The Friday Humanitarian Scan #26

Pope Leo called on the international community to renew its commitment to tackling hunger and malnutrition, describing access to adequate food as a "fundamental human right" during a visit to the World Food Programme (WFP) headquarters in Rome on Monday.

After fleeing the war in Syria, many refugees in Türkiye faced challenges accessing information and essential services and understanding their rights.

Since Tuesday, United Nations peacekeepers have detected no airstrikes or new missile fire in southern Lebanon. The lull remains fragile, however, as Israeli drones continue to fly over the area and military operations continue on the ground.

MSF's latest report details the human and health impact of explosive ordnance contamination in Deir ez-Zor governorate, Syria.

MSF's latest report on Syria details the ongoing impact of landmines and unexploded ordnance in Deir ez-Zor.

Imagine being one of a family of nine and sitting down to a meal of potato peelings and other scraps, boiled up into a soup. This is the harsh reality for many of Afghanistan's most vulnerable families, forced on them by climate change and drought, widespread malnutrition and increasing restrictions on women, since the Taliban overran Kabul in 2021.

Deadly drone and missile attacks in Ukraine over the weekend represented a "dangerous cycle of escalation" in Russia's full-scale four-year-old war, the Security Council heard on Monday from Mohamed Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, while Edem Wosornu, crisis response director at the UN relief office, OCHA, warned that "the choices made here can mean the difference between lives saved or lives lost."

Escalating violence in and around the Sudanese city of El Obeid is putting civilians at increased risk and disrupting essential services, the UN aid coordination office OCHA said on Monday. 

June 18, 2026

Five years after three of our MSF colleagues were brutally killed in central Tigray, Ethiopia, the Government of Ethiopia has shown no sign of concluding and sharing the outcomes of a credible and impartial investigation.

The public is talking about Palantir and data (but humanitarians aren't).

UN teams scrambled on Thursday in support of the international response to the devastating double earthquake disaster in Venezuela, where buildings lie flattened and people are likely still trapped in the capital, Caracas, and beyond. 

Two deadly earthquakes struck Venezuela less than a minute apart on Wednesday, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, causing at least 164 deaths and widespread destruction in and around the capital, Caracas as international assistance begins to arrive early Thursday, with UN agencies rapidly deploying aid, support and rescue teams. UN News app users can follow here.

The UN's top humanitarian has allocated $8 million in funding to help Burundi and South Sudan prepare for the potential spread of Ebola. 

An alarming number of children with severe malnutrition are being admitted to our therapeutic feeding centres in southern Afghanistan.

A powerful panel intervention at ECOSOC 2026 by Holly Welcome Radice on the imperative to use evidence in humanitarian decision making – and why that evidence points to greater usage of cash and voucher assistance.

Prior to the Middle East conflict, Myanmar's economy was showing signs of stabilization, but activity remained weak and increasingly strained. The recent fuel shock has become the central macro …

This Integrated State-Owned Enterprises Framework (iSOEF) assessment was initiated at the request of the Ministry of Finance to address growing fiscal pressures linked to state-owned enterprises (SOE) …

Girls and young women in Sub-Saharan Africa face multiple, inter-related barriers to fulfil their potential. They are more likely to live in poverty than men, have less access to education and health …

Girls and young women in Sub-Saharan Africa face multiple, inter-related challenges. They are more likely to live in poverty than men, have less access to education and health services, and rarely …

Adequate housing – recognized by the United Nations as a basic human right encompassing access, affordability, and quality – and access to affordable energy are foundational to economic participation, …

The Sao Tome and Principe Economic Update provides a comprehensive analysis of the country's economic performance, challenges, and prospects. The report is divided into two chapters: Chapter 1, which …

Psychology

Democracy Index

New data from Cedefop's updated online tool Timeline of VET policies show that vocational education and training reforms across EU-27, Norway and Iceland are moving forward, with countries shifting from planning to active implementation.

The peer review provided an opportunity to reflect on how stakeholders, particularly employers, can contribute more effectively to quality assurance (QA) in vocational education and training (VET).

Football stories

Held on 4 and 5 June 2026 in Rome, the European Commission and the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital hosted the 2026 High-Level Event, bringing together around 200 participants, including EAfA members from 12 countries.

Literacy

"There's this desire for bankable projects, but you can't create bankable projects without building the unbankable stuff," said Nyamolo Abagi during Devex Impact House at London Climate Action Week.

Only about 2% of public funding goes to water and sanitation. At a Devex Impact House panel, experts called for smarter partnerships to help close the $6 billion financing gap.

Grants and pledges are not going to be enough to address the climate emergency anymore. Financing partnerships will be key, experts argue at Devex Impact House.

Climate may be a more contested term, but some MDB leaders aren't shying away from the actual work of adaptation.

For leaders from California to Somalia, climate change is a daily reality that demands immediate action. At the Devex Impact House alongside London Climate Action Week, they shared lessons from the front lines.

A former NBA player, a snack-food entrepreneur, and a clean-energy alliance leader may seem like an unlikely climate panel.

Rachel Kyte, the U.K.'s climate envoy, told Devex Impact House that the landmark climate agreement has moved from negotiation to implementation, with still plenty of hurdles along the way.

A mayor, an Indigenous leader, and a philanthropic funder joined Devex Impact House to discuss why the biggest barrier to climate finance isn't a lack of ideas, but a lack of power in the hands of people closest to the solutions.

From apprentices to entrepreneurs, discover how mobility programmes help build skills, unlock opportunities and strengthen Europe's competitiveness. Join the discussion on 1 July in Brussels or online.

India

The transfer wasn't written into Farm Bill legislation due to a matter of "jurisdiction," but is likely to move ahead.

The global development sector eyes the presumptive replacement for U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.