The effect of research on COVID-19 and PM2.5 on the localization of humanitarian aid.

The spatiotemporal variation of the death and tested positive cases is poorly understood during the respiratory coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. On the other hand, COVID-19's spread was not significantly slowed by pandemic maps. The aim of this study is to investigate the connection between COVID-19 distribution and airborne PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 µm). Long-term exposure to high levels of PM2.5 is significantly connected to respiratory diseases in addition to being a potential carrier of viruses. Between April 2020 and March 2021, data on COVID-19-related cases were gathered for all prefectures in Japan. There were 9159, 109,078, and 451,913 cases of COVID-19 that resulted in death, severe illness, and positive tests, respectively. Additionally, we gathered information on PM2.5 from 1119 air quality monitoring stations that were deployed across the 47 prefectures. By using the statistical analysis tools in the Geographical Information System (GIS) software, it was found that the residents of prefectures with high PM2.5 concentrations were the most susceptible to COVID-19. Additionally, the World Health Organization-Air Quality Guidelines (WHO-AQG) relative risk (RR) of 1.04 (95% CI: 1.01-1.08), which was used to compute the PM2.5-caused deaths, was employed as well. Approximately 1716 (95% CI: 429-3,432) cases of PM2.5-related deaths were thought to have occurred throughout the study period. Despite the possibility that the actual numbers of both COVID19 and PM2.5-caused deaths are higher, humanitarian actors could use PM2.5 data to localize the efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

The Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies: A new ally for education in emergencies.

This article provides an overview of the current landscape and needs for education in emergencies, as well as challenges and opportunities in today's critical juncture, in particular with the creation of a new ally for education in emergencies: the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies. It covers the disruption of education by the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated exacerbation of child-protection risks, as well as the pandemic's impact on the realization of the right to education of displaced children and youth and those living in humanitarian crises. While there is ample recognition at the international policy level of the importance of education in emergencies, major obstacles still prevail, such as continued underfunding and the underprioritization of education in humanitarian situations. As the world faces unparalleled needs, in particular during crises, and grapples to accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 4 and meet the commitments set out in the Global Compact for Refugees, new opportunities promise to tap opportune alliances, to inspire commitment, and to boost country-level impact.

SYRIA-Everybody's War: The Politics of Aid in the Syria Crisis

Gabiam reviews Everybody's War: The Politics of Aid in the Syria Crisis edited by Jehan Bseiso, Michiel Hofman, and Jonathan Whittall.

A Will and a Way: Making Displaced Children's Right to Education Enforceable

All children have the right to education without discrimination, but half of refugee children are out of school, far worse than global averages. Obstacles to education for refugee and migrant children include poverty and overstretched resources in host countries, and humanitarian donors and agencies have important roles and should ensure the right to education. However, policy barriers to education are key drivers of the education crisis facing displaced children. These policy barriers are internationally unlawful, but the children affected often lack standing under domestic law to demand a remedy. Countries with laws enshrining migrant, asylum-seeking, and refugee children's rights to education and the European Union's response to Ukrainian refugee learners provide examples that advocates can use to help raise the global floor for displaced children's right to education. Advocates should press all countries to grant all children, including migrants and refugees, the enforceable right to education in domestic law.

Fixing China's humanitarian aid architecture: what are the lessons from the European Union and the United States?

The global humanitarian situation has deteriorated drastically since the outbreak of COVID-19 and the Russian–Ukrainian war. The European Union and the United States are forerunners to providing global humanitarian aid, but China's visibility and role in global humanitarian affairs has significantly increased. Although China has been contributing more, its humanitarian aid concept remains vague, its aid mechanism is fragmented, and its approach to providing aid is rigid. These factors make China unprepared for tackling future humanitarian challenges. There are notable divergences in terms of concepts and mechanisms for and approaches to humanitarian aid among the European Union, the United States and China. Despite the pitfalls in the humanitarian aid architectures of the European Union and United States, China can learn from them to strive for an architecture that can help it aid more effectively. In particular, China should build coherence and consistency among aid concept, mechanism and approach, streamline aid mechanism, and give full play of non-governmental actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Third World Quarterly is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

CSR to tackle the Economic Effect of Covid 19:The case of Bangladesh

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the economic impact of COVID-19 and analyse how the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives of Islami banks (IBs) can contribute to reducing the adverse economic impact in the context of Bangladesh. Design/Methodology/approach: Currently eight full-fledged IBs are functioning in Bangladesh adhering to the underlying principles of Shariah;among them, seven are actively engaged in CSR activities to help the underprivileged segments of its citizens. This study, through employing a content analysis method examined the information available from these IBs as well as other government sources and published materials to address the COVID-19 economic impacts, specially the role of these IBs. Findings: This study finds that along the line with national and international funds, IBs' CSR funds can also help address the economic downturn in Bangladesh caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study further identified that if IBs develop a consortium among themselves, the CSR funds can be better utilised for the socio-economic development of Bangladesh. Research limitations/implications: The scope of this study is somehow limited, as it has only considered the impact of CSR funds by IBs in Bangladesh. Further research can be conducted in future considering the total CSR funds by all banks, i.e., conventional and Islamic banks. Practical implications: This study demonstrated that IBs spend USD 83.30 million annually, which means USD 417 in five years period. Based on the recommendations of this study, all IBs may work together to develop a joint CSR strategy for the socio-economic development of Bangladesh. Considering Bangladesh's poverty level, such a joint CSR strategy would be helpful for the vulnerable population of the country. Originality/value: This study is unique in the sense that it seeks to address the economic challenges of COVID-19 in the context of Bangladesh with support from the CSR initiatives of IBs. This study has created a new insight for IBs into developing an integrated CSR strategy, which is expected to bring significant contributions to the livelihood of the susceptible citizens of this country.

Formal Micro-Credit for Refugees: New Evidence and Thoughts on an Elusive Path to Self-Reliance

The provision of formal micro-credit for refugees has been promoted as a dignified way to improve their ability to generate income through small-scale enterprises and reduce poverty. As humanitarian funding declines in protracted displacement situations, such approaches are sought to transform refugees into self-reliant, resilient, entrepreneurial agents who are no longer dependent on aid and can overcome a crisis with their own resources and financial confidence. The paper in hand questions this claim on the basis of new, comprehensive empirical insights on the financial lives of refugees in non-camp settings in Jordan. By applying the perspective of the credit users, not the suppliers, our evidence shows that the pervasive use of debt (mostly informal) does not signify latent demand for formal micro-credit. In a context where refugees face restrictions on right to work, move, set up businesses, and imagine a future in the host country, formal credit cannot improve self-reliance. The paper sheds light on a larger variety of sources of debt that are crucial for refugees to manage their lives. In conclusion, the paper argues that the rhetoric around micro-credit as a path to refugee self-reliance has to be re-visited as problematic, even damaging, and humanitarian actors should push this agenda with caution.

North Korean Food Insecurity: Is Famine on the Horizon?

North Korea is a complex humanitarian emergency with food insecurity at its core. Data on grain prices and quantities depict a deteriorating situation, made worse by the regime’s self-isolating response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Te grain supply appears to have fallen below minimum human needs, but the situation is neither as dire as the 1990s famine nor as severe as conditions elsewhere in the world today. Food insecurity in North Korea is not only a humanitarian issue, but it is a strategic issue as well. From the perspective of donors, given the lack of regime accountability, at the present time aid is unlikely to be an efective lever in achieving other diplomatic goals, nor does North Korea appear to be the potential recipient of greatest need. © 2022, East-West Population Institute. All rights reserved.

Humanitarian spending plummets as UK, Saudis make cuts

“Because unless that happens, then you’re going to just get stuck in this cycle of crisis and people aren’t going to be able to remove from humanitarian need. Weathering shocks Between 2010 and 2020 the number of people living in extreme poverty decreased by 53 per cent. See PDF] The report says the COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the need for long-term resilience building to help countries withstand future shocks, such as the impacts of climate change.

Chronic diseases and multi-morbidity in persons experiencing homelessness: results from a cross-sectional study conducted at three humanitarian clinics in Germany in 2020.

BACKGROUND: Persons experiencing homelessness (PEH) suffer a high burden of chronic diseases and multi-morbidity, yet face significant barriers in accessing healthcare services. These health inequalities were further aggravated during the COVID-19 pandemic. While there is a lack of comprehensive health data on PEH, even less is known about populations experiencing housing exclusion, a hidden form of homelessness. This study examines and compares chronic diseases and multi-morbidity in PEH, persons experiencing housing exclusion, and persons with secure housing who lacked access to regular healthcare services in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. METHODS: Study participants were adults who sought medical care at clinics of the humanitarian organisation "Ärzte der Welt" in Munich, Hamburg and Berlin in 2020. The patients were categorised into three housing groups according to the ETHOS classification of homelessness and housing exclusion. Socio-demographic characteristics, self-rated health, chronic diseases and multi-morbidity were described in each group. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify socio-demographic factors associated with higher odds of chronic diseases and multi-morbidity in each housing group. RESULTS: Of the 695 study participants, 333 experienced homelessness, 292 experienced housing exclusion and 70 had secure housing. 92.3% of all patients had either no or limited health coverage, and 96.7% were below the poverty line. Males and EU/EEA citizens were highly represented among PEH (74.2% and 56.8% respectively). PEH had lower self-rated health (47.8%, p = 0.04), and a higher prevalence of psychiatric illness (20.9%, p = 0.04). In adjusted analyses, belonging to the age group 35-49 and ≥ 50 years were associated with greater odds of chronic disease (AOR = 2.33, 95% CI = 1.68-3.24; AOR = 3.57, 95% CI = 2.55-5.01, respectively) while being ≥ 50 years old was associated with multi-morbidity (AOR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.21, 3.33). Of the 18 participants tested for SARS-COV-2, 15 were PEH, 1 of whom tested positive. CONCLUSIONS: Housing status was not an independent risk factor for chronic disease and multi-morbidity in our study population. However, PEH reported poorer self-rated and psychiatric health. Strategies to improve access to healthcare services amongst persons experiencing homelessness and housing exclusion are needed in Germany.

The Sahel: Challenges and opportunities

Since 2015, over 2000 people have been killed and 1.5 million displaced due to violence attributed to extremist groups in Burkina Faso. In the first half of 2021 alone, over 540 conflict-related civilian casualties were reported in Niger.9 The armed conflict has had a devastating impact on children in Niger: of the 3.8 million people in need of humanitarian aid in Niger, 2.1 million are children and 1.6 million children suffer from malnutrition.10 More than eighty children between the ages of 15 and 17 years living in towns on the Niger–Burkina Faso border have reportedly been recruited as child soldiers.11 Over sixty children were killed in conflict-related violence in Niger in 2021 alone.12 Chad has also witnessed its fair share of violence and intercommunal tensions. In their efforts to coerce the Sahelian people and government decision-makers for ransom or political concessions, these groups have employed various terrorist activities, including launching deadly attacks against civilians and military targets alike, attacking public and private property, kidnapping individuals, and more.18 Weak State institutions around the inter-State borders have enabled such groups to flourish in the peripheries and border towns, targeting people in multiple countries at once. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger saw over 4000 casualties of terrorist attacks in 2019;19 these attacks led, in turn, to the displacement of over half a million people.20 The growing presence of “terrorist” groups in the Sahel has also intensified organized crime and criminal networks that have served as routes for lucrative criminal activities such as drugs, arms trade, human trafficking and the kidnapping of persons for ransom.

United States and Allies Provide Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine and Its Citizens

Through April 28, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights officially recorded 2,829 civilian casualties, but believes the actual numbers are significantly higher.3 Media reports indicate that since “Russian forces withdrew in early April, mass civilian graves have been found in most towns” around Kyiv that the Russians had occupied,4 and satellite images suggest Russian forces dug even larger mass graves near the long besieged city of Mariupol.5 In addition to widespread civilian deaths, the conflict has also caused mass displacement of Ukrainian civilians. 19 Governments worldwide are providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine to address the impacts of the conflict.20 Although the United States is taking in many fewer refugees than countries neighboring Ukraine, it is the largest donor of humanitarian aid to the country.21 According to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), through the end of March, the United States pledged $301 million in humanitarian funding to address the Ukraine crisis. 22 Through April 17, the EU had released €143 million in humanitarian aid,23 as well as developed logistical hubs to deploy medical aid.24 Numerous countries outside Europe, including Australia,25 New Zealand,26 and Japan,27 have also committed varying levels of aid, and non-governmental organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and World Central Kitchen, have provided support on the ground in Ukraine and neighboring countries.28 However, ongoing fighting has hampered both civilian evacuations and aid delivery.29 Concerns are also increasing about the conflict's effects on food supplies around the world, particularly in low-income countries. Russia and Ukraine export a substantial portion of the world's grain products, including a quarter of the world's wheat supply.30 The COVID-19 pandemic had already increased prices of important commodities like wheat in 2021, but those prices have continued to increase since the invasion.31 Russian ships have blocked Ukraine from exporting wheat via ports on the Black Sea,32 and in order to “‘protect the domestic food market,’” Russia has limited its own exports, including banning grain exports to ex-Soviet countries that are part of the Eurasian Economic Union and “not subject to Russia's grain export quotas.”

Expanding the transdisciplinary conversation towards pluriversal distributive disaster recovery: development ethics and interculturality

Purpose>From a Latin American decolonial and transdisciplinary perspective, this article expands the increasingly relevant conversation about disaster ethics, not only in depth and scope but also both interdisciplinarily and interculturally. By reviewing key points of development ethics that are closely related but underexplored, it makes the case for focusing on disaster recovery as a relevant distributive phase for improving future prevention and mitigation, while remedying long-standing injustices.Design/methodology/approach>To do so, against the backdrop of recently emerging postcolonial, decolonial and structural approaches to disaster and vulnerability studies, the article presents a theoretical conversation between decolonial studies, development ethics, intercultural practice and philosophy, and disaster ethics beyond utilitarian approaches.Findings>So far, development and disaster ethics remain worlds apart, despite their relevant convergence around the key notion of “recovery” and its underlying normative determination. This article identifies that prevailing utilitarian ethics in emergency response, in addition to their problematic universalization, have prevented further engagement with deontological and process-based principles, including a nuanced distributive sensitivity. As a result of such cross-fertilization, methodological individualism in an intercultural encounter is suggested, as well as continued engagement with pluriversal deliberation about key ethical values and notions regarding disaster risk and response.Originality/value>Calling for distributive bottom-up engagement beyond professional and academic boundaries, this article presents a new direction for decolonising disaster ethics, so far unexplored, seeking to bridge the value gap between development and disaster efforts, planning and prevention.

Az Európai Unió humanitárius segítségnyújtási és polgári védelmi szakpolitikájának bemutatása

Cél: Jelen cikk célja, hogy bemutassa az Európai Unió humanitárius segítségnyújtási és polgári védelmi szakpolitikáját, megvizsgálja a COVID–19 helyzetet és értékelje a vírus által okozott világjárvánnyal kapcsolatos segítségnyújtási intézkedéseket, a hatékonyságot. Módszertan: Elemzi a jövőbeli fejlesztési igényeket és a lehetőségeket a megelőzés, felkészülés, reagálás vonatkozásában. Ennek érdekében az Európai Unió honlapján található infografikai ábrák és a feltüntetett adatok elemzése mellett, az Európai Polgári Védelem és Humanitárius Segítségnyújtási Műveletek Főigazgatóságának napi jelentéseit, az Európai Bizottság adatait vizsgálták meg a szerzők. Megállapítások: Az adatok alapján megállapítható, hogy az Európai Unió a polgári védelmi mechanizmusán keresztül globálisan nyújt segítséget, még a COVID–19 járványügyi helyzetben is, mikor a koronavírus mindegyik uniós tagállamot időben és térben egyszerre sújtotta. Érték: A kollektív együttműködés hiányosságai a válság első évében igazolták azt, hogy a fenyegetések kezelésére irányuló erőfeszítések hatékonyságát növelni kell, a tagállamok közötti segítségnyújtási hajlandóságot, képességeket, kapacitásokat erősíteni, fejleszteni szükséges.Alternate : Aim: The article aims to present the humanitarian aid and civil protection policy of the European Union;examines the COVID–19 situation and evaluates the effectiveness of the measures taken in response to the pandemic caused by the virus. Methodology: It analyses future development needs and opportunities in terms of prevention, preparedness and response. In order to accomplish this, in addition to analysing the infographic figures and data on the original website of the European Union, the authors studied the daily reports of the European Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid, as well as reports of the European Commission. Findings: The data show that the European Union is providing global assistance through its civil protection mechanism, even in the epidemiological situation of COVID–19 – all during a time when the coronavirus has affected all EU Member States simultaneously, regardless of time and place. Value: The shortcomings of its collective co-operation in the first year of the crisis confirmed the need to increase the effectiveness of efforts to address the threats, to strengthen and develop the willingness, capabilities and capacities of the Member States to provide assistance.

Dyadic Analysis of Fragile Middle Eastern States and Humanitarian Implications of Restrictive COVID-19 Policies

The COVID-19 pandemic has pressured governments to respond with restrictive and health resource-oriented policies to contain the spread of the virus. The aim of this paper is to assess differential policy implementation due to state fragility with a spatial scope of the Middle Eastern region. The policies implemented by the four strongest and six most fragile Middle Eastern countries were extracted from the CoronaNet Government Response Database and grouped into restrictive and resource-oriented categories. Clustering based on these categories informed dyadic analysis. Drawing from the Oxford Government Response Policy Tracker and COVID-19 World Symptom Survey, we found that fragile states tended to be characterized by a higher proportion of restrictive policies, lower government stringency, and lower compliance. The results identify sectors that would benefit most from humanitarian aid and raise the issue of whether restrictions are disproportionately implemented due to covert political agendas or lack of political and economic power.

European Countries Step-up Humanitarian and Medical Assistance to Ukraine as the Conflict Continues.

On the 24th of February 2022, the Russian Federation began an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, marking the biggest military attack in Europe since the second world war. Over 4 million people have fled their homeland within the first month of the war and have triggered a large refugee crisis with impacts far beyond the Ukrainian border. People in the neighboring countries have shown tremendous support by stepping forward to donate food, clothes, medications, money, and other essential supplies. The governments and other regional stakeholders have also been supportive in accommodating and easing regulations for the incoming refugees. Herein, we summarize the humanitarian measures and medical donations that have been made by European countries as they stepped up their efforts to provide refugees with all necessary basic services. We further highlight potential oncoming challenges in Ukraine and the host countries along with relevant solutions to these challenges. The current scenario highlights the need for multi-party and multi-level collaborations (both public and private) to tackle the emerging situation.

Sustainable Policies and Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Advances in Humanitarian Aid, Civil Protection and Human Health within the Regulation (EU) 2021/836

This paper reviews the European Union (EU) legal framework of Regulation 2021/836 concerning the relationship between humanitarian aid, civil protection and human health. Using a legislative data set consisting of three documents, namely: Regulation (EU) 2021/836 (2021), Decision No 1313/2013/EU (2013) and Decision (EU) 2019/420 (2019), we find that the need for development and coordination is associated with innovation and resilience measures. Thus, the study aims to better observe the complex preparedness measures and actions of the European Commission (EC) and to understand the legislative changes in the field of civil protection (CP), humanitarian aid (HA) and human health (HH) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic under the Regulation (EU) 2021/836, namely: (i) the coordination of actions including the protection of the population and the establishment of logistical support and resources for the Member States (MS) [Recital (19) Regulation (EU) 2021/836];(ii) the crisis management system (CMS) at EU level and (iii) the approaches to HH and "medical countermeasures" [Recital (3) Regulation (EU) 2021/836]. The research thus points to the legal and institutional analysis of the: (i) the "Union Civil Protection Mechanism" (UCPM) within Decision No 1313/2013/EU and Decision (EU) 2019/420;(ii) the "European Civil Protection Pool" (ECPP) within the Decision (EU) 2019/420;(iii) the approaches to the "Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network" (UCPKN) within the Regulation (EU) 2021/836. The research concludes by focusing on the logistical measures and resources, as well as the role of operational capabilities and information.

CPAs' Role in Food Relief Organizations after COVID-19: Certified Public Accountant

According to the National Council of Nonprofits, the sector employs approximately 12.3 million people and spends more than $826 billion on salaries, benefits, and payroll taxes annually [National Council of Nonprofits (NCN), 2021. "Economic Impact," February 2, 2021, https://bit.ly/3wjgVnT]. [...]these nonprofits create many opportunities to fuel the United States' economic engine: nonprofits consume a wide range of goods and services, ranging from immediate needs (e.g., food, utilities, office supplies, rent) to larger expenses (e.g., computer and medical equipment). According to the Independent Sector survey (2020), only 23% of food pantries were operational during the height of the pandemic and they struggled to survive, leading to profound adverse financial and social implications. NBC News, April 8, 2020, https://nbcnews.to/3tpaspU). Since 2020, food pantries have had to adjust to this new environment with new strategies and activities, focusing on urgent needs and direct emergency assistance.

The new reality: Perspectives on future integrated WASH

Over the next 10 years, the humanitarian and development fields will face significant changes as new skills, expanded technologies, and shifting funding streams prompt innovation in order to maintain impact. As the length of humanitarian crises expand relief response can no longer be viewed merely through the humanitarian lens, but current and future crisis responses increasingly require long-term development considerations. Integration across the humanitarian-development nexus will be vital to future emergency response. The interdisciplinary nature of the WASH sector makes it ideally placed to lead further integration with sectors like health, nutrition, livelihoods, child protection, and education. Integration of the WASH sector is not only possible but essential to face the challenges of future crises. COVID-19 is a wake-up call showing how quickly global humanitarian needs can change and the need for a more integrated response to emergencies. Tomorrow's WASH practitioners will need to be proactive in developing new hard and soft skills and have broader multi-sectoral experience to succeed. Future integration will require stronger relationships between multi-mandated organizations, governments, and the private sector as well as new innovative funding sources, including impact investing, blended finance, and development impact bonds. We argue that there is a unique window of opportunity to bridge these gaps as COVID-19 brings the value of effective WASH programming forward as a foundational part of long-term resilience building. To indeed provide life-saving interventions as humanitarian works claim to do, we must start with a clear focus on the long-term developmental ends in mind. © The authors, 2022.