Talk about displacement behavior! I was grading an exam question on hydrophilanthropy when the need for some (benign) displacement behavior hit me like a ton of frozen popsicles! So I decided to post this CRS 2-pager (11 December 2020) by Rhoda Margesson: 'Overview of the Global Humanitarian and Displacement Crisis'.
Seriously - this is important stuff!
Click on the graphics if you wish to display or enlarge them.
Download CRS_InFocus_Global_Humanitarian_Displace_Crisis_11Dec2020
Introduction
Even before the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the global humanitarian and displacement crisis was unprecedented. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) anticipated that in 2020 more than 168 million people worldwide would require humanitarian assistance and protection due to conflict and disaster. For 2021, UNOCHA’s estimate has reached 235 million people. The United States is the single largest donor, consistently providing nearly one-third (more than $9.5 billion in FY2020) of total humanitarian and emergency food assistance through global accounts.
Types of Crises and Affected Populations
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that at the end of 2019 (latest global data available, before the pandemic), more than 79.5 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide due to armed conflict, widespread or indiscriminate violence, or human rights violations. Those displaced included 26 million refugees, 4.2 million asylum seekers, 45.7 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and 3.6 million Venezuelans displaced abroad. UNHCR estimated that a further 10 million people remained stateless. Natural and weather- related disasters affect millions of people a year who often require urgent and prolonged assistance due to sudden events (such as earthquakes or storms) or protracted ones (like drought conditions). On average, disasters displace 26 million people annually. In 2019, more than two-thirds (68%) of all refugees and Venezuelans displaced abroad came from five countries: Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Burma.
Some populations moved voluntarily, while others had to flee. Economic migrants, who often leave poverty and unemployment to seek better livelihood opportunities or family reunification numbered approximately 272 million in 2019 (roughly 3.5% of the world’s population). Refugees and others forcibly displaced, including vulnerable migrants, often faced a different set of circumstances. Instead of choosing to leave their place of origin, they were forced to do so for reasons such as ethnic strife, violence, human rights violations, or natural disasters.
U.S. Policy
The United States is a major contributor to international humanitarian relief efforts. In the past five fiscal years (FY2015–FY2019), the United States provided $44.0 billion in global humanitarian assistance with funding through the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of State, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Agriculture. Congress has given the President broad authority on humanitarian issues and flexibility to respond to disasters with a wide range of assistance. On a bipartisan basis, it has consistently supported humanitarian efforts as a means of responding to natural disasters and conflict-induced crises in the short term, mitigating humanitarian impacts, and promoting a U.S. presence.In practice, the provision of U.S. humanitarian assistance is typically case- and time-specific and may include assistance through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms and humanitarian partners; protection activities for vulnerable populations; support for countries and communities hosting the displaced; encouraging donor contributions; and building response capacity. The plethora of humanitarian emergencies, including food security challenges, and human displacement worldwide will likely continue to receive the attention of the Administration and Congress. The Administration’s FY2021 budget request for global humanitarian assistance was nearly $6.27 billion, a decrease of 35% from the FY2020 appropriated amount of $9.5 billion. Congress has continued to support humanitarian assistance through appropriations legislation. FY2021 appropriations bills, as passed in the House (H.R. 7608), total $9.6 billion for global humanitarian accounts and specify additional funding for the COVID-19 humanitarian- related response.
Read on...more to absorb.
“The next time you see an ad for a water charity featuring a cute, dark-skinned child and a deep-voiced announcer who says, ‘Last year, we drilled 50 wells in Terra Buena and one was in Rosa’s village,’ you need to ask, ‘How many of those wells are still working?’” - @WaterWired
A timely, related news article:
https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Space_research_assists_humanitarian_aid_efforts_on_Earth_999.html
Posted by: Elaine Hanford | Tuesday, 15 December 2020 at 09:52 AM