The Friday Humanitarian Scan #16

Yemen must not be drawn into the escalating conflict in the Middle East, the Security Council heard on Tuesday, stressing the need for de-escalation, political progress and urgent humanitarian funding for beleaguered civilians battered by years of grinding war. 

The war in Gaza has inflicted a far higher toll on women and girls than in previous conflicts in the Palestinian enclave, with more than 38,000 killed by Israeli air bombardment and land military operations since Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel sparked the war in October 2023, UN Women said on Friday.

Country: Lebanon Source: Islamic Relief Islamic Relief welcomes news of last night’s ceasefire announcement between Lebanon and Israel. With more than a fifth of the population displaced, the people of Lebanon are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. Over 2,000 people were killed in Israeli attacks on cities, hospitals, schools, bridges, and homes since 2 March. Despite the positive development, the 10-day ceasefire remains fragile. It applies only to the area of Lebanon north of the Li

Country: Lebanon Source: International Organization for Migration Please refer to the attached Infographic. This report provides an overview of entry and exit movements by air, land, and sea. It captures the movements for Lebanese, Syrian, and other nationalities. Between 08 and 14 April 2026, a total of 97,718 movements were recorded across 6 (out of 16) official border crossing points (BCPs) and unofficial crossing areas. Over 32 per cent were through air travel movements, including 13,348 ent

Country: Lebanon Source: Norwegian Refugee Council Lebanon ceasefire: a moment of hope that must hold Statement by Jan Egeland, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) Secretary General on the announced ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon: Press release Published 17. Apr 2026 “After 46 days of horrific violence, the ceasefire in Lebanon is a moment of hope for civilians across the country. The ceasefire offers people a chance to breathe and to end a conflict that has killed more than 2,000 people

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

Country: Lebanon Source: CARE A ceasefire has been agreed for Lebanon following a month and a half of intense Israeli bombardment. Statement on the announced ceasefire by Michael Adams, Country Director, CARE International in Lebanon: “This ceasefire agreement offers a critical moment of relief for people across Lebanon after a month and a half of intense and deadly bombardment, but uncertainty and fear remain high. The ten-day ceasefire appears fragile, amid continued threats by parties to the

As Lebanon and Israel discuss a ceasefire but Israel’s bombing continues, more than a million people have been forced into displacement, many under mass evacuation orders that have led to confusion, …

Marriage remains a beautiful part of life. But in Gaza, it is a decision weighed against loss, risk, and an unpredictable future.

Iran

Humanitarian aid

When the earthquake struck Myanmar in March 2025, it shattered more than buildings and roads. For families already living close to the edge, it wiped out the little they had to keep going. With EU funding, WFP provided multi-purpose cash assistance so they could keep their livelihoods afloat.

As Sudan’s war moves into a fourth year, civilians are still being killed, displaced and subjected to widespread sexual violence, the UN’s top humanitarian official in the country warned on Monday, calling for urgent action to stop the fighting and protect civilians.

Civil society groups need open-ended support that leaves them stronger when international attention inevitably shifts.

Sudan remains the world’ s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis, UN agencies and partners said on Tuesday, calling for an end to the war between rival militaries on the eve of the three-year mark. 

After three years of catastrophic conflict, Sudan is divided and partitioned between the warring parties and their various armed allies, with few signs of any breakthrough in mediation efforts, and …

Foreign ministers from across the world met in Berlin on Wednesday to show support for Sudan, where a fourth year of brutal warfare has begun as humanitarian needs deepen. 

By the end of 2024, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimated that 123.2 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing public order. If a large-scale conflict erupts, the intensity, scale and tempo of military operations will only… The post Complying with IHL in large-scale conflicts: movement, mass displacement and maintaining family links appeared first o

When the flotilla arrived in Havana, it raised hackles and reignited suspicions about the transparency of emergency aid distribution in the country.

This is Inklings, where we explore how aid works in the wilds of humanitarian hubs, on the front lines of emergency response, or in the dark corners of aid punditry. It’s also available as an email …

Tymofii Bespalov is one of 5,000 Ukrainian patients transferred to hospitals in 22 countries through the European Union’s medical evacuation programme conducted under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

The chants precede his actual arrival. Women and children sing as Salisu Adamu, a UNICEF-supported mobiliser, and his colleagues go from house to house in the Mairi area of Damaturu, in North-East Nigeria’s Yobe State.

Country: Somalia Source: Radio Ergo (ERGO) – More than 3,300 children from low-income and pastoralist families have been out of school this year since the closure of at least 33 primary and intermediate schools in rural parts of central Somalia. Families have abandoned their homes in search of water and pasture, leaving schools empty across Mudug and Galgadud regions, in the districts of Adado, Galkayo, Dusamareb, Guriel, and Abudwak. Mohamed Abdi Ahmed is among those who stayed in Haad-fuul, wh

Country: Somalia Source: Radio Ergo (ERGO) – Drought displaced pastoralist families in southern Somalia’s Lower Juba region have arrived in Kulbiyow – a small town close to the Kenyan border – with no livestock, shelter, or reliable access to food. The families were driven out of rural areas around Buulo-Haaji near Kismayo, where prolonged drought wiped out their animals, dried up water sources, and destroyed the livelihoods they depended on. Among them is Farhia Daud Omar, a mother of 10, who r

Country: Somalia Sources: Logistics Cluster, World Food Programme Please refer to the attached file. Background: Somalia Humanitarian Supply Chain & Access Overview Somalia is facing an intensifying humanitarian crisis driven by consecutive failed rainy seasons, a harsh Jilaal dry period, and an emerging national drought, particularly severe in Puntland, central, and southern regions. Approximately 4.4 million people are currently experiencing Crisis-level or worse food insecurity (IPC 3+) f

Country: Afghanistan Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached file. HIGHLIGHTS Humanitarian partners have continued scaling up immediate response efforts in the aftermath of the recent rains and floods that impacted most of the country. Overall, several hundred people are reported to have been killed and injured, thousands of homes damaged or destroyed, critical infrastructure damaged, including hundreds of kilometres of vital roads and multiple

In 2025, nearly 900 Rohingya refugees were reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, making it the deadliest year on record in South and Southeast Asia, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.

Country: Somalia Source: Radio Ergo Please refer to the attached file. Brief Summary Calls about continuing drought dominated this week’s batch of feedback (9-15 March 2026) to Radio Ergo’s nationwide call-in platform, alongside a lesser number of callers reporting rainfall mainly in central and across scattered southern locations. Callers in some locations noted that the rainfall was less than expected or inconsistent. Farmers in several southern regions complained of crop failure and loss of l

Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached Infographic. Fin 2025, plusieurs zones de santé du Nord Kivu, du Sud Kivu, du Maniema et de l’Ituri ont atteint un seuil critique nécessitant une intervention urgente, sous l’effet combiné de chocs sécuritaires (déplacements massifs liés aux affrontements armés), épidémiologiques (flambées de choléra et de rougeole) et structurels (détérioration des services essen

Country: Haiti Source: World Food Programme PUERTO PRÍNCIPE, Haití – Ante los nuevos datos que muestran que más de la mitad de la población haitiana sigue enfrentando una inseguridad alimentaria aguda, el Programa Mundial de Alimentos de las Naciones Unidas (WFP) hace un llamado urgente de apoyo para proteger los recientes y frágiles avances en la lucha contra el hambre y fomentar la estabilidad en esta atribulada nación caribeña. Un análisis actualizado de la Clasificación Integrada de las Fase

Country: Sudan Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Three years of conflict in Sudan have caused the largest mass displacement of people in the world. While the crisis gets little outside attention and support, the people of Sudan persevere. In this episode of Red Vest podcast, we hear from remarkable people who are working every day to get the word out and make life better for millions, despite the costs. Mahmoud also talks about what it was like to return to

Country: Burkina Faso Sources: Logistics Cluster, World Food Programme Please refer to the attached file. I. RESUME EXECUTIF Depuis 2015, le Burkina Faso fait face à une crise sécuritaire prolongée, aggravée par des chocs climatiques récurrents, entraînant des déplacements massifs de populations et une pression accrue sur les systèmes de marché. Bien que l’année 2025 ait été marquée par une amélioration relative de la situation sécuritaire – avec le retour de plus de 1,1 million de personnes dép

Country: Niger Source: World Food Programme Please refer to the attached file. SITUATION OVERVIEW • The food security and nutrition situation remains critical in Niger. According to the December 2025 Cadre Harmonisé, 2.4 million people are projected to face severe food insecurity in 2026. Malnutrition levels also remain high. The 2025 IPC Nutrition analysis estimated that 1.6 million children will be affected by acute malnutrition this year, including 400,000 suffering from severe acute malnutri

Country: Central African Republic Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached file. FAITS SAILLANTS Des milliers de réfugiés et déplacés à risque de perdre l’assistance alimentaire dès août 2026 Les acteurs humanitaires procèdent à l’évaluation de la situation humanitaire à Djéma Plus de 300 ménages déplacés reçoivent une assistance dans les localités de Kaboro, Kiriwiri et Houssem. CONTEXTE GENERAL Préfecture de la Vakaga – Nord Le Programme alime

Countries: World, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Myanmar, Nigeria, occupied Palestinian territory, United Republic of Tanzania Source: Insecurity Insight Please refer to the attached file. Insecurity Insight’s Protection in Danger open-source monitoring identified 8,385 incidents of threats and violence that took place at IDP/refugee camps, including temporary/makeshift shelters between 01 January 2020 and February 2026. In these incidents, camps were damaged or destroyed on 5,058 oc

Country: Cuba Source: ACAPS Please refer to the attached file. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS Since early January 2026, Cuba has experienced a rapid deterioration in fuel availability and a shortage of critical supplies, especially food and medicine. An estimated nine million people have been affected, as fuel scarcity has disrupted electricity generation and transport systems in all regions of the country, hindering food availability and access, worsening health conditions, disrupting livelihoods, reducin

Country: Haiti Source: Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development Please refer to the attached file. Résumé de l’alerte : Le 15 avril 2026, Acted a été informée de trois nouveaux cas suspects de choléra à Saint-Michel-de-l’Attalaye, signalés dans le rapport épidémiologique de la 14ᵉ semaine de la DSA. Les cas ont été détectés entre le 12 et le 14 avril 2026, selon le registre du centre de santé de Saint-Michel-de-l’Attalaye. Ces cas concernent la 7ᵉ section Marmont (Grande Savane), la 4ᵉ s

Countries: Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan Source: US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants Today, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) and the American Relief Agency for the Horn of Africa (ARAHA) join the international community in marking the third year of war in Sudan, a year shaped by global apathy and the alarming normalization of human suffering. This conflict has resulted in the world’s largest displacement crisis, which has disproportionally impacted children. Mi

Humanitarian organisations

The European Working Conditions Survey 2024 shows that job quality in Europe is improving. Over 36 000 interviews reveal that long working hours are declining. However, inequalities at the workplace persist, with women experiencing specific challenges.

The annual survey on the Pact for Skills reveals that over 10 million people, including 3.9 million in 2025 alone, have benefited from upskilling initiatives since 2020.

DFC’s Conor Coleman outlines a shift to larger, more strategic deals and a hybrid model blending development and U.S. foreign policy, as the agency looks to mobilize more private capital and play a more active role in investments.

As development aid falls and geopolitical shocks grow, EIB President Nadia Calviño calls for more coordinated multilateral banks that double down on climate and gender while mobilizing private investment.

At the Devex Capital Summit, Mariana Mazzucato calls for mission-driven industrial policy, stronger public-private conditions, and a shift toward a “common good” approach to development and water.

Countries should invest in citizens’ mental health the same way they invest in economic infrastructure, experts said on a panel during the World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings.

Rising fuel costs and supply disruptions are forcing aid agencies and development banks to rethink delivery, financing, and energy access strategies worldwide.

The Future of Development Cooperation Coalition held its first meeting on the sidelines of the World Bank-International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C.

In the latest episode of our weekly podcast recorded live at the Devex Capital Summit in Washington, D.C., we discuss the latest OECD figures, the World Bank’s new Water Forward initiative, and how strategic interests are reshaping the future of international cooperation and economic growth.

Devex examines where the job opportunities were in 2025, what they paid, and who is hiring this year.

We bring you hard-hitting conversations with leaders from the U.S. development finance agency, UNOPS, and the U.N. loss and damage fund, among others – all from Devex’s Capital Summit on the sidelines of World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings.

The DIV Fund, a spinoff of USAID’s former Development Innovation Ventures, is a model for how innovation can still be financed and scaled.

Good News

AI infrastructure

Poverty reduction

Disability rights

Politics

US AI firms need tremendous amounts of energy, water and land for their new generation of data centres. They are finding the resources they require in Argentina, Mexico and other Latin American countries.

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.

“While the railway was being built, Mexico’s leading cartels and their offshoots widened their sphere of influence to include areas along its route.”

Artist of the month

Labour rights

Feminism

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

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

Empowering women and girls is crucial to achieving gender justice.