12 November 2021 - "I'm pleased to say that today I signed The Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations on behalf of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). It signals our commitment to face up to the challenges and spurs action."

- Mr Martin Griffiths, USG for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

***

Statement by the Principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) on the climate crisis

(03 Nov 2021)

The global humanitarian community calls on world leaders at the climate summit to prioritize the most vulnerable and at-risk countries and communities.

Members of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee urge Governments at COP26 in Glasgow to step up support to people most at risk and vulnerable to the devastating effects of the climate crisis.

As humanitarian organizations, we have witnessed for years how climate change is placing millions of lives at risk and creating unprecedented humanitarian needs. In the last 20 months alone, more than 658 million people have been exposed to extreme-temperature events, while climate-related disasters have killed more than 17,200 people and affected the lives and livelihoods of at least 139 million.

The climate crisis affects communities around the world, but those who face multiple other threats, including conflict, violence, poverty and COVID-19, particularly women and girls, are disproportionately affected. Their capacity to cope with shocks and adapt to changes is limited. These vulnerable communities are being left further behind. They need urgent support to adapt and respond to the climate risks and disasters that threaten their lives and livelihoods.

Humanitarian organizations have a crucial role in supporting vulnerable communities. We are committed to being part of the solution, to helping people anticipate, absorb and adapt to climate resilience, and to responding when people are forcibly displaced due to the effects of climate change. We are committed to increasing our own environmental sustainability and ensuring we do not inadvertently contribute to worsening these crises. We are committed to being more effective and inclusive, and to scaling action to minimize the impacts of shocks, including loss of lives and livelihoods, and to sharing our insights about the humanitarian consequences of climate change in policy debates, including through the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations.

The extent of the scale and impact of the climate crisis is more than humanitarian organizations can address alone.

World leaders who gathered at COP26 in Glasgow must rise to the challenge and scale up climate mitigation. They must prioritize support to build resilience and strengthen adaptation of local communities for effective climate action in order to avert and minimize loss and damage from climate-related shocks and stresses.

Governments should take the following measures:

• Ensure a focus on the most vulnerable and marginalized people in crises, with a particular focus on women, youth, internally displaced people and refugees.

• Listen to communities and grassroots leaders, particularly women, youth and indigenous people, and engage them in decision-making and co-creating and owning solutions that put people, climate and nature at the centre of all actions.

• Invest in more effective preventative risk management and capacities at the local level, including on climate risk monitoring, early warning and early action. We must work closely with communities to better anticipate, respond and adapt to potential climate disasters.

• Increase financing for climate-adaptation action that targets the most vulnerable countries and communities.

• Turn global commitments into effective local action that empowers those most at risk. This includes ensuring that local institutions have access to adaptation finance, including risk transfer mechanisms such as social protection and insurance and nature-positive solutions, and ensuring that investments are accessible and meet the needs of those most at risk.

We urge Governments to consider the humanitarian consequences that their decisions have on people bearing the brunt of the climate crisis. We have no time to lose.

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Signatories

Mr. Sean Callahan, President and Chief Executive Officer, Catholic Relief Services

 (CRS)

• Mr. Dominic MacSorley, Chief Executive Officer,

   Concern Worldwide

• Mr. Qu Dongyu, Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization

   (FAO)

• Mr. Peter Maurer, President, International Committee of the Red Cross

   (ICRC)

• Ms. Jane Backhurst, Chair of

   ICVA

   Board and Senior Adviser, Humanitarian Policy and Advocacy, Christian Aid

• Mr. Ignacio Packer, Executive Director, International Council of Voluntary Agencies

   (ICVA)

• Mr. Samuel Worthington, Chief Executive Officer,

   InterAction

• Mr. Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General, International Federation of Red Cross

   (IFRC)

• Mr. António Vitorino, Director General, International Organization for Migration

   (IOM)

• Mr. Martin Griffiths, Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs

   (OCHA)

• Ms. Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

  (OHCHR)

• Ms. Abby Maxman, Chair, Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response

  (SCHR), and President and CEO, Oxfam America

• Mr. Gareth Price-Jones, Executive Secretary, Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response

   (SCHR)

• Ms. Cecilia Jimenez-Damary, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons

   (SR on HR of IDPs)

• Mr. Achim Steiner, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme

   (UNDP)

• Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund

   (UNFPA)

• Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director, United Nations Human Settlement Programme

   (UN-Habitat)

• Mr. Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

   (UNHCR)

• Ms. Henrietta H. Fore, Executive Director, United Nations Children's Fund

   (UNICEF)

• Mr. David Beasley, Executive Director, World Food Programme

   (WFP)

• Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization

  (WHO)

25 October 2021 (ROME/KABUL) – More than half the population of Afghanistan – a record 22.8 million people - will face acute food insecurity from November, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report issued today by the Food Security and Agriculture Cluster of Afghanistan, co-led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN and the UN World Food Programme.

The combined impacts of drought, conflict, COVID-19 and the economic crisis, have severely affected lives, livelihoods, and people’s access to food. The report’s findings come as Afghanistan’s harsh winter looms, threatening to cut off areas of the country where families desperately depend on humanitarian assistance to survive the freezing winter months.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report has found that more than one in two Afghans will be facing crisis (IPC Phase 3) or emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels of acute food insecurity through the November 2021 to March 2022 lean season, requiring urgent humanitarian interventions to meet basic food needs, protect livelihoods and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

The report also notes that this is the highest number of acutely food insecure people ever recorded in the ten years the UN has been conducting IPC analyses in Afghanistan. Globally, Afghanistan is home to one of the largest number of people in acute food insecurity in both absolute and relative terms

“It is urgent that we act efficiently and effectively to speed up and scale up our delivery in Afghanistan before winter cuts off a large part of the country, with millions of people – including farmers, women, young children and the elderly – going hungry in the freezing winter. It is a matter of life or death. We cannot wait and see humanitarian disasters unfolding in front of us – it is unacceptable!” said QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General.

“Afghanistan is now among the world’s worst humanitarian crises - if not the worst - and food security has all but collapsed. This winter, millions of Afghans will be forced to choose between migration and starvation unless we can step up our life-saving assistance, and unless the economy can be resuscitated. We are on a countdown to catastrophe and if we don’t act now, we will have a total disaster on our hands,” said David Beasley, WFP Executive Director.

“Hunger is rising and children are dying. We can’t feed people on promises – funding commitments must turn into hard cash, and the international community must come together to address this crisis, which is fast spinning out of control,” Beasley warned.

Hunger spreads from rural to urban areas

The IPC report reflects a 37 percent increase in the number of Afghans facing acute hunger since the last assessment issued in April 2021. Among those at risk are 3.2 million children under-five who are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition by the end of the year. In October, WFP and UNICEF warned that one million children were at risk of dying from severe acute malnutrition without immediate life-saving treatment.

For the first time, urban residents are suffering from food insecurity at similar rates to rural communities, marking the shifting face of hunger in the country. Rampant unemployment and the liquidity crisis mean that all major urban centres are projected to face Emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels of food insecurity, including formerly middle-class populations.

In rural areas, the severe impact of the second drought in four years continues to impact the livelihoods of 7.3 million people who rely on agriculture and livestock to survive.

Current funding a drop in the ocean

FAO and WFP have been alerting the world to huge funding shortfalls and the need for urgent action by the international community before it is too late. Immediate financial support is now crucial to meet the most basic humanitarian needs as Afghans confront winter with no jobs, cash, or prospects, just as another La Niña event is on the horizon, meaning this year’s drought conditions are likely to extend into 2022.

To meet the scale of needs, the UN will need to mobilize resources at unprecedented levels. The UN’s Humanitarian Response Plan remains only a third funded. WFP in planning to ramp up its humanitarian assistance as we enter 2022 to meet the food and nutrition needs of almost 23 million people in Afghanistan. To meet the task at hand WFP may require as much as US$ 220 million per month.

Since the beginning of 2021, WFP has provided food, cash, and nutrition assistance to 10.3 million people, including malnutrition treatment and prevention programmes for nearly 400 000 pregnant and breastfeeding women, and 790 000 children under-five.

FAO continues to deliver vital emergency livelihood interventions at scale in Afghanistan, providing lifesaving support and cash assistance to farmers and livestock owning households who comprise 70 percent of the total population, so they can remain productive. More than 3.5 million people will be supported this year, with FAO reaching over more than 330 000 in August and September alone.

Amid worsening drought, FAO is seeking $11.4 million in urgent funding for its humanitarian response and is seeking a further $200 million for the agricultural season into 2022. FAO is now distributing wheat cultivation packages, including high quality and locally-supplied seeds, fertilizers and training. This campaign is expected to benefit 1.3 million people across 27 out of 34 provinces of the country in the coming weeks.

The IPC Report brief can be accessed here & IPC Snapshot here.

Highlights

• Fighting in the northwest between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and the Chinland Defence Force in Chin State and the local People’s Defence Forces (PDFs) in Magway and Sagaing regions has recently escalated.

• In Chin State, more than 160 houses, two churches and an NGO office in Thantlang Town were reportedly burnt down on 29 October.

• Around 37,000 people, including women and children, have been newly displaced by fighting which started in May in the northwest, in addition to around 7,600 people previously displaced by earlier conflict between the Arakan Army (AA) and the MAF in Paletwa, Chin State, since December 2019.

Situation Overview

The humanitarian, human rights and security situation in Chin State, as well as in neighbouring Magway and Sagaing regions, is deteriorating with intensified armed clashes reported between the MAF and local PDFs. Displacement has increased as well as rights violations and causalities. In Chin State, more than 160 houses, two churches and an NGO office in Thantlang Town were reportedly burnt down on 29 October, in addition to other townships facing similar destruction of property since August. Most residents had already fled in late September in anticipation of the conflict. However, UNICEF is concerned about the safety of children who are thought to remain in Thantlang Town and is calling for immediate efforts to ensure the safety of these children, and of all children impacted by the conflict.

In total, around 37,000 people, including women and children, have now been displaced in the northwest since the clashes started in May. This includes at least 18,300 people who have been displaced across several townships in Chin State. Of those people, more than 10,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are sheltering in Thantlang Township in Chin State next to the Indian border. The newly displaced people in Chin State are in addition to some 7,600 people who remain displaced since December 2019 in Paletwa in southern Chin due to the conflict between the AA and the MAF. About 15,000 people have reportedly crossed the border into India since the military takeover on 1 February.

The total number of displaced people in Sagaing and Magway regions remains mostly unchanged for the last two weeks as some have returned to their areas of origin, while others have been newly displaced. Around 7,000 people remain in the displacement sites in Kale, Kani, Khin-U and Mingin townships in Sagaing Region and around 12,300 remain in the displacement sites in Gangaw, Pauk and Saw townships in Magway Region.

(DOWNLOAD FULL SITUATION REPORT)

This report is produced by Office of the Resident Coordinator in collaboration with partners.

HIGHLIGHTS

• 15 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered to date, covering 43% of people over 18 will one dose and 32.6% with two.

• Heavy rains have generated a more severe impact than any 2021 monsoon event, with more deaths in one week than over the course of monsoon. Impacts are estimated to be heaviest in agriculture sector with serious implications for food security in the coming months.

• Rapid assessment of crop and agricultural losses in ongoing and will inform medium term planning for Food Security Cluster.

• Cholera/dysentery outbreak in two municipalities requires renewed efforts to contain with reports of cases increasing in four additional municipalities

• High mobility and low testing during the ongoing festival period leaves the current picture of transmission and cases fuzzy, creating challenges for planning.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

After the official end to monsoon season on 11 October, incessant rainfall, between 17-20 October across Sudurpaschim, Karnali, Lumbini and Province One triggered the heaviest floods and landslides of 2021, resulting in loss of lives, infrastructures and heavy losses and damage in the agriculture sector, especially the ready to harvest paddy crops. Humanitarian partners have been mounting a response to immediate needs and preparing to assess mid- to long-term needs in the agricultural sector, expected to have far reaching implications for food insecurity in the coming months.

In addition, a cholera/dysentery outbreak began in two municipalities of Kapilvastu in early October, and despite three weeks of active response, is reportedly spreading beyond these hotspots in four neighbouring municipalities.

At the same time, Covid-19 cases have been declining in absolute terms; however, official data is difficult to interpret due to the sharp decline in testing rates. Test positivity has increased, particularly in those areas where testing is at its lowest. As Nepal is in the middle of the biggest festival period, with high intra- and inter country mobility, the impact on transmission and true case numbers is expected to only be reliably interpreted towards to end of November.

Humanitarian partners continue to respond to the secondary impact of Covid-19 as well as the heavy rains and cholera outbreak, and take actions to mitigate a new wave of Covid-19 at this critical juncture.

(DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT PDF)

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new challenges to disaster risk reduction, disaster response and planning for safe evacuation from disaster events - including tsunamis.

World Tsunami Day, marked on 5 November each year, promotes a global culture for tsunami awareness, preparedness, and response to build resilience across generations.

Launched by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015, World Tsunami Awareness Day was inspired by Japan’s tsunami response expertise in early warning systems, public action and building back better after disaster to reduce future impacts.

Disaster and tsunami preparedness plans need to be reviewed and updated to address any urgent challenges brought about by current events, including the pandemic. COVID-safe guidelines now include wearing of mask, physical distancing, and hygiene practices in disaster planning.

“The advent of the Covid-19 pandemic has compounded the vulnerability of people to cope against socioeconomic and environmental disasters,” said Dirk Wagener, UNDP Resident Representative.

The pandemic has brought new challenges to disaster preparedness and response with a significant number of students globally, including in Papua New Guinea, continuing to learn from home or alternate locations, there is a growing need to strengthen community preparedness as well.

“With the current pandemic situation, and the restrictions it imposes on travels and public gatherings, it is very necessary to update existing preparedness plans in schools and communities, so people become resilient to tsunamis, pandemics and other hazards whilst observing the ‘niupela pasin’ within their own communities,” he said.

In 2017, supported by the Government of Japan, the United Nations Development Programme Bangkok Regional Hub launched the ‘Partnerships for Strengthening School Preparedness for Tsunamis in the Asia Pacific Region’. Known as the Tsunami Project, the aim is to mitigate impacts of tsunamis by strengthening school preparedness in 18 disaster prone countries in the region.

Papua New Guinea was chosen to action the Tsunami Project with 17 other countries, including: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Vietnam.

The Tsunami Project operates in New Guinea Islands and Southern Regions, in Papua New Guinea. In 2017-18, a total of 3,325 students and community members were trained in tsunami preparedness and response in PNG. During 2019-2021, primary and secondary schools in East New Britain and Milne Bay Provinces, and Sohano Island in Autonomous Region of Bougainville joined the Tsunami Project. In 2019, the Milne Bay Provincial Administration also committed to ensure all schools in the province will conduct tsunami drills and observe World Tsunami Day, annually.

Phase three of the Tsunami Project will build on the impact and lessons learnt to reach the most vulnerable to make risk informed decisions for individual and community preparedness and transform the way disaster preparedness is managed – scaling up and institutionalizing preparedness and response efforts in the ‘new normal’ context.

Due to current Covid-19 restrictions, the project is commemorating World Tsunami Day via official UNDP social media platforms using hashtag handles #TsunamiDay and #OnlyTogether.

Funded by the Japanese Government, the Tsunami Project is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme, the National Disaster Centre, National Department of Education and the Port Moresby Geophysical Observatory Branch of the Department of Mineral Policy and Geohazards Management (DMPGM). DMPGM is the State agency responsible for the monitoring and assessment of earthquake and tsunami hazards within the PNG region.

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and UNDP in Asia-Pacific are committed to supporting tsunami awareness and preparedness.

(This article originally appeared on the UNDP website)

MANILA, 7 October 2021--The United Nations (UN) Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Philippines, Gustavo Gonzalez, announced a contribution of over P380M from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund mechanism (CERF) to better address the upcoming typhoon season. The funds will be allocated as part of an innovative pilot test for anticipatory actions.

The announcement was made in the context of a High-Level Meeting co-chaired by the Secretary of National Defense and Chair of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, Delfin Lorenzana, and the UN Philippines chief.

The high-level talk brought together the Department of National Defense (DND) and its Office of Civil Defense (OCD), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Ambassadors of Canada, Germany, EU and UK, which are key countries supporting the anticipatory action as well as the CERF.

A collaborative dialogue explored ways in which anticipatory approach can address challenges of the climate crisis. Secretary Lorenzana noted that ‘the Government of the Philippines is inspired to embark on this joint anticipatory action program and is eager to further explore how to contextualize the pilot and ensure it empowers the local government units which are our first line of defense.” He added that the “current focus provides a good start to eventually roll out the pilot to other areas”.

With the two-year funding from the UNCERF, the pilot’s anticipatory interventions will be executed by FAO, IOM, UNFPA, UNICEF and WFP, and their implementing partners, while OCHA will provide overall coordination. The framework is designed to support 270,500 most vulnerable people in 44 municipalities across Regions 5 (Bicol) and 8 (Eastern Visayas) three days prior to landfall of a category-4 or 5 typhoon.

“This work would not be possible without international collaboration and I welcome the resource partners and recognize their commitment, both globally and nationally, in advancing humanitarian response, disaster risk reduction and addressing climate change”, said Gonzalez. “UK, Germany, EU and Canada are key contributors to the CERF and these resource partners, together with the World Bank, are also pioneering supporters of anticipatory action.”

A series of anticipatory pilots are facilitated by the CERF around the world and there is a compelling amount of evidence that acting before the disaster hits, cuts the costs of humanitarian response, preserves people’s dignity and allows for a faster recovery by protecting hard-won development gains that were already achieved.