2017 was a record breaking year for humanitarian crises, OCHA report finds

The United Nations Office for the Coordination on Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released its Annual Report yesterday, 11 June 2018. The yearly report notes the actions and activities of OCHA and other UN and civil society partners in humanitarian crises.

The report highlights how 2017 marked record humanitarian needs, driven by complex crises, conflict escalation, climate change and natural disasters.

OCHA’s appeal reached a record $23.5 billion to help 141 million of the world’s most vulnerable people across 33 countries. By the end of the year $13 billion had been raised.

The number of those in need of assistance increased by over 13 million between 2016 and 2017. The report highlights escalating food security in north-east Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen as a key driver of this increase, in addition to protracted crises in Central African Republic (CAR), the Lake Chad Basin, Syria and Yemen.

The report noted that the world’s worst food security crisis occurred in Yemen.

Over the course of 2017 OCHA responded to four Level 3 Emergencies (Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Syria and Yemen). Level 3 emergencies occur in the most complex and challenging humanitarian emergencies, when the highest level of mobilization is required across the entire humanitarian system.

OCHA also responded to four Corporate Emergencies (the Rohingya Crisis, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Somalia). A Corporate Emergencies are rapid-onset emergencies that mobilise all OCHA offices, branches and sections to provide their full support both at HQ and in the field.

A key success of OCHA and its partners in 2017 was the avoidance of famine in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen which threated 20 million people.

Join us for the 10th Anniversary AIDF Global Summit at Washington D.C, USA on 5-6 September 2018 to discuss global development challenges.

The AIDF Africa Summit will return in February 2019 to Nairobi, Kenya.

If you’d like to stay informed on the latest updates in aid and development, please sign up for the AIDF newsletter.

Image credit: OCHA