UNFPA estimates there are more than 130,000 pregnant women in Syria, around 14,800 of whom will deliver in the next month. UNFPA was part of the first cross-border convoy to arrive with much needed relief items. 

One year into the Ukraine war, an estimated 1.5 million children are at risk of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental conditions. Not many are lucky as Kateryna who left Kyiv with her children at the beginning of the war. Once again, children are paying the price of a war not of their own making. UNICEF has been working with national and local authorities, as well as civil society organizations in Ukraine and neighboring countries to deliver emergency assistance, access to education, health and mental health support, and life-saving information to children and their families.

Rescuers work into the night, racing against time, hoping to find survivors amid the overwhelming devastation caused by the Türkiye- Syria earthquake. Thousands of buildings, including maternity facilities and safe spaces for women and girls, have been severely damaged or destroyed.  UNFPA is committed to support the people of Türkiye and Syria affected by the earthquakes, including the pregnant women who are expected to give birth in the coming weeks under these difficult conditions. Women working with the UNFPA-supported Women and Girls Safe Space are providing postnatal counseling and delivering maternal kits to pregnant women and new mothers.

Early in the morning of 6 February, while most people were still sleeping, a powerful earthquake rocked Türkiye, carving death and destruction in the country’s southeast and in neighbouring Syria. Among the estimated 15 million people affected in Türkiye are over 214,000 pregnant women – of whom almost 24,000 are due to give birth in the next month. With essential medical supplies wiped out across the two countries and hundreds of health centres, maternity facilities and safe spaces damaged, UNFPA is on the ground across affected areas in both Türkiye and Syria and remains dedicated to re-establishing services critical to the well-being and protection of millions of vulnerable, traumatized women and girls in urgent need of maternal care and support.

As of February 8, WFP had reached 64,000 affected people in both countries with hot meals and plans to scale up sharply following the deadly earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria.

UNHCR is on the ground providing life-saving assistance to families affected by the disaster. Humanitarian partners are working hard to reach all amidst challenging circumstances.

Following the catastrophic floods that ravaged the country, over 20 million are in need of humanitarian assistance. UNOPS, with funding from the World Bank, is working with the Sindh government in responding to the crisis by procuring tents and other vital supplies.

After nearly 13 years, the Lake Chad region is one of the world’s most protracted conflict and crisis environments. Despite some positive developments, armed groups continue to spread violence and 11 million people are in need of wide-ranging assistance in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. The third high-level Lake Chad conference (23-24 January) is a critical international political forum able to facilitate a regional, cross-border consensus around the required adjustments for effectively dealing with the prevailing multi-faceted challenges in the region. 

Today, there are more children in need of humanitarian assistance than at any other time since the Second World War. Across the globe, children and their families are facing a deadly mix of crises, from conflict and displacement to disease outbreaks and soaring rates of malnutrition. But with UNICEF on the ground, it’s far from hopeless. They know how to reach these children at greatest risk and in greatest need by distributing winter clothing, providing safe spaces for displaced families and delivering treatments like Ready-To-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).

As the war in Ukraine and dozens of other humanitarian crises demand our urgent attention, OCHA highlights 11 crises on their radar. Most of them are driven by conflict and climate shocks, compounded by pre-existing vulnerability and inadequate access to services. In 2022, aid levels have been sufficient to prevent catastrophe but not to move people out of crisis. This year sets a new record, with UN agencies and humanitarian partners requiring US$51.5 billion to help 230 million people who need emergency assistance in 68 countries.

As we entered 2022, we did not anticipate that we would be responding to a full-blown war in Europe. UN Humanitarian and our partners already had much to contend with, as the world continued to grapple with the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the threat of famine in the Horn of Africa had been on our radar, we did not foresee the historic floods in Nigeria and Pakistan. However, the humanitarian community persisted and delivered in critical ways to ease suffering across the world. Here is UN Humanitarian’s 2022 in review.

Following a decline in the global Human Development Index for two years in a row, human development has fallen back to 2016 levels, reversing much of the world’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. International Human Solidarity Day provides an opportunity for us to come together in solidarity for our global future. It is an occasion to celebrate our unity in diversity and to encourage new initiatives to lift people out of poverty, hunger and disease. Human solidarity is at the core of the work of the United Nations. You can help us to help more.

As winter approaches, millions of Ukrainians remain displaced from their homes. Now, as the biting winds and sub-zero temperatures of winter take hold, Ukraine’s children confront new threats to their well-being. They are in desperate need of protection and shelter. UNICEF is working with partners providing much-needed winter items, such as clothing, boots and blankets. UNICEF is also extending child-care services and life-saving cash transfers to particularly vulnerable families, while supporting schools and hospitals with generators and heating.

When the war broke out in Ukraine, it seemed that Kyiv's Circus Academy was in danger. Renowned Hungarian circus manager, artist, and juggler, Kristian Kristof, immediately stepped in to get the students out of danger and help them continue their training. IOM actively supports the Capital Circus of Budapest in its pursuit to assist those who have fled Ukraine. The Organization covers the group’s accommodation needs, support for elementary and high school education, outdoor and indoor training activities, and offers ad-hoc support for medical assistance and food vouchers.

The 2023 Global Humanitarian Overview details how next year will set another record for humanitarian relief requirements, with 339 million people in need of assistance in 69 countries.