Humanitarian Emergencies

Why I Became a Disaster Expert

By Armen Grigoryan
Thirty years ago, a powerful earthquake ripped through my home country of Armenia, leaving 25,000 dead, 500,000 homeless and annihilating an estimated 40 percent of the national economy.

Rohingya Protest Against Return to Myanmar and Halt Repatriation

By Naimul Haq
Thousands of Rohingya refugees in camps in Cox’s Bazar, the southern-most coastal district in Bangladesh, protested on Thursday, Nov. 15, against an attempt to send them back to Myanmar.

Northeast Nigeria: Urgent Need to Combat Deadly Cholera Outbreaks

By Janet Cherono
The number of people who have been affected by cholera in northeast Nigeria has increased to 10,000. The disease is spreading quickly in congested displacement camps with limited access to proper sanitation facilities.

Empowering Women in Post-Conflict Africa

By Amber Rouleau
While its conflict ended in 2007, Northern Uganda struggles with its legacy as one of the most aid-dependent regions in the world.

Ambitious Agenda, Ambitious Financing? UNGA Shows a Long Way Still to Go for SDGs

By John Garrett and Kathryn Tobin
There was a much-needed focus on financing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the September 2018 opening of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Cholera Threatens a Comeback Worldwide

By Anna Kucirkova
Cholera outbreaks across history regularly killed a hundred thousand or more. It isn’t well known today because it was essentially eliminated in the Western world.

Is the United Nations in Kenya Fit For Purpose?

By Yusuf Hassan
The United Nations globally is witnessing some of the most ambitious reforms led by the UN Secretary General Mr. Antonio Guterres. Most relevant to us in Kenya is the entire reform of the development system and how the UN will adapt to a fast-changing development environment.

With Poor Human Rights Record, Repatriation Not Possible

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
Policies that allow for impunity, genocide, and apartheid are “intolerable” and make repatriation of Rohingya refugees impossible, say United Nations investigators.

Q&A: Using Data to Predict Internal Displacement Trends

By Carmen Arroyo
This year the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) noted that 2017 saw the highest number of displacements associated with conflict in a decade-11.8 million people. But this is not a situation that is going to be resolved any time soon, says the organisation which has been reporting on displacements since 1998.

Water: a Private Privilege, not a Community Resource

By Shekhar Kapur
Water is becoming a private privilege rather than a community resource. It is also one of the world’s most precious resources. As vital to the survival of the human species as the air that we breathe.

The Earthquake in Indonesia: How Collaboration Impacts the Global Water Crisis

By George C. Greene, IV
On Friday, September 28, the world first heard the devastating news out of Indonesia that a 7.5 magnitude earthquake had struck the island of Sulawesi. The quake caused substantial soil liquefaction — where the earth literally turned to liquid and started to flow — with entire homes sinking into the ground. It also triggered a tsunami, confirmed to be as high as 23 feet, that devastated the coastal areas.

Mother Nature Can Help us Deal With Her Water Disasters

By Vladimir Smakhtin
Almost every day we hear news about catastrophic flooding or drought somewhere in the world. And many nations and regions are on track for even more extreme water problems within a generation, the latest IPCC report warns.

Dr. Hanif Hassan Ali Al Qassim: Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence remains a source of guidance for bringing peace to the Arab region

By Geneva Centre
The Chairman of the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue, HE Dr. Hanif Hassan Ali Al Qassim, praised Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence in expressing concern about the current rise of extremist violence. Dr. Al Qassim made this statement to honour the legacy of the great Statesman of the Global South that is observed annually on 2 October on the occasion of the International Day of Non-Violence.

Venezuela’s Surname Is Diaspora

By Humberto Márquez
They sell their houses, cars, motorcycles, household goods, clothes and ornaments - if they have any - even at derisory prices, save up a few dollars, take a bus and, in many cases, for the first time ever travel outside their country: they are the migrants who are fleeing Venezuela by the hundreds of thousands.

Without Food Security, There Is No Peace

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
Reversing years of progress, global hunger is on the rise once again and one of the culprits is clear: conflict.

Q&A: An Uncertain Future Ahead for Rohingya in Bangladesh

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
Over one year ago, Bangladesh opened its doors in response to what is now the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis. But questions still remain on how to rehabilitate the steadily growing population. 

Climate Change Undermining Global Efforts to Eradicate Hunger

By Thalif Deen
The United Nations warned last month that the accelerating impacts of climate change—“already clearly visible today”-- have triggered an unpredictable wave of natural disasters-- including extreme heatwaves, wild fires, storms, and floods during the course of this year.

25 years Since the Oslo Accords: Israeli Security Depends on Palestinian Rights

By Jan Egeland
Twenty-five years ago, on 13 September 1993, I sat on the White House lawn to witness the landmark signing of the Oslo agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Diplomats around me gasped as Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shook hands with former foe, Chairman Yasser Arafat. But for some of us present, the handshake came as no surprise.

International Law Experts Warn Europe’s ‘Pull Back’ of Migrants is Illegal – Part 2

By Maged Srour
“The Italian and other European authorities are engaging – on the migration issue – in a policy which has the foreseeable results of numerous deaths.” It is a grim warning from expert on international law, refugees and migration issues, and member of the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), Itamar Mann.

“We Should Not Wait” — Action Needed on Myanmar

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
After the release of a scathing report on Myanmar’s human rights violations, next steps to achieve accountability and justice remain elusive and uncertain.  

The Plight of Women & Young People in the Rohingya Refugee Crisis

By Asa Torkelsson
August 25, 2018 marked one year since violence erupted in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, triggering the massive Rohingya exodus to neighbouring Bangladesh. As the crisis continues with no immediate end in sight, it is crucial to expand and sustain health and life skills services for Rohingya women, girls and youth to locate opportunities amid challenges.
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