2020 has been a year like no other. Amid ongoing violent conflict, rising hunger, and the effects of climate change, the pandemic will continue to have an impact in 2021. As the health and non-health effects of COVID-19 merge with other shocks, humanitarian programming is also adjusting to treat it in a more integrated manner. The Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) is the world’s most comprehensive, authoritative and evidence-based assessment of humanitarian need. Through plans that prioritize those most in need, it aims to fight hunger, killer diseases, gender-based violence and displacement. Download the complete report.
- PEOPLE IN NEED – 235 M
- PEOPLE TARGETED – 160 M
- REQUIREMENTS (US$) – $ 35 B
COVID-19 has triggered the deepest global recession since the 1930s. Extreme poverty has risen for the first time in 22 years, and unemployment has increased dramatically. Women and young people ages 15-29 working in the informal sector are being hit the hardest. School closures have affected 91 percent of students worldwide.
By the end of 2020, the number of acutely food insecure people could be 270 million. The impacts of the pandemic and climate change are seriously affecting food systems worldwide. Disease outbreaks are increasing and the pandemic has hindered essential health services in almost every country. The pandemic could wipe out twenty years of progress in the prevention and treatment of HIV, TB and malaria, potentially doubling annual death tolls.
COVID-19 has shone a spotlight on the full extent of gender inequality and women’s and girls’ exposure to gender-based violence (GBV). Adolescent girls in conflict zones are ninety percent more likely to be out of school. Globally, quarantine measures are exacerbating domestic violence, with fifteen million new cases predicted for every three months of lockdown.
In 2021, 235 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection. The UN and partner organizations aim to help 160 million people most in need across 56 countries, which will require $35 billion. As of November 2020, donors have generously given $17 billion to inter-agency plans. See a breakdown of the need and appeal by country.
OCHA: In March 2020, the UN Secretary-General launched the Global Humanitarian Response Plan for COVID-19 (GHRP). It was established to respond to three strategic priorities:
- Contain the spread of the virus and decrease morbidity and mortality
- Decrease the deterioration of human assets and rights, social cohesion, food security and livelihoods
- Protect, assist and advocate for refugees, IDPs, migrants and host communities particularly vulnerable to the virus
Humanitarian programming is adjusting to treat COVID-19 in a more integrated manner, as the pandemic’s health and non-health effects merge with the impacts of other shocks and stresses. Humanitarian country teams have done a great deal to prepare their 2021 staff through this integration lens. In most cases, the pandemic’s health and socioeconomic impacts will overlay other health, nutrition, food security, livelihoods, education and protection risks faced by different population groups to avoid duplication. Short video overview. Check for updates.
UN Crisis Relief is run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Donations go to OCHA-managed global and crisis-specific pooled funds which go directly to relief organizations delivering life-saving aid at the front lines of the world’s most severe crises.
With your help, they can reach the most vulnerable people with food, clean water, medicine, shelter and much more when they need it most. Donate to the emergency fund.
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