On 8 September 2023, a powerful earthquake struck Morocco, claiming more than 2,800 lives and impacting more than 100,000 children according to initial reports. In any emergency, children are always among the most vulnerable. In close coordination with the authorities and UN partners, UNICEF is ready to support the humanitarian response as necessary to reach children and families affected with critical supplies and services. Longer-term, children and families affected will need shelter, safe drinking water, health and medical help, and food and nutrition support. Child protection services including psychosocial support will be critical in helping children and parents process their distressing experiences. Getting children back into school is also critical for their long-term recovery.  

Hello Future - Season 2, Episode 1: Nexus. The overlapping crises we face today signal that our traditional responses are not enough. We must deliver humanitarian assistance with a keen eye towards preventing the next catastrophe. This episode features Achim Steiner, Iryna Haiduchyk, and Abdallah Al Dardari.

Hello Future is a UNDP video series exploring the trends shaping our world. From digitalization to inequality, to the climate emergency, to crisis response, the series examines critical issues facing humans and the place we call home, and what we must do if we’re to get out of this century alive.

Around the world, humanitarians work tirelessly to save lives and bring hope to people in need. As crises multiply, it is unacceptable that humanitarians are being forced to reduce aid to millions of people in need. Humanitarianism itself is now under attack. On this World Humanitarian Day, we salute the courage and dedication of humanitarian aid workers everywhere. 

Nepal, Niger and South Sudan are all vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Nepal’s annual monsoon is becoming more erratic; last year’s floods in South Sudan reached unprecedented levels; and Niger’s worst drought in 30 years is driving humanitarian need. The lack of rain is causing displacement, food insecurity and malnutrition among the poorest and most vulnerable communities. Advancements in technology and analytics make it easier to predict extreme weather events. With support from UN Humanitarian, anticipatory action was triggered to prevent or reduce the impact on people.

At the beginning of 2023, UNOPS helped deliver more than 300 electricity generators to 13 regions in Ukraine as part of an emergency response project to support the needs of Ukrainian communities.

Haiti’s hunger crisis is unseen, unheard, and unaddressed leaving more than 4.9 million Haitians struggling to eat day-to-day. Pervasive insecurity and extreme weather conditions are inhibiting access to the rich food productive areas in the region. WFP is optimistic that despite these challenges, empowering the local community will build long-term capacities in bridging the food crisis. There needs to be a multi-sector response and investments in the local grassroot organizations to stabilize humanitarian assistance in Haiti.

Cameroon is affected by three complex crises: the Lake Chad basin conflict, the North-West and South-West (NWSW) crisis, and the Central African Republic (CAR) refugee crisis. One in six people in Cameroon needs humanitarian assistance. This year, an estimated 4.7 million people need humanitarian assistance and protection. However, in recent years, much-needed funding for the humanitarian response in Cameroon has barely reached half of the required amount. UN Humanitarian presents six things you need to know about this often-forgotten crisis.

“Despite all the failings of the UN, and there are many, we can deliver in the most difficult circumstances. With supplies that make a difference, with support that makes a difference, with presence that makes a difference. So that's what keeps me going. Because we have that opportunity, that potential, those resources, that experience.”

Denise Brown knows what it takes to work under the shadow of war. As UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, she and her team must brave considerable risks as they strive to meet the colossal humanitarian needs of the Ukrainian people in the midst of a brutal war. "The missiles slow us down, but they don’t stop us. That's testament to the courage, determination, and experience of the people we have there.”

In this episode of Awake at Night, Denise Brown reflects on life under bombardment, on the dangers of trips to the front line, and on making a difference in the most difficult of circumstances.

Photo credit: ©OCHA/Saviano Abreu

For the women and girls who are living amid the Horn of Africa crisis, there are increased risks.  Cases of child and forced marriage, female genital mutilation, rape, and other forms of violence have all risen sharply. UNFPA provides medical personnel and supports a range of mobile services and initiatives to reach people, such as this motorcycle ambulance, driven by Mark, who transports women to deliver safely. With increased support from the international community, UNFPA can do more for women to protect them from violence and provide access to medical interventions.

After three years of drought, more than 23 million people across parts of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia face severe hunger. When the region’s long-awaited rains arrived in March, they should have brought some relief. But instead, flash flooding inundated homes and farmland, washed away livestock, and closed schools and health facilities. Mortality and malnutrition rates remain a serious cause for concern. WFP and partners launched a rapid scale up of life-saving assistance in drought-hit Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, which helped to keep famine at bay in Somalia.

UNFPA highlights 5 reasons women and girls in Syria and Türkiye still need your support 3 months later after the devasting earthquake.  

Unprecedented floods have swallowed large swathes of South Sudan, while other parts are grappling with devastating drought. The climate crisis is also compounding existing challenges in the country, such as conflict, poverty, and rising food and energy prices. This has left almost 8 million people facing crisis levels of hunger. The dyke rehabilitation by WFP is just one of many initiatives that they are rolling out to tackle the climate crisis, improve food security and develop rural economies in South Sudan. Families who had fled their towns when the dykes broke, are returning eager to rebuild their way of life.

Millions of children are experiencing a surge of preventable diseases because of prolonged drought and conflict in Somalia. Women and children make up more than 80 per cent of the displaced people in Somalia, and they are most affected. by the limited access to and unavailability of water, sanitation and hygiene services and increased risk of waterborne diseases. But only 27 per cent of Somalia’s population have access to essential health care. UNOCHA and its humanitarian partners are noting that the number of IDPs continues to increase due to ongoing conflict, drought-induced displacement and water shortages.

UNCTAD reports the Black Sea Grain Initiative - which has moved 25 million metric tons of grains - mostly benefitted developing countries, supporting food security among the most vulnerable.

More than 9 million people in Türkiye and 8.8 million in Syria were affected by two massive earthquakes. UNFPA provides psychosocial support and and health services across temporary camps.