s ongoing struggle with gender-based violence (GBV).
The number of returnees has also increased by more than 220 compared to 2021, leading to a corresponding increase in needs in their return communities.
Guatemala
PEOPLE IN NEED 5 M
PEOPLE TARGETED 2.3 M
REQUIREMENTS (US$) $ 125.4 M
The needs of vulnerable people in Guatemala come against the backdrop of the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic impact of the conflict in Ukraine. These factors have had a substantial impact on daily life in the country, as high food, fuel and fertilizer prices are hindering a full recovery.
The most relevant shocks that are driving needs are food and nutritional insecurity, displacement and disasters stemming from extreme weather and climate events. Violence, in its several different forms, continues to have a humanitarian impact, disproportionately affecting women, girls and adolescents as female homicide victims and disappearances continue to rise. The need for food assistance is at an all-time high, with 4.6 million food-insecure people, mostly subsistence farming families and families with little-to-no income, requiring immediate response. Some 1.9 million people have pressing needs related to acute undernutrition, including children under age 5, pregnant women and women of child-bearing age, elderly adults and people with disabilities. Guatemala’s rate of 46.5 per cent of all children under age 5 suffering acute undernutrition is the highest in Latin America and sixth-highest in the world. The number of returnees has doubled from 19,000 in the first five months of 2021 to 41,000 in the same period in 2022, leading to an increase in protection risks.
The 2022 rainy season estimated an affected 6.1 million people, leaving 67 dead, driving 14,000 people to shelter and damaging more than 25,000 homes, in addition to affecting roads, bridges, schools and health centres. Tropical storms Julia and Lisa, in particular, affected areas previously affected by hurricanes Eta and Iota in late 2020.
Haiti
PEOPLE IN NEED 5.2 M
PEOPLE TARGETED 3 M
REQUIREMENTS (US$) $ 714.81 M
Humanitarian conditions in Haiti worsened considerably during 2022, a deterioration owing to a political deadlock, three consecutive years of economic recession and inflation reaching more than 30 per cent. Violence broke out to an unprecedented level, with armed gangs controlling more and more territory, including areas within the capital of Port-au-Prince, committing abuses against people and triggering internal displacement.
Following the Government’s mid-September announcement of that fuel subsidies would be lifted, the country has been engulfed in a crisis featuring massive, and sometimes violent, protests, and a months-long blockade of Haiti’s main oil terminal of Varreux by gangs. This blockade is paralyzing economic activity, limiting access to basic services, hindering response operations and creating daunting humanitarian access challenges. These conditions are preventing schools from reopening, denying some 4 million children their right to education.
Food insecurity has spiked to alarming levels. Almost half of the population now suffers from hunger and, for the first time in Haiti’s history, there are people facing Catastrophe levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 5), with at least 19,000 people. The desperation is driving more and more people to flee the country, leading to more forced repatriations by land, air or sea. Moreover, authorities confirmed new cholera cases in October, the first cases in three years, with nine of Haiti’s 10 departments reporting cases by mid-November. More than 5.2 million people require humanitarian assistance, up from 4.9 million 2021.
Honduras
PEOPLE IN NEED 3.2 M
PEOPLE TARGETED 2.1 M
REQUIREMENTS (US$) $ 280.4 M
Humanitarian needs in Honduras in 2022 were driven by shocks related to an active rainy season affecting many of the same areas still recovering from hurricanes Eta and Iota, as well as the continued presence of armed criminal groups (known as maras), which continues to pose challenges for delivering assistance.
Flooding from seasonal rains and the effects of the La Niña phenomenon affected twice as many people in 2022 than in 2021, threatening food production in the coming months. October’s Tropical Storm Julia affected 15 of the country’s 18 departments. Flooding has affected an estimated 200,000 people in the Sula Valley in the north-west and 24,000 people in the Gracias a Dios department in the north-east, or about 20 per cent of the department’s population. The latter is home to members of the Misquito indigenous group, a vulnerable population that continues to see their livelihoods and resilience affected by disasters.
Growing inflation and food prices have put low-income families’ purchasing power to the test, limiting their access to basic foods amid growing poverty. This cost of living crisis is threatening to compound an already dire food insecurity context.
Honduras is among the most criminally violent countries in the world, with women, LGBTIQ+ people, children, adolescents and people with disabilities suffering a disproportionate impact. The rate of 6.8 female homicide victims per every 100,000 women is the highest in all of Latin America and the Caribbean and nearly triple the global rate of 2.3.
Mixed migration flows grew in 2022 as well, further compounding existing needs. National authorities report that more than 140,000 people entered the country with an irregular status between January and October 2022, nine times more than in all of 2021. The entry, transit and exit of migrants and refugees that make up these northbound flows has challenged the country’s response capacities, especially at the south-east border where women, girls and LGBTIQ+ people, in particular, continue to face the risk of violence.
Venezuela
PEOPLE IN NEED (2019 ESTIMATES) 7 M
PEOPLE TARGETED 5.2 M
REQUIREMENTS (US$) $ 795 M
In 2022, Venezuela showed signs of economic stabilization and growth, with the country also reporting a recent decrease in the number of cases and deaths associated with the Omicron variant. Despite these encouraging signs, the effects of an eight-year economic contraction continue to present significant socioeconomic challenges and fiscal capacity to address structural gaps in the provision of basic services is limited. The most vulnerable lack economic opportunities to meet their basic needs, especially in a context of high inflation and rising prices. According to feedback from communities, the priority needs are related to food security and nutrition, and access to essential services (such as health care, clean water, education and energy supply). Mixed migration flows continue and policy changes in the region could have an impact on human mobility dynamics. In addition to the direct impact on people and their homes, in the ten most affected states, the current rainy season has led to floods and landslides affecting the productive capacity and access to markets.
As of October 2022, the humanitarian response reached 2.2 million people, expanding to priority states, including states such as Amazonas, Apure and Delta Amacuro, where the response was previously limited. The Humanitarian Response Plan 2022-2023 emphasizes sustainable intersectoral response to improve essential services, restore livelihoods and strengthen resilience. It also prioritizes specialized protection assistance to the most vulnerable populations, including women and girls, and strengthening disaster preparedness and response.
On 26 November in Mexico, the Venezuelan government and the opposition signed a partial social agreement facilitated by Norway, which could facilitate the use of Venezuelan domestic resources to address social priorities. If sufficient resources are mobilized and the agreement is implemented, these actions could contribute to reducing the number of people in humanitarian need.
Disclaimer
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.