The Friday Humanitarian Scan #13

It’s day 26 of war in the Middle East. The UN chief says with the conflict now totally out of control, diplomacy must prevail. Ongoing strikes in Israel and Iran have included intensifying Israeli attacks against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, while some US troops are heading to the region, the Pentagon has confirmed. Meanwhile, Iran has told the UN maritime agency that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to “non-hostile” ships not associated with the US and Israel. UN News app users can follow cov

The war in the Middle East is well into its fourth week and the humanitarian emergency it has sparked continues to be the focus of international attention, along with the energy crisis caused by attacks on shipping in key Strait of Hormuz and other oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf region. Stay with us for live updates from across the UN system. App users can follow coverage here.

As the war continues to roil the Middle East and compound suffering for civilians across the region, the economic ramifications of the emergency are still playing out, with the Strait of Hormuz the focus of global attention with crude oil prices surging over $100 a barrel again. Meanwhile, settler attacks have escalated dramatically against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, a topic that we’ll be across today also, with aid updates and live reporting from the Security Council. UN News app u

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the escalating Gulf war is “out of control”, urging all sides to step back from the brink and allow diplomacy to prevail, as he announced the appointment of a senior envoy to spearhead peace efforts.

Country: Iraq Source: European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations Several governorates of Iraq have been experiencing heavy rainfall, causing floods and flash floods that resulted in casualties and damage. The worst‑hit governorates are Sulaymaniyah, Al‑Anbar, Maysan, Nineveh and Kirkuk. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reports that one person has died, 4 200 people have been displaced and 5 16

Country: Lebanon Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees Nearly a month into a rapidly escalating conflict, Lebanon is facing a deepening humanitarian crisis. Since 2 March, following intense Israeli strikes and widespread evacuation orders, more than 1 million people – one in five residents – have been forced to flee their homes. Displacement now stretches from the south and the Bekaa to Beirut and the north, and numbers continue to rise. Even in displacement, people no longer feel safe. Last

Country: Lebanon Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees بعد مضي شهر تقريباً على تصاعد حدة الصراع وبوتيرة متسارعة، يواجه لبنان أزمة إنسانية متفاقمة. فمنذ الثاني من مارس، وفي أعقاب غارات إسرائيلية مكثفة وأوامر بالإجلاء على نطاق واسع، أُجبر أكثر من مليون شخص – أي واحد من كل خمسة من السكان – على الفرار من منازلهم. ويمتد النزوح الآن من الجنوب والبقاع إلى بيروت وشمال البلاد، في وقت لا تزال فيه أعداد النازحين في ازدياد. وحتى في ظل النزوح، لم يعد السكان يشعرون بالأمان، حيث استهدفت غارات إسرائيلية الأ

Country: Lebanon Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees Please refer to the attached file.

Country: South Sudan Source: Concern Worldwide The Irish humanitarian organisation is providing essential medical care at five health centres across two states in South Sudan, which are highly vulnerable to natural disasters, conflict and severe food insecurity among other issues. It’s also providing cash to disaster-affected populations to improve their food security. The Saving Lives Together programme, funded by the European Union, includes providing antenatal and maternal care such as safe b

Recent reporting has found that Ethiopia is allowing the RSF to use its territory for a covert training camp. Meanwhile, the SAF is formalising ties with Tigray factions and Eritrea to form a front …

The senator has distorted my reporting to try to persuade the Supreme Court to give the government expansive power to block access to asylum.

More than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, “the violence is worse than ever” and far from abating, the head of UN political and peacebuilding affairs said on Monday in a briefing to the Security Council. 

The Security Council is met for an open briefing on Ukraine, requested by European members following Kyiv’s 18 March letter citing a surge in Russian strikes. Inside the country, attacks continue to take a heavy toll: since 19 March, at least 25 civilians have reportedly been killed and more than 130 injured, including children, particularly in Donetsk, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia. We’ll have live coverage below, app users can follow here – and for all our key meetings coverage each day, go here.&nbsp

The death toll from a horrific attack on a hospital in Sudan’s Darfur has risen further, amid a “sharp increase” in drone attacks against civilians this year, UN agencies said on Tuesday.

In Cishemere, a transit camp near Burundi’s largest city, Bujumbura, thousands of people who fled violence in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo live in extremely squalid conditions.

Young people generate ideas for AI adoption in ‘policy hackathon’ News release thilton.drupal 24 March 2026 Members of Chatham House’s Common Futures Conversations community used a fictional scenario to come up with innovative ways in which governments can adopt AI. Chatham House has completed a ‘policy hackathon’ in which young people produced transferable policy proposals for how governments could benefit from adopting AI.Twenty-two members of Chatham House’s Common Futures Conversations (CFC)

A pressure cooker existence of prolonged displacement, slashed aid, and fading futures is driving a spike in suicides.

Viktor, Evhenia and Hennadiy talk about their experience of evacuating and finding support in a transit centre thanks to the World Food Programme and the European Union.

Of particular concern to humanitarians, this content is helping to create a dangerous vacuum in the application of the rules of war.

When armed conflict ends, education does not always return with it. In many post-conflict settings, schools remain closed long after ceasefires, while children stay at home, enter work, remain displaced or navigate unsafe environments. Education systems remain constrained by destroyed infrastructure, militarization, unexploded ordnance, trauma and fear. Although international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL) require the continuity of education even during armed co

Decolonise How? charts efforts towards more ethical humanitarian reporting. This digest – exploring how journalists, governments, and the aid sector talk about crises, and the narratives they weave – …

Hospitals are just the latest vital public services to be hit in Cuba, more than a month since Washington took measures to block oil supplies from entering the Caribbean nation.

More than four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the “danger is only increasing”, particularly from attack drones, a top UN human rights official warned on Thursday.

Country: Mozambique Source: Government of Mozambique Please refer to the attached Infographic.

Country: Chad Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached Infographic. Au Tchad, 4,5 millions de personnes ont besoin d’assistance humanitaire en 2026 dont 3,4 millions sont ciblées pour être assistés par la réponse. Au 31 janvier 2026, les acteurs humanitaires ont apporté de l’assistance à 323 200 personnes soit un taux de couverture de 9,5 %. Au cours de cette période, 173,3 M de dollars (17,6 %) ont été mobilisés sur les 986,1 M requis (dont 620

Country: Cameroon Source: World Health Organization **Douala-**Since June 2023, Cameroon has been implementing the “Healthy Food Market” project in two pilot markets in Douala: Ndogpassi and New Deido. Described as a transformational and social initiative, the project is based on scientific evidence to encourage behaviour change within the community of traders. “Before, we didn’t pay much attention to hygiene conditions. We used products like formalin to preserve meat and the cleanliness of our

Country: Ukraine Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees Please refer to the attached file.

Country: Ukraine Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees Please refer to the attached file.

Country: Mauritius Source: World Health Organization **Port Louis-**Mauritius is set to reshape its health workforce through a comprehensive Health Labour Market Analysis, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO). This initiative marks a decisive step toward strengthening Mauritius’ health system and advancing progress toward universal health coverage. “The Health Labour Market Analysis comes at the right time for Mauritius. We must address workforce shortages, improve distribution

Country: Eswatini Source: World Health Organization Mbabane- In a major move to increase access to care for severe noncommunicable diseases such as type 1 diabetes, sickle‑cell disease, and rheumatic and congenital heart diseases, Eswatini is preparing to implement the World Health Organization (WHO)’s PEN‑Plus model. The PEN‑Plus model decentralizes the management and treatment for severe noncommunicable diseases, expanding access to care and improving health and well‑being in the African Regio

Countries: Pakistan, Afghanistan Sources: International Organization for Migration, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Please refer to the attached Infographic.

Country: Cuba Source: World Food Programme Please refer to the attached file. SITUATION OVERVIEW • Cuba’s long-standing policy of providing free and universal access to basic services has historically reduced poverty and hunger. People’s right to food is enshrined in the constitution approved in 2019, which also sets the goal of achieving food security for all people, reinforced by the law on food sovereignty and food and nutrition security of 2022. • Progress toward the 2030 Agenda has suffered

Country: Papua New Guinea Source: European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations On 14 March, the East Wapei Rural local-level government (LLG), Sandaun Province, northwestern Papua New Guinea, has been affected by heavy rainfall and consequent a landslide that caused displacement, damage, cut-off from essential services, and limited humanitarian access. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as of 2

Country: Afghanistan Source: European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations On 25 March, southern and eastern Afghanistan has been affected by heavy rains and resultant floods, causing fatalities and damage. The provinces most affected are Parwan, Paktia, Kandahar, Zabul, and Helmand. Media, as of 25 March, reports five fatalities, six people injured, and three families displaced. A total of 700 families have been affected. In Kandahar cit

Country: United Republic of Tanzania Source: European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations In recent days, torrential rain has affected Rungwe District in south‑eastern Tanzania, triggering a landslide and causing casualties and damage. The event hit several wards, including Nkunga, Lupepo, Kawetele and Ikuti. According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), 18 people have died (including 14 childr

Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo Source: European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations Since 24 March, heavy rain and consequent flooding has affected the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), causing fatalities, displacement, and damage. The most affected provinces are Nord-Ubangi (Gbadolite city) in the north, and Haut Lomami (Bukama territory) and Maniema (Kindu city) in the east of the DRC. The International Federation of R

Country: Somalia Source: Radio Ergo Please refer to the attached file. Brief Analysis This report covers calls received on Radio Ergo’s nationwide audience feedback platform within the date range 12-25 March 2026. Due to the Eid season and some technical challenges on the platform, we were unable to meet our usual weekly target of processing and analysing calls. However, in this report period callers remained preoccupied by the drought and its heavy toll on livelihoods across the country, mentio

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Heritage Foundation’s Simon Hankinson has advocated U.S. withdrawal from international refugee pact.

Opinion: From a Davos Brain House to a Brain Capital Index – a new approach and rationale to investing in physical, mental, and social well-being is having its moment.

In the latest episode of our weekly podcast, we examine the funding gaps and implementation challenges facing PEPFAR and the Global Fund as they navigate new bilateral health deals and the impact of the expanded global gag rule.

After a fiery debate, the House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced a bill to terminate the U.S. African Development Foundation on Thursday – plus a handful of other bipartisan foreign aid proposals.

In a confidential paper, the United Nations maps a plan to stem the slow-rolling global food crisis by restoring Middle East fertilizer exports.

Country: Angola Source: World Health Organization The national polio vaccination campaign was officially launched today in the municipality of Belas, an initiative aimed at protecting more than 9 Millon children under the age of 5 across the country. The campaign runs from March 26 to 28, 2026, and mobilizes vaccination teams across the country with the goal of interrupting the transmission of polio in Angola. Polio is a highly infectious disease that can cause permanent paralysis, primarily aff

The African Development Bank, in partnership with the Gates Foundation, has previewed a proposed plan for a new financing facility for health commodities on the African continent.

In a bid to avert a looming food crisis, the U.N. is pitching a plan to restart global fertilizer trade by setting up a coordination hub in Oman. Plus, the Trump administration’s controversial pick for U.N. refugee deputy chief.

The Global Financing Facility is planning to launch a new financing program for family planning, and maternal and child health commodities at the bank’s Spring Meetings next month. It previewed how it is expected to work this week in Nairobi.

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Cuts to international aid funding have plunged Kakuma, one of the world’s largest refugee camps in Kenya, into a worsening humanitarian crisis. With food rations reduced to a fraction of the minimum requirement, residents face an impossible choice.

Cuts to international aid funding have plunged Kakuma, one of the world’s largest refugee camps in Kenya, into a worsening humanitarian crisis. With food rations reduced to a fraction of the minimum requirement, residents face an impossible choice.

Only about a quarter of the world’s planned aid projects were financed in October. The consequences of that can be seen, for example, on the border between Chad and Sudan: The global community is violating its own humanitarian principles.

“During the struggle for independence, European colonisers often told African nationalists that their people were incapable of governing themselves.”

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Around the world, access to education must be made easier and its quality has to improve

In view of multiple crises, state agencies must stay able to invest in crucial infrastructure and services

Opinion: Until governments, donors, and development banks redesign how they fund and measure success, scaling will remain more ambition than reality.