OVERVIEW
The humanitarian crisis in Iraq remains one of the largest and most volatile in the world, with a complex reality, rapidly changing vulnerabilities, and serious economic problems. However, despite the defeat of ISIS over a year ago, there is still great need for help in order to break the cycle that led to the current events. The Iraqi security situation became extremely acute with the conquest of part of the country by ISIS.
Kabul, 12 December 2018 – With an urgent need to scale up disaster risk reduction across Afghanistan and to address humanitarian needs, UN Environment carried out a three-day interactive training course in Kabul from 10 -12 December 2018, to examine the challenges and opportunities for advancing ecosystem-based disaster reduction measures in humanitarian action and development planning.
The war in Syria forced Mouhamad El Sheli and his family to flee their bombed-out home in Homs into life as refugees in neighboring Lebanon. “We moved here with no job …meaning we didn’t have anything,” says the 28-year-old father of three young children. “I worked any job, olive picking, construction, any job so we can survive.”
Throughout the Middle East region last week, reported fatalities have remained consistent with the week prior, having dropped significantly since the beginning of November. Meanwhile we see a slight rise in overall demonstrations, the majority of which occurred in Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Israel. At the same time, the number of reported battles has risen slightly as well, representative of the ongoing offensives by multiple groups in both Yemen and Syria.
Honourable Ministers,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
In my opening statement to this conference one week ago, I told you that this was the most important COP since the adoption of the Paris Agreement.
I warned that climate change is running faster than we are and that Katowice must—in no uncertain terms—be a success, as a necessary platform to reverse this trend.
To achieve it, I said that ambition and compromises were both needed. Never have the stakes been higher.
I left Katowice hopeful, but uncertain.
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock today announced a US$10 million regional contribution from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) towards mitigating the possible impact of the current Ebola outbreak should it spread to countries neighbouring the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
DEV/3379
11 DECEMBER 2018
INTERGOVERNMENTAL CONFERENCE ON THE GLOBAL COMPACT FOR MIGRATION, DIALOGUE 2 (AM & PM)
MARRAKECH, Morocco, 11 December — With a far-reaching Global Compact on Migration now adopted by a majority of countries, it is up to Governments — in partnership with civil society groups, business leaders and migrants themselves — to push back against the distorted narratives dominating the global news cycle, stressed participants during an interactive dialogue today.
Summary of major revisions made to emergency plan of action:
The Ethiopia Red Cross Society (ERCS) seeks the approval to extend the implementation period of the population movement DREF for two months until 28th February 2019 in three locations instead of the previously planned four.
The month of October saw the highest number of Start Fund awarded responses in one single month. From awarding responses to cross-border displacement in Ecuador and Peru to anticipating a volcanic eruption in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) it was the highest alerting and activated month in the history of the Start Fund, where 13 alerts from 15 were activated. In comparison, the previous highest alerting month which was August 2016 had 11 alerts, of which 7 were activated.
By Youssef Lakhder
IPS Correspondent Youssef Lakhder spoke to YOUNOUS ARBAOUI, advocacy and coordination officer at the National Migrant Protection Platform (PNPM)
Amid the hustle and bustle of the two-day Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), IPS spoke to Younous Arbaoui, advocacy and coordination officer at the National Migrant Protection Platform (PNPM), about the importance of the GCM in tackling the migration challenge facing the world.
Volume I: Evaluation Report
Foreword
West and Central Africa’s (WCA) population is predominantly young. More than 64% are under the age of 24. Young people are a tremendous resource for the region – but their potential will only be realized when the right investments in their education, health, skills and empowerment are made.
Highlights:
Nearly 9 out of 10 displaced households were able to maintain or improve their food consumption to acceptable levels thanks to increased assistance levels and the transition to vouchers
During the monsoon season, displaced households resorted to negative livelihood coping such as borrowing money to buy food, selling food assistance, sending children to work, and increased the use of asset depletion strategies by spending savings and selling productive assets
Katowice, 12 December 2018 – Today, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 24) in Poland, 15 international organizations jointly announced a commitment to make their operations climate neutral. The organizations will measure their greenhouse gas emissions, reduce them as much as possible and compensate the currently unavoidable ones with credible carbon credits.
With over 2 million tons of CO2 per year in emissions, and more than 50,000 staff, the aggregate action by this organizations represents an important example that may be taken at all levels of society.
Vienna, Austria, December 12, 2018. OFID – the OPEC Fund for International Development – has approved more than US$328 million of new funding to benefit developing countries across the globe. The 165th Session of OFID’s Governing Board approved the funding at the organization’s Vienna
The public sector loans, which total US$216 million, will support the following projects.
