The Friday Humanitarian Scan #27

The UN agency serving 5.9 million Palestine refugees, UNRWA, continues to strive to deliver on its mandate while facing an unprecedented $100 million budget shortfall, a gap it hopes to narrow during Tuesday's pledging conference at UN Headquarters.

The continued expansion of areas under Israeli control in Gaza since October's ceasefire agreement is placing civilians at greater risk and severely constraining humanitarian operations, the UN and humanitarian partners warned on Wednesday.

In Aida Camp, in the West Bank, where Bethlehem, Beit Jala, and Jerusalem converge, daily life unfolds amid constrained, crowded conditions. Here the local football pitch has become a vital community space and a rare source of recreation, connection and resilience.

More than 2,000 rescue workers from 27 countries have been deployed to Venezuela to locate people trapped under the rubble following the twin earthquakes on Wednesday, in a deployment supported and coordinated by the United Nations. 

Some 680,000 children are among the 1.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance following the earthquakes that struck Venezuela on 24 June, the UN child rights agency UNICEF reported on Sunday as rescue efforts continue.

Emergency response teams pressed on with their lifesaving mission in Venezuela on Monday as countless local responders and families continued their search for missing relatives "against impossible odds", five days since the double earthquake disaster.

Five days after powerful earthquakes struck central-northern Venezuela, the death toll continues to climb along with the intense rescue operation and the UN coordinates humanitarian assistance, warning that recovery "is going to take time."

The United Nations has welcomed Sudan's decision to extend the opening of an aid corridor with neighbouring Chad and continues to express concern over the ongoing escalation in El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan state.

Just a few years back, their days revolved around work, school, family dinners and plans for the future. All that changed once Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Search and rescue operations continued in Venezuela on Tuesday as thousands of displaced survivors struggled to find shelter and humanitarians issued an alert over the spread of infectious disease.

Five humanitarian workers have been killed after a clearly marked aid convoy was ambushed in Jonglei State, South Sudan.

The deadly Venezuela quakes have deepened hardship for families who already needed support and left others without homes, income or regular access to food. 

In Venezuela, a rescue operation in La Guaira has succeeded in getting a toddler out alive from under the rubble, six days since the double-earthquake disaster.

Where children once trained as baseball players, families now sleep under tarpaulins. The stadium at Playa Grande, on Venezuela's central coast, has become an emergency shelter for people who lost their homes – or cannot safely return to them – after the deadly quakes that struck the country on 24 June.

After two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela, MSF began donating trauma kits to hospitals.

Pacific Island states have long demonstrated leadership in promoting peace, disarmament, and humanitarian values. From traditional customs that reflect principles contained in contemporary international humanitarian law (IHL), to global advocacy for nuclear disarmament and environmental protections during armed conflict, the region is uniquely equipped to contribute to discussions on advancing IHL. This is particularly important… The post Amplifying Pacific voices: the region's crucial role in

In Palma district, Mozambique, MSF is concluding activities after providing five years of care following a deadly attack.

Aid agencies in Ukraine on Thursday rushed to respond to a massive uptick in deadly strikes by Russia, including one of the largest attacks on Kyiv to date.

A week after earthquakes tore through northern Venezuela, hospitals in La Guaira are buckling under the weight of the disaster – and the risk of disease outbreaks in shelters is rising fast.

On the night of July 2 2026, the Russian military carried out yet another massive attack on Kyiv, where Médecins Sans Frontières staff live and work. Official reports so far confirm 20 deaths and at least 86 wounded have been reported.

Israel/Palestine

Governments, including the United Kingdom, were repeatedly warned that mass killings in el-Fasher were likely, but failed to act on it. Plus, the U.K. FCDO's transparency troubles, and the latest on Ebola.

Cambodia has achieved remarkable economic transformation over the past two decades, with rapid growth, falling poverty, and progress to lower-middle-income status, but Vision 2050 sets a far more …

Global average gross agricultural income per worker is projected to increase by 9 percent by 2035, driven by productivity gains and broadly stable agricultural prices, according to a new report …

As the scale and impact of fraud continues to grow and put pressure on public finances, countries need effective tools to prevent, detect and respond to fraud risks while sustaining public trust and …

Surging semiconductor exports have boosted growth despite headwinds from the Middle East crisis. Fiscal and monetary policy have supported consumption. Going forward, strengthening the fiscal …

The Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Benin FY27-36 outlines the World Bank Group's strategy to support economic transformation, resilience, and large-scale job creation aligned with Benin's …

The housing affordability crisis across OECD countries reflects a persistent mismatch between supply and demand, driven by structural constraints on housing provision and insufficient public …

This paper investigates the impact of informal competition-defined as competition faced by formal firms from informal enterprises-on the firm-provided worker training among formal manufacturing small …

Korea's economy has demonstrated strong resilience despite external shocks and domestic uncertainty. To deal with fiscal pressures from population ageing while sustaining productivity growth, Korea …

The Country Opinion Survey in Mongolia assists the World Bank Group (WBG) in better understanding how stakeholders in Mongolia perceive the WBG. It provides the WBG with systematic feedback from …

Press freedom

Southeast Asia is home to some of the world's fastest-growing digital economies – and to large communities that are underserved in terms of healthcare, banking or digital services. For Integra Partners, a Singapore-based venture capital fund, this is an o

Start-up funding

Two of Europe's premier education initiatives are uniting. Discover how the Lifelong Learning Platform and the European Skills & VET Week are teaming up to champion continuous education, elevate innovative practices, and bring the Lifelong Learning Awards to a bigger stage.

International football

During the 25th Board Meeting of the European Network of Public Employment Services (PES Network), hosted by the Cypriot Presidency on 18-19 June 2026 in Nicosia, Heads of PES came together to discuss the role of Public Employment Services in key EU initiatives and how PES can translate the strategi

Technology

The document, seen by Devex, proposes several areas for coordination and collaboration between the two agencies. But without changing their mandates or creating a new structure.

For the latest episode of our podcast series, Adva Saldinger sits down with Colum Lynch and Jesse Chase-Lubitz to discuss the top global development stories of the week.

The latest on restructuring talks for UNAIDS, UN Women, and the U.N. Population Fund. Plus, should we be genetically engineering mosquitoes to reduce malaria?

Opinion: Four Latin Americans are vying to become the next U.N. secretary-general. Their candidacies offer more than regional representation – they present an opportunity to rethink multilateralism for a changing world.

A conversation with Sierra Leone's vice president on debt, development, and governing through constant crises.

Opinion: The future of AI governance shouldn't be decided by the U.S. and China alone. Middle power nations are converging on AI governance. Geneva's Global Dialogue is the moment to build this collective influence out.

As governments prepare to convene in Geneva next week, the United Nations is making the case for a more inclusive approach to AI governance. Organizers say the goal is not to slow innovation, but to give more countries a voice in shaping AI's future.

Amid a decrease in global health funding, many hope innovative finance could plug the gap but MedAccess' Michelle Teo explains why specific innovative finance mechanisms need to be thought through to match the exact problems.

Devex looks at the multilateral organizations and other development employers that posted the most jobs in the region over the past year.