Hunger is on the rise in Zimbabwe. Photo: PWRDF
The reports in November and December 2020 were dire. For the people of Matabeleland in Zimbabwe, the “lean” season had begun. The peak lean season the three months after Christmas, the really difficult season before harvest was soon to arrive.
The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) has been supporting rural livelihoods, women and men working in agriculture, for all of its 60-plus years. With the support of our generous donors, PWRDF has provided food, seeds, technical training and advice in seed preservation, pest and crop management and market linkages, all while building on local agricultural knowledge and practices.
Statement by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock to the Security Council on the implementation of SC Resolution 2532, 25 January 2021
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As Delivered
With Rosemary and Jean-Pierre in September I warned you that the virus and its secondary effects would hit the world’s most fragile and conflict-affected countries hardest.
That’s still the case.
Mr. President,
Ten days ago, the world passed the grim milestone of 2 million deaths from COVID. Almost 98 million people are confirmed to have contracted the virus around the world. Twenty-four million – almost a quarter of them – live in countries facing humanitarian or refugee crises.
COVID-19 continues to spread its tentacles in a world where humanitarian need was already widespread and growing. Before the virus hit, over one billion people were affected by longterm crises such as conflict, forced displacement and the effects of climate change. The pandemic is compounding these challenges.
Patrick W. Quirk and Richmond Blake
The Biden administration will face a multiplicity of challenges on day one. Armed conflict and instability in countries that matter for U.S. interests will be chief among them. From Ethiopia to the Northern Triangle (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador), armed violence remains an unfortunately pervasive and persistent element of the national security threat landscape. Intra-state violence had already been rising before the pandemic began its global sweep, but COVID-19 has exacerbated many factors underlying fragility and associated instability.
The Biden administration has an opportunity to address this challenge by effectively implementing the first-ever U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability.” Released by the national security agencies on December 18, the strategy is the foundational requirement of the bipartisan 2019 Global Fragility Act (GFA), envisioned as a PEPFAR-for-conflict-prevention.
Global Humanitarian Overview 2020 Monthly Funding Update - 31 December 2020
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Global Humanitarian Overview 2021
The Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) for 2021 was launched on 2 December 2020 in Geneva, with subsequent presentations on the same day in Berlin, Brussels, London and Washington D.C. The 2021 GHO requirements - $35 billion – are the highest ever. The UN and partner organizations aim to help 160 million of the 235 million most vulnerable people who face hunger, conflict, displacement, and the impacts of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic in 56 countries.
This year, the GHO is presented on a dedicated and interactive website. The full document, as well as abridged versions in Arabic, English, French and Spanish, can be downloaded here.