5 May 2025 —Madeleine had already lost her husband a few years earlier and could no longer cope with the escalating violence in her village. She decided to flee, heading for an unknown destination with her grandchildren.
Madeleine in front of her house in Bocaranga. Photo: Patricia Pouhe/NRC
Europe is the fastest-warming continent, and the impacts of climate change are clear. 2024 was the warmest year on record for Europe.
Storms were often severe and flooding widespread, claiming at least 335 lives and affecting an estimated 413 000 people.
During the year, there was a striking east-west contrast in climate conditions, with extremely dry and often record-warm conditions in the east, and warm but wet conditions in the west.
5 May 2025 — Twelve years ago, Nimco was forced to flee her home in Mieso, Ethiopia with her nine children when violence erupted between Somali and Oromo communities. They left everything behind, their home, land, and source of income.
()* — The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warned on Friday [] that a worsening funding crisis is placing refugees – who cannot return home due to war or persecution – in increasing danger.
With humanitarian resources running dry, critical support for millions of forcibly displaced people is under threat.
UNHCR said that two-thirds of countries hosting refugees are already severely overstretched and urgently need support to continue providing education, healthcare and shelter.
(UN News)* — Lifesaving operations everywhere continue to be shut down by sweeping funding cutbacks which will result in millions of people dying, the UN’s top aid official said on Wednesday [].
“Cutting funding for those in greatest need is not something to boast about…the impact of aid cuts is that millions die,” warned Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher.
Latin Americans fleeing violence face movement restrictions, exploitation, and asylum barriers, according to a new report.
28 April 2025 — The report, conducted by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and partners through the ProLAC initiative, is based on a survey of 3,611 households across nine countries.
Hands cover the face of a woman displaced by the armed conflict in Colombia. Photo: Elegante Lab/NRC
It reveals that conflict and violence in Latin America are forcing thousands of people to flee their homes, while armed and criminal groups continue to restrict their movement and take advantage of their vulnerabilities.
(UN News)* — Faced with mounting debt and economic stagnation, middle-income countries have issued a call for financial reform, sustainable investment, and a roadmap to escape the so-called “middle-income trap,” at a UN-backed international conference held in Manila, Philippines, which concluded on Tuesday [].
The High-Level Conference of Middle-Income Countries (MICs), held on 28 and 29 April, was attended by senior representatives from 24 MICs, many of which are highly indebted, leaving them little room for spending on developing their economies.
(UN News)* — With humanitarian aid in decline, the international community must shift its focus from short-term relief efforts to inclusive policies that support both refugees and host communities.
PAHO/Karen González Abril | Venezuelan refugees make their way to the Colombian border town of La Guajira.
In 2024, 122 million people were forcibly displaced — a number expected to rise in the coming years, according to Bob Rae, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), addressing a meeting on the pressing issue in New York on .
As population movements become much more complex due to wars disproportionately impacting civilians, climate disasters, hunger and poverty, 70 per cent of refugees live in low to middle-income countries.
People across Latin America fleeing violence face movement restrictions, exploitation, and asylum barriers, according to a new report by Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), and partners through the ProLAC initiative.
Refugees and migrants from all over the world reach Necocli in Colombia on their journey in search of protection and a better life. Photo: Jess Wanless/NRC
One in four families interviewed for the report said that their lives would be at risk if they returned to their place of origin.
(UN News)* —Xochimilco, nestled in the heart of Mexico City, is home to the ‘chinamperos,’ farmers who have used indigenous techniques to grow food for centuries. Today, their way of life is under threat from environmental degradation, urban expansion and climate change.
The chinamperos get their name from ‘chinampas,’ the human-made islands of floating gardens on which they farm. It was the Aztecs who discovered that, by layering mud, plants and branches on shallow lake beds, they could create highly fertile plots of land.
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 