Articles You May Have Missed : Tom McDermott

COP 29

Fractures - “... developing countries need nearly $7 trillion by 2030 to transition to greener economies…..Contradictorily, the latest draft includes an offering of $250 billion annually, less than a quarter of what is required, and ignores poor countries’ calls for exclusively grant-sourced funding.” (Sierra “Loopholes and Fractures, an Un-united nations”

A Cash Grab?  - I tried to be optimistic, but ….”If you can’t see it for the circus it is, you’re part of the problem.(The New Humanitarian, “How Baku turned me from a COP optimist into a COP sceptic”)

Gaza

Need evacuation - UNICEF says 2,500 children need medical evacuation from Gaza. The agency reported on 26 October that the rate of medical evacuations for children from Gaza had dropped from 296 to 22 per month following the Israeli occupation of the Rafah border crossing on 7 May. (MEM, “2,500 children need medical evacuation”)

N. Gaza passes 50th day of siege - missions to the north from Gaza City continue to be denied permission. Particular concern is for Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia which as of Monday had just three days' supply of fuel left. "The hospital has 55 in patients now including 13 children" ..[It] is in dire need of emergency medical teams to relieve the overworked nurses and doctors and also to provide more specialist expertise. They also need blood units, medical supplies, food and fuel. A UNICEF team reached the hospital and delivered ready-to-use food for highly malnourished children, but was not allowed to take high energy biscuits that were part of their intended relief package. According to latest nutrition data from Gaza, between 1 and 23 November, 3,410 children have been admitted for treatment of acute malnutrition. Between July and October, a monthly average of 4,700 children were admitted for treatment. This represents 67 per cent of the 32,817 cases admitted since the beginning of the year. (Soundcloud/ UN News “Dr. Harris WHO, “Stricken Kamal Adwan Hospital”)

No end in sight - Muhannad Hadi, Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council that “As winter approaches, the horror in Gaza continues to grind on with no end in sight.” UN convoys of lifesaving aid looted by armed Palestinian groups. A UN convoy of 109 trucks carrying food was looted on November 16, with 97 trucks lost. (UN News “No end in sight”)

Haiti

Armed groups recruit more children ““Children in many parts of Haiti are subjected to atrocities no child should ever have to experience, leaving them with psychological and emotional scars that might haunt them for a lifetime,” added Russell. “Chaos and horror have become part of daily life.”(UNICEF press release ”Number of children in Haiti recruited by armed groups soars by 70 per cent in one year”)

ICT

The First Humanitarian ICT Resolution - the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent adopted an unprecedented resolution on protecting civilians against the potential human cost of digital activities during armed conflicts. (EJIL Talk! “The First Humanitarian ICT Resolution”)

IRC

Internal turmoil continues in the International Rescue Committee (IRC) over what many staff see as unexplained censorship and top-down interference.The IRC has made changes to its website content, including removing references to Israeli responsibility for aid denial and softening language on the impact of Israeli actions. (The New Humanitarian “Staff accuse IRC management of Gaza censorship”

Lebanon

Ceasefire begins - "Immediately after the ceasefire came into force at 4am, residents of south Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut and the Bekaa (valley) began their return after months of forced displacement,” UNHCR. (UN News, “Displaced start to return home.”)

Myanmar

The impact of landmines and unexploded ordnance is particularly severe on Myanmar’s children, with UNICEF data released earlier this year revealing that over 20 per cent of the 1,052 verified civilian casualties from such incidents in 2023 were children. This was a significant rise from 2022, when 390 incidents were recorded. (UN News “Children and amputees bear brunt of landmine epidemic”)

OCHA - Deadliest Year on Record for Humanitarians - 242 major attacks, 281 aid workers killed, 79 kidnapped, and 165 wounded so far in 2024. ““Humanitarian workers are being killed at an unprecedented rate, their courage and humanity being met with bullets and bombs,” said OCHA chief Tom Fletcher, citing data from the Aid Worker Security Database. “ReliefWeb, “UN Relief Chief decries bullets and bombs against aid workers¨)

Violence against women

Choosing Suicide Over Rape in Sudan - Today marks the 25th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. “ Kapila says, today’s perpetrators are “the direct ideological descendants of the Janjaweed.” He fears that “never again” is becoming “again and again” not only in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan but in far too many other places in the world. (PassBlue “In Sudan Some Women and Girls are Choosing Suicide to Avoid Rape”)

Killed by family - Home is one of the most dangerous places on earth for women, according to UN Women’s new report and femicide index which shows that at least 51,000 women were killed globally in 2023, and 6 out of 10 women who were victims of homicide were killed by their spouse or another family member.(PassBlue ”140 Women are murdered every day”)