Archive for ‘Others-USA-Europe-etc.’

17/09/2024

Sanitary Disaster in Gaza ‘Worsening by the Day’

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — Overcrowded shelters in Gaza, a lack of running water and the constant threat of disease are making conditions worse by the day for people in the enclave, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, warned on Monday [].

Families collect water from a UNICEF-supported facility in Deir al-Balah, in the Gaza Strip.
© UNICEF/Eyad El Baba | Families collect water from a UNICEF-supported facility in Deir al-Balah, in the Gaza Strip.
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In a new alert, UNRWA highlighted how Gazans’ shelters have become a target for insects and rodents after more than 11 months of war – echoing deep concerns among humanitarians about the lack of basic hygiene items that have left families unprotected from communicable diseases.
17/09/2024

Gaza: Classrooms Turned to Rubble: UNRWA Describes Realities of Life in a War Zone

Human Wrongs Watch

By Ezzat El-Ferri

(UN News)* — A school that once served as a place of learning and play for hundreds of children is now a refuge filled with tents and makeshift shelters for those displaced by the ongoing conflict in Gaza, a senior official from the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has reported.

UNRWA schools continue to offer shelter to displaced Gazans.
© UNRWA | UNRWA schools continue to offer shelter to displaced Gazans.
16/09/2024

Why Dirty Air Costs US$ Trillions Every Year

Human Wrongs Watch

(UNEP)* — Air pollution costs the global economy a staggering US$8.1 trillion every year, or 6.1 per cent of the world’s gross domestic product.

Credit: UNEP

Air pollution comes from myriad sources and disproportionately affects the marginalized, including women, children and the elderly.  Its impact crosses borders, harming public health, the economy and the environment. 

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16/09/2024

August 2024, the Warmest on Record, Marking the 15th Consecutive Month of Record-High Global Temperatures

Human Wrongs Watch

13 September 2024 (WMO)* — The extended streak of extraordinarily high temperatures has continued, and the year so far has been the warmest on record for the globe, according to three leading international datasets.
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It was the warmest August on record, marking the 15th consecutive month of record-high global temperatures, which it itself is a record, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

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16/09/2024

Half the World Lacks Social Protection amid Climate Crisis – International Labour Organization

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — Social protection is essential to safeguard people from shocks, but half the world is without any coverage, including over 90 per cent of people living in climate-vulnerable countries, according to a new report released on Thursday [] by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

People wading through flood waters in search of shelter in Feni following catastrophic flooding that displaced five million people in southeastern Bangladesh in August 2024. (file)
© UNICEF/Sultan Mahmud Mukut | People wading through flood waters in search of shelter in Feni following catastrophic flooding that displaced five million people in southeastern Bangladesh in August 2024. (file)
 
Around 50 per cent of us do have access to at least one social protection benefit – but 3.8 billion people lack any kind of safety net, including 1.8 billion children worldwide, according to the World Social Protection Report 2024-26: Universal social protection for climate action and a just transition.
15/09/2024

“A Race against Time”: Pregnant Djamila’s Journey to Hospital by Canoe in Flood-Ravaged Cameroon

Human Wrongs Watch

FAR NORTH REGION, Cameroon, 11 September 2024 (UNFPA)* -– As Djamila* clutched her pregnant belly, the floodwaters rose around her, threatening to engulf the fragile canoe she had escaped in.

 A woman stands in floodwater surrounding a collapsed wooden gate and a house with a thatched roof
A pregnant woman is stranded by her house amid recent flooding in Cameroon’s Far North region. Credit: UNFPA Cameroon / Samuel Sawalda

“The water was everywhere,” she told UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. “I was so scared – not just for myself, but for my babies. Every minute felt like an eternity.”

At 18, this was her first pregnancy – and she was expecting twins.

15/09/2024

Escalation in West Bank Signals Risk of Further Atrocities

Human Wrongs Watch

By Akshaya KumarHuman Rights Watch*

12 September 2024 — In recent days Israeli security forces in the West Bank have reportedly blocked medical workers from getting to people in need, dug up roads making them impassable, and used airstrikes and drones launching missiles to kill dozens of Palestinians, including children.


An explosion is seen during an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, September 5, 2024.
© 2024 Majdi Mohammed/AP Photo

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15/09/2024

Nigeria: Hundreds of Thousands in Need of Aid as Flooding Wipes Out Homes – World Food Programme

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — UN humanitarians are rushing to assist scores of newly displaced people in northeast Nigeria, after torrential rains caused a dam to collapse and flood the area, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday [].

Millions remain displaced across Nigeria due to conflict, climate change impacts and natural disasters. In this file photo, a girl carries water to her shelter at an IDP camp in the country's northeast. (file)
© UNICEF/KC Nwakalor | Millions remain displaced across Nigeria due to conflict, climate change impacts and natural disasters. In this file photo, a girl carries water to her shelter at an IDP camp in the country’s northeast. (file)
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Alau Dam, located just over 10 miles to the south of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, collapsed in the middle of the night on Tuesday, forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes.
15/09/2024

Gaza’s GDP Plummeted 81% in the Last Quarter of 2023, Leaving Its Economy in Ruins

Human Wrongs Watch

12 September 2024 (UNCTAD)* — The staggering scale of economic devastation and unprecedented decline in economic activity far surpasses the impact of all previous military confrontations.

A family carries their belongings as they walk across rubble and ruin in Gaza.
© UNRWA | A family carries their belongings as they walk across rubble and ruin in Gaza.
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UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released a comprehensive report detailing the profound economic destruction that has gripped the Occupied Palestinian Territory in the aftermath of the Israeli military operation in Gaza that followed the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas.

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13/09/2024

Fighting Cholera: Prevention Efforts for Displaced Families in Yemen

Human Wrongs Watch

By Sherbel Dissi

Over 18.6 million Yemenis, more than half of the total population, currently need humanitarian assistance. Many are living in collective sites or camps for displaced people.

Awareness session with Ali Fuad, a displaced person in Amran governorate, Kharef camp. Photo: NRC

12 September 2024 (Norwegian Refugee Council)* — In such sites, cholera, a disease that can be potentially fatal, poses a significant threat. Lack of access to clean water, proper latrines and health education all contribute to the spread of this disease.