If you are searching for an appeal document, please visit our dedicated Appeals page. If you are searching for an evaluation of, or research related to, our work, please visit our dedicated Evaluations and research page.
Geneva/Nairobi/Goma, 8 March 2024 – The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), in collaboration with the Red Cross Society of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC Red Cross), today announced an Emergency Appeal for CHF 50 million to address the escalating humanitarian crisis in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.For nearly two years, this region has been embroiled in a devastating conflict that has seen a dramatic increase in complexity and intensity, leading to unprecedented levels of displacement and humanitarian need. The IFRC and DRC Red Cross aim to provide critical assistance to 500,000 of the most vulnerable people, including families and individuals internally displaced by the conflict, and their host communities, focusing on food assistance, health services, water, sanitation, hygiene, and protection services.“The situation in the eastern DRC has reached a critical point, with millions of lives at stake,” said Mercy Laker, Head of Country Delegation, IFRC in Democratic Republic of Congo. “Our appeal seeks to mobilize essential resources to alleviate the suffering of those caught amid this crisis. The resilience of the Congolese people is remarkable, but the international community must act swiftly to support them in their time of dire need.”The DRC Red Cross boasts a significant presence and operational footprint in the affected area, with thousands of active volunteers mobilized. "This Emergency Appeal will support the DRC Red Cross reach and assist those most in need amongst displaced families as well as host communities," Laker added. Since the beginning of the crisis in March 2022, over 1.6 million people have been displaced, with recent escalations forcing hundreds of thousands more to seek refuge in already overcrowded conditions. The fighting has moved dangerously close to Goma, exacerbating the vulnerability of the population to diseases like cholera, and severely impacting access to basic services such as healthcare and clean water.Gloria Lombo, Secretary General of the DRC Red Cross, highlighted the scale of the challenge: “People are living in extremely precarious conditions, packed into family homes or camps. They are already at the breaking point – mentally, physically, and financially. Most of the assistance provided by humanitarian organizations goes to people in camps on the outskirts of Goma, but a lack of funding and the scale of people’s needs mean that this is insufficient.” With 50,000 volunteers in North Kivu alone, the DRC Red Cross is best placed to access areas where other humanitarian organizations cannot reach. “With 26 provincial branches, an active volunteer base, and high levels of access and acceptance across the territory, and across the lines of conflict, the DRC Red Cross is a key humanitarian actor and first responder. Our network of branches and volunteers, particularly well-trained and widely accepted by communities, has provided vital assistance to the hardest-to-reach communities and marginalized groups in the country. We have been at the front line of assisting displaced populations since the beginning of the conflict,” Lombo emphasized.The appeal aims to strengthen DRC Red Cross' existing capabilities to provide direct assistance to affected communities, leveraging its operational footprint and volunteer base to ensure effective delivery of food assistance, health services and WASH. It also underscores the importance of community engagement, accountability, and adherence to protection, gender, and inclusion standards to refine targeting methodologies and ensure the most vulnerable are reached. Additionally, the IFRC is scaling up its cross-border coordination with neighboring National Red Cross Societies in Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda to prepare for potential regional impacts and support refugees as needed.More informationTo fund the emergency appeal and support the people of Democratic Republic of Congo in their time of dire need, visit the IFRC website.To request an interview, contact: [email protected] Geneva:Tommaso Della Longa: +41 79 708 43 67Mrinalini Santhanam: +41 76 381 50 06In Nairobi:Susan Nzisa Mbalu: +254 733 827 654
The IFRC’s Middle East and North Africa regional office works in support of 17 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the region. Through its country cluster support teams and country offices, it provides coordination, financial and technical support for disaster operations and longer-term development programmes throughout the region. View current IFRC network country plans for MENA here.
In this episode, Alexander Matheou challenges a common humanitarian narrative about the Asia Pacific region being “disaster prone.” Yes, it is particularly vulnerable to climate-related events — and it has more than its share of volcanos and earthquakes — but it’s also leading the way in life-saving prevention, preparedness and humanitarian innovation. As IFRC’s regional director for the Asia Pacific region, Matheou talks about the opportunities and leadership this vast, dynamic and diverse region offers the humanitarian world.
Delivered from the heart of armed conflict at the age of three, Hossam Elsharkawi has worked his entire life saving others. He earned his doctorate degree in public health and found his true calling: caring for people in dire and often dangerous situations around the world. Now, as IFRC’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, he talks about the challenges facing the region and what gives him hope despite the daunting realities. Disclaimer: This podcast was recorded on October 31. Please see our public online platforms for updates on the current humanitarian situation.
In this episode: breaking the mold on the way humanitarian organizations pay for recovery and rebuilding after crisis. We talk with Nena Stoiljkovic, IFRC’s Undersecretary General for Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization about new, innovative finance tools that help people and communities get back on their feet quickly after crisis.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The IFRC welcomes the UN Secretary-General’s pledge on Early Warning Systems for All.
Over the last decade, some of the most recent—and often predictable—extreme weather events were the most deadly, costly, and devastating.
From our experience, we know that early warnings can only work if they are turned into early anticipatory actions.
This message has come through well in the Early Warning for All initiative.
The IFRC has been contributing to 3 of the 4 pillars of the executive action plan on this initiative and leading on the ‘preparedness to respond' pillar.
We thank everyone involved in the development of the plan of action.
Now is the time to put the plan into action. Here is how:
First: help create an enabling environment where local communities and organizations like our National Red Cross and Red Crescent societies are truly empowered to lead local actions. Their power through their knowledge and ownership can be truly transformative in realising the ambitions of early warning and early action. Be courageous to unleash that power.
Second: the key to success is the power of partnership. Let's bring together and use the best of our organizations to implement the plan of action.
Third: The Early Warning for All initiative is most effective if we leverage the power of existing coordination and collaboration platforms such as the IFRC hosted Risk-informed Early Action Partnership and Anticipation Hub, as well as the Centre of Excellence.
Finally, put in place ambitious financing mechanisms. Change will not come without an investment. The IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund is a good example as it can disburse funds ahead of disasters to reduce their humanitarian impact.
Ultimately our collective success should be measured by the lives saved and livelihoods preserved.
The IFRC network looks forward to a strong collaboration on the Early Warning for All initiative with the WMO and other partners.
Together, let us ensure that early warnings are people-centered, including those in the furthest to reach places.
Thank you.
Francesco Rocca, President of The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is in Glasgow attending the World Leaders Summit and calling for the people and communities most vulnerable to climate change to be at the heart of discussions.
At COP26, President Rocca made the following statements:
“The commitments made – or missed – at COP26 will have a huge impact on the lives of communities already on the front line of climate change.
We are seeing a clear rise in climate and weather related-emergencies. Wildfires, droughts, flooding, heatwaves, hurricanes; extreme weather events are happening more often and are putting more and more people in danger all over the world.
As world leaders convene in Glasgow for COP26, we are calling for the people and communities most vulnerable to climate change to be at the heart of discussions and decisions.
Global investment needs to reach them so that local people can adapt. For example, by building stronger buildings, homes, roads; and investing in early warning systems, so communities know when an extreme weather will hit and can prepare in advance.
Critically, we must avoid the catastrophic consequences of climate change, by reversing emissions and keeping the rise in global temperatures below 1.5 degrees.
The cost of inaction is far greater than the financial commitments promised. Vulnerable countries and communities are being left behind. In the future, humanitarian response alone will no longer be enough to keep communities safe.”
Your excellencies, colleagues and friends, together with our co-hosts, the Permanent Missions of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the United Kingdom, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we warmly welcome you today to the IFRC for the Climate Science and Humanitarian Dialogue.
We are delighted to have you join us today—in person and online—for this important discussion which builds on the outcomes of the 2018 Climate Science and Humanitarian Dialogue we co-hosted together with Switzerland, the Netherlands, Fiji, the IPCC and the Climate Action Network.
A lot has changed since then.
TheIPCC report on impacts, adaptation and vulnerabilityhas effectively launched us into a new era.
An era where the whole world sees theclimate crisisas a humanitarian crisis unfolding in front of us.
The IPCC report confirms what the IFRC and our network of 192-member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have witnessed for years:climate change is already disrupting the lives of billions, particularly the world’s poorest who have contributed the least to it.
Climate change is contributing to humanitarian crises, especially in contexts where people are already vulnerable.It is drivingdisplacement, causinghealth issues, as well as flood and drought-inducedfood insecurity.
The report also confirms that climate impacts exacerbate and perpetuate vulnerabilities, as well as social and economic inequities. The consequences will be worse and sooner than we thought.
The unprecedented is no longer an excuse for being unprepared.
Extreme climate and weather events will be more frequent and more intense.
They will affect new places.
And many hazards will strike at once.
This means we can’t use what happened in the past to predict the future.
We must listen to the science and use it to plan for and protect against future risks.
This must be our standard way of working.
How can we, as the humanitarian community, use this science to take action together?
For our part, we are stepping up our climate action on the ground.
The IFRC network is adopting a proactive approach by establishing an ambitiousGlobal Climate Platformaimed at mobilizing resources and significantly enhancing climate action initiatives in the most climate vulnerable countries around the world, with the goal of increasing community resilience to the impacts of climate change.
Our decades of experience in disaster risk management and climate action - and leveraging the climate science expertise - uniquely positions the IFRC network to scale up local climate action.
The Climate Platform will be co-created with interested partners and member National Societies and will link different sources of funding across the development, humanitarian, climate and private sectors.
Its ambition is to raise over 1 billion Swiss francs to support a five-year programme in at least 100 climate vulnerable countries, to help more than 53 million people reduce climate risks and live safer, more dignified lives.
None of this is possible without solidarity. We must unite as a humanitarian community.
We have worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross to build a community of committed organizations through theClimate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations, to help steer collective action on how we must change and operate differently to address this crisis.
We now have over 220 signatories and three Governments who support the Charter, and the European Union will be adding its signature next week.
We invite you to join us, to make your own commitments and targets and to support others to implement the charter.
As the IPCC report tells us, our window for action is rapidly closing—we have no choice but to be bold and transformational in our actions.
This is why we’ve brought everyone together here today: to build a shared vision on how we can accelerate real and timely action from the humanitarian community.
Your excellencies, colleagues and friends- Barack Obama once said“We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it.”Indeed, we have in our power to do something about it. Thank you.
ENDS
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About the event
The Climate Science and Humanitarian Dialogue was a hybrid virtual/in-person event co-hosted by the Permanent Missions of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United Kingdom to the United Nations in Geneva and the IFRC, with the collaboration of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It took place on Friday 25 March 2022.
It convened participants from around the world to discuss the humanitarian implications of the most recent IPCC report on climateimpacts, adaptation and vulnerability—covering topics ranging from anticipatory action to climate-related migration.
Marseille, Berlin, Milano, Budapest, GenevaTwo days after more than 60 people died on a raft in the Central Mediterranean, survivors from other rescues this week remain in limbo, far from an approved port of safety.The teams onboard Ocean Viking - a vessel chartered by SOS MEDITERRANEE and in partnership with the IFRC - operated four separate missions within a 48-hour period this week, rescuing 361 men, women, and children from perilous conditions at sea.One of the rescues was of 25 survivors from a raft on which more than 60 died before help arrived. Those 25 have now been disembarked. Two were medically evacuated by helicopter (despite all efforts, one subsequently died). After urgent calls for permission to land at the nearest port of safety, the other 23 survivors were transferred at the anchorage off the Sicilian port of Catania to land forurgent medicalcare.But 336 survivors from the other three rescues remain on board the Ocean Viking, which is now heading to Ancona, much further north.“These survivors need urgent care and that means getting them a port of safety as soon as possible” said Jennifer Vibert, IFRC Operations Manager. “Half of the survivors are very young – children or teenagers – many were found in an extremely fragile physical and mental state. The majority suffered severe dehydration and some had resorted to drinking seawater. Others sustained burns from the fuel and seawater mixed in the raft. Medical teams on board the Ocean Viking provided urgent medical care and provided critical hygiene items, food and water. But the survivors urgently need land-based care.”"Our hearts are heavy as we acknowledge the lives lost and the suffering endured. It is essential to understand what happened from the moment the boat departed up to the discovery of the survivors to prevent such a tragedy from happening again,” stated Soazic Dupuy, SOS MEDITERRANEE’s Director of Operations.The tragedies of this week further underscore the severity of the ongoing crisis in the Central Mediterranean Sea, the deadliest route for people on the move in the world. SOS MEDITERRANEE and IFRC remain committed to their joint life-saving mission at sea. The humanitarian needs in the region far exceed the existing response capacity, and restrictions on access to lifesaving assistance go against humanitarian principles and international maritime law.SOS MEDITERRANEE and the IFRC urge all States to prioritize sea rescue and to uphold maritime law and human rights along Europe’s southern sea border.For more information or to schedule an interview:IFRC:[email protected] Figanmese: +41 792022033Vusal Safarli: +994 555226716SOS Mediteranee:[email protected]: Alisha Vaya / +33 6 34 10 41 33 /[email protected]: Jean-Christophe Nougaret / +33 6 11 74 10 11 /[email protected]: Francesco Creazzo / +39 3478151131 /[email protected] Salvati/ +393332091366/[email protected]: Carine Fauchs / +41783079718 /[email protected] to the editor:Stories/perspectives from survivors:A man told one of our team members that he lost his wife and baby. The baby died within the first days, followed by the mother on the fourth day.Two helicopters had flown over them. They signed, hoping to be rescued, but nothing happened.Many survivors were suffering from multiple fuel burns that became infected, posing a significant risk of systemic infection and sepsis. Two survivors required IV antibiotics, and one exhibited warning signs of sepsis, requiring inpatient care.View photos from the rescue credited to SOS MediteraneeAbout the IFRCThe IFRC is the world’s largest humanitarian network. Its secretariat supports local Red Cross and Red Crescent action in 191 countries, bringing together more than 16 million volunteers for the good of humanity. The IFRC acts before, during and after disasters and health emergencies to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people.About SOS MEDITERRANEESOS MEDITERRANEE is a maritime and humanitarian organization for the rescue of people in distress at sea. It was founded by European citizens in 2015 and launched rescue operations in the Central Mediterranean in February 2016. Since then, the organization has assisted more than 38,000 people at sea. Over 9000 people were rescued by the Ocean Viking since she started operating in August 2019. The non-profit organization based in France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, is mainly funded through donations.
Geneva/New York, 20 March 2024 – Immediate action is needed to stem an unprecedented multi-year upsurge in cholera cases worldwide, according to the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision. Actions include investing in access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, testing and detecting outbreaks quickly, improving quality of and access to healthcare, and fast-tracking additional production of affordable oral cholera vaccine (OCV) doses to better prevent cases.The ICG manages the global cholera vaccine stockpile.The group includes the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Médecins Sans Frontières, UNICEF and WHO. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, finances the vaccine stockpile and the delivery of OCV. ICG members are calling for governments, donors, vaccine manufacturers, partners and communities to join in an urgent effort to halt and reverse the rise in cholera.Cholera has been surging globally since 2021, with the 473000 cases reported to WHO in 2022, more than double those reported in 2021.Preliminary data for 2023 reveal further increases, with over 700000 cases reported. Several of the outbreaks have high case fatality rates, exceeding the 1% threshold used as an indicator for early and adequate treatment of cholera patients. These trends are tragic given that cholera is a preventable and treatable disease and that cases had been declining in previous years. Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that spreads through food and water contaminated with faeces containing the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.The rise in cholera is being driven by persistent gaps in access to safe water and sanitation. Although efforts are being made to close these gaps in places, in many others the gaps are growing, driven by climate-related factors, economic insecurity, conflict, and population displacement.Safely managed water and sanitation are prerequisites for stopping the transmission of cholera.Currently, the most severely impacted countries include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.Now more than ever, countries must adopt a multisectoral response to fight cholera.Members of the ICG call on currently and potentially affected countries to take urgent steps to ensure their populations have access to clean water, hygiene and sanitation services, and the information critical to prevent cholera’s spread. The establishment of these services requires political will and investment at the country level.This includes creating capacity for early detection and response, enhanced disease detection, rapid access to treatment and care, and working closely with communities, including on risk communication and community engagement.The severe gap in the number of available vaccine doses, compared with the level of current need, puts unprecedented pressure on theglobal stockpile of vaccines. Between 2021 and 2023, more doses were requested for outbreak response than the entire previous decade.In October 2022, the ongoing vaccine shortage necessitated the ICG to recommend a single vaccine dose, down from a previous, long-standing two-dose regimen. Approximately 36 million doses were produced last year, while 14 affected countries registered a need for 72 million doses for a one-dose reactive strategy. These requests understate the true need. Preventive vaccination campaigns have had to be delayed to preserve doses for emergency outbreak control efforts, creating a vicious cycle. The change in strategy enabled available vaccines to protect more people and respond to more cholera outbreaks amid the ongoing supply shortfall, but a return to a two-dose regimen and a resumption of preventive vaccination would provide longer protection.Global production capacity in 2024 is forecast to be 37-50 million doses but will likely continue to be inadequate to serve the needs of millions of people directly affected by cholera.Only one manufacturer, EuBiologics, currently produces the vaccine; while the company is doing its utmost to maximize output, more doses are needed. Currently, new manufacturers are not expected to join the market before 2025; they must be fast-tracked. The same urgency and innovation that we saw for COVID-19 must be applied to cholera.Additional manufacturers planning to enter the market need to accelerate their efforts and make doses available at affordable prices.We appeal to vaccine manufacturers, governments, donors and partners to prioritize an urgent scale-up of vaccine production, and to invest in all the efforts needed to prevent and control cholera.About the ICGPress release on dosing strategyGlobal task force on cholera controlIFRC on choleraUNICEF: cholera is endangering children globallyWHO on the cholera upsurge, including monthly situation reportsMedia contactsIFRC Email: [email protected]: Lukas Nef,Mobile: +41792400790Email: [email protected]: Sarah Al Hattab, UNICEF in New YorkTelephone: +1 917-957-6536Email: [email protected] Media TeamEmail: [email protected]
Maybe it's because the disaster happened in a remote, rural area, far from media hubs. Maybe it’s “too small” to warrant a global reaction. Whatever the reason, some emergencies don't get as much attention as others. For the people living through these crises, however, they are just as real, heartbreaking and life-changing as the big catastrophes that go viral or that benefit from the ‘CNN effect’.
And when you’ve lost your home to a flood, fire or landslide – or you’ve had to leave town with nothing but the clothes on your back – you don’t have time for the world to catch on.
This is why the IFRC has a rapid-response funding mechanism called the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (IFRC-DREF) that gets funds quickly to all crises, large or small. Here are ten of the least-known disasters that IFRC-DREF responded to in 2023.
1. El Nino in Ecuador
In the later half of 2023, extreme rainfall generated by the El Niño phenomenon on the Ecuadorian coast caused rapid flooding. Fortunately, affected communities were more prepared than in the past thanks to actions they took ahead of the rains. When the El Nino’s impacts were first forecast, government agencies declared that preparing for and preventing damage from the expected heavy rains was a national priority. For its part, the IFRC-DREF allocated funds to ensure 1,000 at-risk families would have safe drinking water, proper waste management, food set aside and many other precautionary measures.
2. Cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe
Like many other relatively localized or regional epidemics, the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe in 2023 has received little international attention. It started in February 2023 and to date, suspected and confirmed cases have been reported in 41 districts in all the country’s 10 provinces. The IFRC has launched an emergency appeal to support the work of the Zimbabwe Red Cross, but even before that, IFRC-DREF dispersed CHF 500,000 to support 141,257 people with health care and water, sanitation and hygiene support in key impacted areas. The goal is to prevent and control the spread of Cholera, interrupt the chain of transmission, facilitate the improvement of case management and improve basic sanitation, hygiene practices and access to safe drinking water.
3. Floods in Bosnia-Herzegovina
The northwestern area of Bosnia and Herzegovina experienced intense rainfall in mid-May 2023, causing widespread flooding and extensive damage to people’s houses and local infrastructure. The floods also destroyed crops and rendered much farmland and dairy production inoperable. It was a severe blow to one of the lowest-income areas in Europe, a region that relies on local agriculture for sustenance and income. IFRC-DREF allocated CHF 126,504 to the Bosnian Red Cross to support 1500 people through a variety of assistance measures, including cash transfers, distribution of essential equipment and hygiene supplie, and dissemination of health information, among other things.
4. Storms and floods on top of drought and conflict
Sometimes disasters are hidden by the larger crisis enveloping a particular region. The scale of the humanitarian suffering in Yemen is so massive and widespread, there was little notice of the tropical cyclone that hit the country in October 2023. Tropical Cyclone Tej made landfall over the southern coast of Al Mahrah Governorate on the night of 23 October and continued to move northwestward. The cyclone caused widespread flooding, infrastructure destruction, displacement of communities, and the loss of many lives. IFRC-DREF quickly supported the response of Yemen Red Crescent with CHF 281,000 to support internally displaced people, host communities, returnees, marginalized groups, and migrants/refugees.
5. Fires in Chile
In Febuary 2023, strong winds and high temperatures caused dozens of forest fires across central and southern Chile, leading to casualties and widespread damage. They followed earlier, destructive forest fires in December 2022 that spread rapidly around the city of Viña del Mar. With IFRC-DREF funding, the Chilean Red Cross provided support to more than 5,000 people. Staff and volunteer teams provided medical support and distributed cash so that people could buy the things they needed to recover.More information.
6. Deadly Marburg outbreak in Gabon
In early February 2023, the Government of Equatorial Guinea reported the death of nine people who presented symptoms of hemorrhagic fever and soon after the WHO confirmed the country was experiencing an epidemic of Marburg disease. The Gabon Red Cross contributed to the government’s preventive measures and by 15 May, the epidemic over. Roughly CHF 140,000 in emergency DREF funds are now being used to increase the Gabon Red Cross’s ability to respond to Marburg disease and other outbreaks in the future by ensuring the mobilized personnel can detect suspected cases quickly, anticipate spread and prepare for a coordinated response with health authorities.
7. Severe hail storms in Armenia
In June 2023, severe hailstorms struck various regions of Armenia, causing extensive damage and disruption. In the southern region, rural communities near the border experienced heavy precipitation that overwhelmed sewage systems, flooded streets and houses, and rendered roads and bridges impassable. The hail and subsequent flooding resulted in significant damage to houses, livestock, gardens, and food stocks. IFRC-DREF quickly allocated CHF 386,194to support Armenian Red Cross's efforts to help 2,390 people who lost crops, livelihoods or who suffered extreme damage to their homes.
8. Population Movement in Benin
Around the world, there are hundreds of places where people are fleeing violence that rarely gets reported in international media. Here’s one case in point: over the past three years, non-state armed groups in the Sahel region has increased in the border area of Burkina Faso with Benin and Togo, forcing thousands to leave their homes. The IFRC-DREF allocated CHF 259,928 to support Benin Red Cross in assisting displaced people and host communities in Benin. The funds were used to provide immediate food and material aid to the most vulnerable households, covering immediate needs (shelter, access to drinking water, basic household supplies) for at least 3,000 people.
9. Cold spells and snowstorms in Mongolia
A devastating snowstorm swept across eastern parts of Mongolia and certain provinces in Gobi areas, starting on 19 May 2023. The storm brought high winds and 124 people (mostly from herder community) were reported missing after following their livestock, which wandered off because of the storm. A total of 122 people were found, but tragically 2 people died. There were also severe damage to infrastructure, including the collapse of 22 electricity sub-stations, which caused power outage in several counties. Nearly 150 households suffered loss or severe damage to their “gers” or yurts (traditional circular, domed structures), as well as widespread death of livestock. IFRC-DREF allocated CHF 337,609 to support the Mongolian Red Cross's efforts to provide shelter, cash assistance and psychosocial support to 3,400 people.
10. Drought in Uruguay
Uruguay is currently experiencing widespread drought due to a lack of rainfall since September 2022 and increasingly high temperatures in the summer seasons—prompting the Uruguayan government to declare a state of emergency. The government officially requested the support of the Uruguayan Red Cross to conduct a needs assessment of the drought, so it could understand how it was impacting people and agricultural industries. With funding IFRC-DREF, Uruguayan Red Cross teams headed out into the most-affected areas to speak to more than 1,300 familiesabout the drought’s impact on their health, livelihoods and access to water. Their findings are helping the government make more informed decisions on how to address the drought, taking into account the real needs of those affected.More information.
What is El Niño?
The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a cycle of warming and cooling events that happens along the equator in the Pacific Ocean.
El Niño is the warming part of the cycle. It happens when there is a decrease in cool waters rising to the sea surface near South America. This leads to an increase in sea surface temperatures across the Pacific, which then warms the atmosphere above it.
The cooling part of the cycle is called La Niña and has the opposite effect.
El Niño and La Niña events happen every two to seven years. They usually last for 9-12 months but have been known to last for several years at a time.
How does El Niño affect weather around the world?
El Niño and La Niña change the way that air and moisture move around the world, which can affect rainfall and temperature patterns globally.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently announced that El Niño conditions have developed, and that we can expect disruptive weather and climate patterns and a rise in global temperatures.
We know from past events when and which areas of the world are more likely to be wetter and drier during El Niño and La Niña. But no two El Niño and La Niña events are the same, so it’s important to keep track of forecasts as they develop.
Is climate change affecting El Niño?
In general, climate change is leading to warmer sea surface temperatures, and there is some evidence to suggest that this is affecting how El Niño and La Niña events influence weather patterns around the world.
The WMO predicts that global temperatures are likely to surge to record levels in the next five years due to a combination of climate change and El Niño.
Will El Niño cause more disasters?
El Niño events bring different disaster risks to different parts of the world.
They can cause severe drought in Australia, Indonesia, parts of southern Asia, Central America and northern South America. When the last El Niño occurred seven years ago, it contributed to drought and food insecurity that affected tens of millions of people across southern and eastern Africa.
They can also cause increased rainfall in southern South America, the southern United States, the Horn of Africa and central Asia.
During summer in the northern hemisphere, El Niño’s warm waters can result in more intense tropical cyclones in the western Pacific, but fewer Atlantic hurricanes.
Hear from Lilian Ayala Luque, Senior Officer for Anticipatory Action and Community Resilience for IFRC Americas, about the arrival of El Niño conditions and what it might mean for the region:
What might be different about this year’s El Niño event?
We are already aware of certain factors that will influence how the impacts of this El Niño will affect communities. For example:
While there is an expectation of an end to the drought in the Horn of Africa, it can take some time for rain to filter down into the soil to support deep-rooted plants and begin restoring agriculture.
While El Niño conditions usually limit the growth of tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic, this effect may be balanced out by the unusually high sea surface temperatures currently being observed in the region where these storms form.
In Ecuador and Peru, an outbreak of dengue following flooding earlier this year could potentially be exacerbated by the expected El Niño rains in early 2024. In southern Africa, it remains to be seen whether the cholera situation will be improved by the anticipated drier conditions.
How is the IFRC network preparing for El Niño?
The IFRC network is developing Early Action Protocols (EAPs)– formal plans that outline the triggers and early actions we’ll take when a specific hazard is forecasted to impact communities– including to prepare for hazards related to El Niño.
In Ecuador, for example, we’ve developed triggers to address the increased likelihood of flooding in the rainy season from January to April. And in Central America, EAPs cover the increased likelihood of drought from June to August.
Early actions include things like reinforcing buildings and homes, planning evacuation routes or pre-positioning stocks of food and water.
Where can I find more information?
OurEarly Warning, Early Actionpage
Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre website
Anticipation Hub website
Anticipatory Pillar of the IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund
Twitter Space series on El Niñofrom the IFRC Americas team
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This article was adapted from a blog post on the Anticipation Hub website co-authored, by Liz Stephens, Andrew Krucziewicz and Chris Jack from the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre. Check out the blog post for more information about El Niño and anticipatory action.
The people next door: An ongoing series about people helping others even as they face the very same strugglesLast month we shared the story of Amr Ali, a media officer for the Palestine Red Crescent who like thousands of others in Gaza had to flee their homes due to conflict. In that story, Amr shared his frustrations about wanting to help other people, but not knowing what to tell them.“They asked me ‘what should we do?” he recalled. “Where should we go and how can we protect our children?’ I couldn’t answer them because I have the same questions.”Amr had left northern Gaza with his family, temporarily moving to his brother’s house in Khan Yunis. When that city was evacuated, the Palestine Red Crescent lost touch with Amr. With much of Gaza’s infrastructure destroyed, blackouts made communication nearly impossible.But recently Amr was able to get back in touch and update his colleagues via text messages. Amr had joined thousands of others who moved south to find relative safety in a camp near the border town of Rafah. His journey and life in camp offer a glimpse into the fear, chaos and stuggles facing many thousands of people living in those camps.‘The worst time ever’Knowing they would need to cross a series of check points, Amr and his family left Khan Yunis early in the day on Jan. 27. There was bombing on the way and in the chaos and explosions, Amr was separated from his wife and children: 7-year-old Adam, and 3-year-old Maria.They couldn’t find each other in the crowds. There was no cell phone, wifi, or other signal.“This was the worst time ever,” Amr recalls. “For more than 12 hours I had no idea about my wife and my kids. I tried to ask hospitals if they got injured or killed.”Because the signal is so bad, Amr used friends and relatives in the West Bank as to relay messages. Just after 10 p.m. he got the call. Some relatives had spotted his family, and took them in. Everyone was okay.“It was very, very unsafe, but we managed to get to Rafah,” Amr said.‘Nothing set up here’As a media officer, Amr used to take pictures of Palestine Red Crescent staff and volunteers responding to the conflict unfolding around them: dispatch crews working in the dark because lights had gone out, food distributions and ambulance crews returning to the hospital.Now his photos reflect life in the camp with his son and his daughter, his attempt to keep a smile despite the tragedy and to reclaim some sense of normalcy and hope for his children.“It’s not easy at all to move from a well-equipped house to a very far place in a tent where is nothing set up.”Here, he says they make everything by hand, setting up a bathroom, kitchen, places to sleep and a system to store water. Access to food remains difficult, costs have jumped three and four times since the beginning of the conflict.Meat was $12USD before, now it’s more than $40 — if it’s available at all. Amr says his family cannot afford that, so they eat canned foods.The sound of bombsMeanwhile, Amr’s children are struggling. His son Adam lost his friend after an explosion across the street damaged the house he was staying in. Maria is confused as to why they have to keep moving.Amr says for a short time it was quiet in Rafah.“For a while we rarely heard the sound of bombs and shelling,” he said.But that can change in a moment. In February explosions and gunshots were heard across the city.“Living in a tent in such situations is very terrifying. You feel every bullet is directed to your body. We were terrified and each of us went to check on our children and loved ones. Living all this while in a tent made of fabric makes you feel like the weakest creature on earth.”Mostly, now Amr thinks about the future. “We keep talking about what happened earlier and where will we stay after the conflict ends. I believe that all of us will continue our life in tents and all this will last for a long time, maybe years,” he says.“I do not want my children to continue dreaming about the scene of soldiers, tanks, shooting and the terrifying sound of bombing.”Meanwhile, the Palestine Red Crescent Society staff and volunteers continue to provide medical care in hospitals and medical posts, ambulance services, public health messaging, and psychosocial support to people in Gaza.Teams are also coordinating the reception and distribution of life-saving aid, such as food, water, medicine, and other emergency items. They do this despite worrying for the suffering of their families and living in the difficult conditions themselves.
Access to safe water and sanitation is a human right. But right now, hundreds of millions of people around the world do not have access to safe water and billions cannot access the sanitation services they need. Discover how the IFRC is at the forefront of responding to global water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) needs.
Early warning and early action, also known as anticipatory action or forecast-based action, means taking steps to protect people before a disaster strikes based on early warning or forecasts. To be effective, it must involve meaningful engagement with at-risk communities.