The Friday Humanitarian Scan #14

Country: Lebanon Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached file. HIGHLIGHTS During his recent visit to Lebanon on 31 March, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, engaged Government officials, first responders and affected families impacted by the escalation. In his briefing on the situation to the UN Security Council, he reiterated calls for a de-escalation and safeguarding humanitarian space. Humanitarian partners are responding with e

Country: Afghanistan Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached file. The escalation in the Middle East in late February 2026 is generating spillover effects across Asia and the Pacific, compounding humanitarian crises. The main impact stems from rising oil prices following reduced traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply, much of it destined for Asia. Higher fuel prices are increasing transport, el

Country: Iran (Islamic Republic of) Source: World Food Programme Please refer to the attached file. IN NUMBERS IN NUMBERS 440,000 displaced people assisted in Lebanon with food and cash to date. 70,000 displaced people received date bars at Syria crossings. 33,424 refugees in settlement supported with food and cash assistance in Iran. KEY HIGHLIGHTS Global supply chain disruptions resulting from the escalation are severely affecting humanitarian food deliveries worldwide. Nearly 70,000 mt of WFP

Country: Lebanon Sources: Health Cluster, World Health Organization Please refer to the attached file.

Countries: World, Lebanon, Syrian Arab Republic Source: UN Development Programme Please refer to the attached file. The recent military escalation in the Middle East is exposing the structural vulnerabilities of the Arab States region. The estimates highlight a stark reality. A short‑lived military escalation in the Middle East could generate pro‑ found and widespread socio‑economic impacts across the Arab States region. The analyses presented in this brief provide scenario based estimates of po

Countries: Lebanon, Syrian Arab Republic Source: International Rescue Committee Beirut, Lebanon, April 3, 2026 – Following a visit to Syria and Lebanon from 29 March – 2 April, International Rescue Committee (IRC) President and CEO David Miliband said, “I have just returned from Syria and Lebanon, where I saw firsthand the depth of need facing families living through both ongoing conflict and the after-effects of conflict. The Iran crisis has global ramifications but its most direct effects are

Country: Yemen Sources: Emergency Telecommunications Cluster, World Food Programme Please refer to the attached file. The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (now part of the merged Logistics and Telecommunications Cluster or LTC1) was activated in Yemen in April 2015 in response to the conflict crisis. LTC Yemen Situation Reports are issued monthly. Summary Points • Chronic underfunding challenges have forced the LTC in Yemen to downscale its operations. From 49, the number of organizations be

The Middle East crisis has lurched into its second month, prompting UN Secretary-General António Guterres to issue a stark warning on Thursday morning that the world is “on the edge of a wider war” with catastrophic global implications.

Deadly new strikes reported across the Middle East overnight and Thursday rattled energy markets and pushed crude oil prices up to $107 in early trading. Hopes dwindled of a quick end to the conflict as President Trump spoke of another “two to three weeks” of attacks, alongside “ongoing” discussions with Tehran. Civilians across the region continue to suffer misery and displacement. The UN chief told reporters at UN Headquarters the conflict ‘is already being felt everywhere,” and “the spiral of

The World Health Organization (WHO) has facilitated the delivery of some 106 metric tonnes of lifesaving nutrition supplies to the Gaza Strip – the first shipment via a mechanism to deliver aid by sea, in line with a UN Security Council resolution and amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. 

The UN’s top humanitarian official warned the Security Council on Tuesday that Lebanon is facing one of its most dangerous moments in years, with escalating violence, mass displacement and deepening human suffering pushing the country to “breaking point”.

The trauma of mass displacement and disruption to aid shipments throughout the world are among the devastating impacts of the war raging in the Middle East, UN agencies said on Tuesday.

More than a month since war erupted in the Middle East, UN agencies confirmed on Tuesday that huge numbers of people have returned to Syria from Lebanon “exhausted, traumatized and with very, very few belongings”. Meanwhile, the UN International Maritime Organization said that another vessel has been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, increasing concerns of further delays in transporting lifesaving aid. The Security Council met in New York in emergency session on Lebanon. Stay with us for live up

Asking the softly spoken, veteran humanitarian worker Philippe Lazzarini how he feels as he comes to the end of his second term as the head of the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, is perhaps an unfair question. 

Further attacks have been reported across the Middle East as the war enters a second month, with two more Indonesian peacekeepers killed in Southern Lebanon on Monday, following the death of a fellow ‘blue helmet’ a day earlier. On the diplomatic front, the UN has announced a taskforce to restore the flow of fertilizer and aid through the Strait of Hormuz, while the UN’s atomic watchdog confirms an attack on a heavy water facility at Khondab in Iran. Stay with us for live updates on this and UN

Just hours after war broke out in the Middle East last month, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned the Security Council that the fighting risked “igniting a chain of events that no one can control in the most volatile region of the world.”

The war against Iran is now a threat to people’s health globally. Plus, Gilead rejects MSF’s purchase request for an HIV injectable, and a potential U.N. agency merger gets more serious.

Syrian President al-Sharaa on Iran war: ‘Syria will remain outside this conflict’ News release jon.wallace 1 April 2026 In his first UK public event, President Ahmed al-Sharaa urged negotiations to resolve the US-Israeli war on Iran – and discussed elections, reconstruction and foreign policy. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited Chatham House on 31 March for a conversation with Director and Chief Executive Bronwen Maddox – his first public event in the United Kingdom. The two discussed Syri

International law

Country: Chad Sources: Health Cluster, World Health Organization Please refer to the attached file. https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiMGI1MGY0YjgtNzcyNC00Njc2LWJmMjgtMjc2ZDg1NzQ4NmIzIiwidCI6ImY2MTBjMGI3LWJkMjQtNGIzOS04MTBiLTNkYzI4MGFmYjU5MCIsImMiOjh9&pageName=39328deadeb9a2c3794d

Country: Pakistan Source: World Food Programme Please refer to the attached file. Headline inflation rose to 6.98% in February, up from 5.80% in January, showing a faster increase in the cost of living. Prices also increased slightly month‑to‑month (0.27%). Food inflation was 5.8% higher than last year; rice prices stayed stable. Pulse prices increased slightly because lower production reduced local availability. The Terms of Trade improved by 1.5% compared to last month but remain 21% worse tha

Country: Sudan Source: Protection Cluster Please refer to the attached file. The Protection Cluster in Sudan is issuing this alert to draw urgent attention to the rapidly deteriorating protection and humanitarian situation in Blue Nile State, following recent conflict developments and large-scale displacement. Since late March 2026, hostilities linked to the capture of Kurmuk and Maqja, near the Ethiopian border, have triggered new waves of displacement, exacerbating pre-existing vulnerabilities

Country: Niger Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached file. Au cours de l’année 2025, les partenaires humanitaires ont assisté 1,3 millions de personnes à travers les transferts monétaires pour un montant total de 17,3 milliards de FCFA (31M USD). Les bénéficiaires ont principalement reçu l’assistance sous forme de distribution en cash direct (94% des ménages). Il convient de souligner que les interventions ont essentiellement répondu aux beso

Country: Sudan Sources: Health Cluster, World Health Organization Please refer to the attached file. SitRep – Sudan Health Cluster: Key Partner Achievements, Strategic Developments, Coordination Activities & Updates

Country: Chad Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached Infographic.

Country: Chad Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached Infographic.

Country: Sri Lanka Source: Disaster Management Centre of Sri Lanka Please refer to the attached file.

Countries: Nigeria, Cameroon Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached file. This report is produced by OCHA Nigeria in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the 1-31 March 2026 period. The next report will be issued in May 2026. Highlights Escalating food insecurity pushing millions toward crisis in the Northeast, as some humanitarian assistance pipelines face collapse. Insecurity intensifies across Borno and Yobe in March, killing

Countries: Pakistan, Afghanistan Sources: International Organization for Migration, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Please refer to the attached file. INTRODUCTION In response to the Ministry of Interior’s (MoI) decision of 26 September 2023 to enact an “Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan”, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and IOM, the UN Migration Agency, have collated their data on the arrest, detention, and deportation of Proof of Registration (PoR) holders, Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders

Country: Philippines Source: Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology Please refer to the attached Infographic.

Country: South Sudan Source: REACH Initiative Please refer to the attached file. KEY FINDINGS • Between February and March 2026, the median cost of the Multi-Sector Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (MSSMEB) increased by 6%, while the food basket increased by 4%. The surge in MSSMEB costs was primarily driven by a substantial increase in milling costs (50%). Conversely, the increase in the food basket was mainly driven by rising prices of essential food commodities, including salt (24%), maize

As security concerns intensify across Europe following the escalation of the international armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine in 2022, several states – including Finland, Poland, and the Baltic countries – have moved to withdraw from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC), while similar calls have emerged in other Nordic countries. These developments reflect a… The post Why Nordic governments must uphold the global ban on anti-personnel mines appeared first on Humanitarian Law &

Fears are mounting for civilians caught up in Sudan’s deadly war between rival militaries as attacks intensify and humanitarian access shrinks, following a deadly airstrike on a funeral gathering in West Kordofan.

For more than 2 years, the Sourou Valley was a place of silence. In the Boucle du Mouhoun of northwestern Burkina Faso, thousands of families lived under a total blockade – an act of strangulation that turned villages into open-air prisons.

Our editors’ weekly take on humanitarian news, trends, and developments from around the globe. On our radar Iran war enters sixth week, Israel takes control of south Lebanon. Da …

Who gets US pooled fund cash, local aid promises in an era of cuts, and what Save the Children really wants you to know.

A big NGO promised to leave UN pooled funds for local aid groups. It’s in line to receive millions, along with other international agencies.

In Iran, civilians are being killed and displaced, and Israeli and US bombing has severely damaged infrastructure. In Lebanon, where Israel is pursuing a second front in the war, 1.2 million people …

Nour ElAssy on the annual commemoration of colonial violence and land theft and resisting the normalisation of erasure through language and writing.

Devex rounds up the U.N. agencies and other global development employers that posted the most jobs across the region in 2025.

This week: Insights from our recent digital event on successful post-USAID pivots; what we learned from our latest job board data analysis; featured new job leads; and more.

Why collaborative philanthropy is taking off; making the business case for water investment; and the grungy details behind the implosion of a clean-cooking startup.

For the latest episode of our podcast series, Adva Saldinger sits down with Anna Gawel and Danielle Kaye to discuss the week’s top development stories, including how philanthropy is reshaping the sector and the future of U.K. aid.

After USAID collapsed, the global development NGO space was buzzing with expectations for mergers. But a lack of precedent and financial barriers mean nonprofit combinations are still rare.

Farmers and researchers alike are navigating disruptions that extend far beyond the immediate loss of funding. The Aid Report and Devex journalists break down what these shifts mean across food systems.

Grassroots International and CS Fund on long-term funding, why they don’t run open calls, and what it actually takes to get in the door.

KOKO Network’s collapse shows what happens when carbon, policy, and business don’t align.

More and more funders are joining forces and pooling funding. Why are they doing it? What are the benefits? And what does it mean for the organizations they fund?

Artificial Intelligence

Gender equality

Digital economy

Gender equality

Media

Humanity is entering a new reality. The question is no longer whether artificial intelligence will change our lives but how – and who will be in charge.

“Rebuilding the country will take more than repairing infrastructure and buildings. It requires restoring collective trust, memory and a shared sense of identity of being a proud and peaceful Nepali.”

Artist of the month

Afghanistan

Labour rights

Refugees

Restoring the planet’s environmental health is indispensable

Art with a developmental connection – compiled for you by the D+C editorial team.

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

The Commission has published a report of its Action Plan for the Social Economy, reviewing its progress since 2021 and setting out further actions to strengthen the social economy across Europe.

The Union for the Mediterranean discussed how regions can help young people find work at its 20th meeting on employment and labour.