humanitarian

Israeli authorities have stepped up unlawful demolitions in the West Bank including East Jerusalem over the past year, displacing a record number of Palestinian families from their homes, an international coalition of 20 leading aid agencies and human rights groups said today.

New bombing raids and a build up of troops along the border of Sudan and South Sudan over the past few days threaten to escalate what is already a significant humanitarian crisis in the newest country in the world.

International aid agency Oxfam expressed alarm over the floods in Sindh and Balochistan provinces, as only $1.30 has been committed per person by international donors in the first 10 days of the UN appeal as opposed to $3.20 committed in the same period during last year’s floods.

A coalition of 38 aid agencies today (6 September 2011) called on donors not to squander the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the people of South Sudan, the world’s newest nation. The call came as new violence in Jonglei state increased emergency needs.

Amidst jubilant celebration, the new Republic of South Sudan entered the international stage in July 2011 albeit as one of the least developed countries in the world.

Mimy Muisa Kambere, Public Health Promoter for Oxfam in Haiti said: *

South Sudan is facing its most violent year since the end of the civil war in 2005, international agency Oxfam warned today, and it urged the UN Security Council, as it visits the region, to ensure that civilians are better protected.

Despite recent political developments, the humanitarian emergency remains and the needs of people affected by extreme fighting continue to escalate, a coalition of 13 aid agencies has warned today.

Somalia is suffering its worst drought in years and failed rains are already devastating half a million lives, international aid agency Oxfam warned today. An ongoing conflict in the country together with the drought has pushed hundreds of thousands of Somalis beyond their ability to cope.

The European Commission announced today a significant boost of €80 million for immediate humanitarian needs in flood-hit Pakistan. This doubles the contribution of the EU’s executive arm to €150 million, and places it as the most generous donor after Saudi Arabia, the US and the UK.