Latest news with #UN-supported
Business Insider
7 days ago
- Politics
- Business Insider
Brutal UN budget cuts threaten humanitarian aid across crisis-ridden regions in Africa
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) has announced a drastic reduction in its global aid operations, citing what it described as "brutal" budget cuts. The United Nations' OCHA has announced a significant reduction in humanitarian aid efforts due to funding shortages. This adjustment follows a revised global humanitarian appeal of $29 billion, drastically lower than initial forecasts. The funding crisis mainly affects operations in Africa, where critical aid programs are being scaled back or suspended. The UN agency, which oversees emergency response in conflict and disaster-affected areas, now seeks $29 billion in a revised humanitarian appeal reflecting significant budget cuts from earlier projections. Posting on its official X page, OCHA stated, " We have been forced to re-prioritize our work. Brutal 2025 funding cuts mean humanitarians must do more with less, and millions will go without humanitarian assistance. This is just the tip of the iceberg." The announcement comes amid sweeping aid reductions prompted by U.S. President Donald Trump following his return to office. Since taking office, Trump has scaled back the role of USAID and ordered cuts across several major donor agencies, triggering a global ripple effect in humanitarian financing. UNICEF, OCHA, and other UN bodies have already initiated budget cuts that will affect roughly 20 percent of their staff and programming capacity. The World Food Program (WFP), which relied on the United States for nearly half of its funding in 2024, is expected to reduce its workforce by as much as 30 percent. A senior WFP official described the funding collapse as " the most massive the agency has seen in 25 years," warning that without urgent financial support, key operations in hunger-stricken regions will either shrink drastically or vanish entirely. This budget shock, exacerbated by donor fatigue, rising geopolitical tensions, and competing global emergencies, has already forced the UN to scale back critical aid in some of the most fragile regions of the world, particularly in parts of Africa where humanitarian needs are escalating. Crisis-torn Africa regions most hit The impact of the UN's funding crisis is felt most acutely in parts of Africa, where millions are already grappling with the combined effects of armed conflict, climate shocks, food insecurity, and large-scale displacement. In countries such as Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, and across the Sahel, UN-supported programs that deliver food, shelter, medical assistance, and protection for vulnerable populations are being scaled back or suspended entirely due to financial constraints. Aid flows to Africa have been declining steadily since 2021—a trend that should have alerted the continent's leaders to the looming humanitarian crisis. According to data from Development Aid, African countries received US$64.8 billion in assistance from donor nations in 2021. That figure dropped to US$60 billion in 2023, with less than US$20 billion coming from the United States. In 2024, U.S. foreign aid to Africa fell even further, plummeting to just US$12.7 billion. This sharp decline comes at a time when the continent is confronting a convergence of poverty, disease outbreaks, climate shocks, and political instability.
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First Post
12-06-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Hamas killed 5 workers, potentially 'abducted' some others, says Gaza aid group
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said the attack happened when the bus was carrying the staffers to one of its aid distribution sites near the southern Gaza Strip's Khan Younis read more Local Palestinian staffers of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in blue vests form a human chain to protect female aid recipients at one of GHF's distribution sites on June 9, 2025. (Source: GNF) A Gaza aid group said in a statement on Wednesday (June 11) that Hamas operatives staged an attack on a bus carrying its Gazan staffers, killing some of them and potentially abducting others. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said five of its members were killed in the attack. The statement added that the attack happened when the bus was carrying the staffers to one of GHF's aid distribution sites near the southern Gaza Strip's Khan Younis at around 10 pm local time. The group said it was still gathering information from ground zero. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It also vowed not to stop future efforts to provide aid to Palestinians in Gaza. 'This attack did not happen in a vacuum. For days, Hamas has openly threatened our team, our aid workers, and the civilians who receive aid from us. These threats were met with silence,' the GHF statement read. Tussle over Gaza aid channels Hamas has advocated for resuming aid distribution via UN-supported channels, which Israel and the US claim enabled the group to siphon off significant portions of aid. The UN has refuted these allegations, asserting that the GHF model jeopardises Palestinians by requiring them to travel long distances through IDF-controlled areas to collect food supplies. Since the GHF began operations on May 26, 2025, the Red Cross and Hamas-affiliated health officials have reported frequent mass-casualty incidents involving Palestinians en route to aid distribution sites. The IDF has admitted to firing 'warning shots' on at least eight occasions, targeting individuals who deviated from designated routes, contributing to the casualties. Meanwhile, the GHF reported on Wednesday that it has distributed approximately 271,200 boxes of aid, primarily containing dry food products requiring preparation elsewhere. Since Israel partially lifted its blockade on May 19, 2025, an average of 65 aid trucks have entered Gaza daily. However, the World Food Programme indicates that about 300 trucks per day are necessary to adequately meet the needs of Gaza's population, which IDF officials admitted was nearing starvation before aid resumed following a 78-day blockade. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Observer
31-05-2025
- Business
- Observer
Rakiza joins UN Principles for Responsible Investment
MUSCAT: Oman Infrastructure Investment Management (Rakiza), a dedicated infrastructure fund manager based in Oman, has joined the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI). This move reaffirms Rakiza's commitment to building sustainable infrastructure through a disciplined, responsible investment approach. Rakiza is currently the only infrastructure fund manager among signatories in the GCC and becomes one of only two UNPRI signatories based in Oman. 'ESG is not new to us — it's built into our investment process, asset management and decision-making,' said Muneer al Muneeri, CEO of Rakiza. 'Becoming a UNPRI signatory is about reinforcing that commitment publicly and contributing to the global benchmark for responsible infrastructure investment.' Rakiza co-manages Rakiza Fund I, which targets essential infrastructure sectors such as renewable energy, utilities, telecommunications, digital infrastructure, transport and logistics; and social infrastructure in Oman and Saudi Arabia. As fund manager, Rakiza prioritises long-term value creation, responsible stewardship and alignment with regional sustainability goals — with ESG principles integrated across the full investment lifecycle. 'We are delighted to welcome Rakiza as a PRI signatory,' said David Atkin, CEO of the PRI. 'Responsible investment is naturally aligned with infrastructure, given its long-term horizon as an asset class and its potential to shape sustainability outcomes. We look forward to working with Rakiza as part of our global signatory base.' The UNPRI's six principles offer a global framework for institutional investors to incorporate ESG factors into their investment and ownership decisions. By becoming a signatory, Rakiza commits to these principles and to reporting transparently on how ESG is embedded into its investment practices. Caption: Muneer al Muneeri, CEO of Rakiza
NDTV
14-05-2025
- Health
- NDTV
Israel Admits Palestinians In Gaza Could Face Starvation Within Weeks
New Delhi: Palestinians in Gaza may face starvation within weeks if aid is not allowed in soon, Israeli defence officials have admitted. Three military officers monitoring the situation in Gaza said many areas may soon run out of enough food to meet basic daily needs. Most bakeries in Gaza have shut down, charity kitchens are closing, and the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) says it has nothing left to distribute. The officers said that unless the blockade is lifted urgently, the crisis will worsen, as per The New York Times. For months, Israel has said that its blockade on food and fuel in Gaza does not seriously harm civilians. Since it takes time to restart aid deliveries, the officers believe urgent action is needed now to avoid a food crisis. On Monday, a UN-supported group called the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said famine was imminent in Gaza. They warned that if Israel continued with more military attacks, "the vast majority of people in the Gaza Strip would not have access to food, water, shelter, and medicine." Despite this, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the army would continue its operations "in full force to finish the job", saying "there will be no way we will stop the war." "We can make a ceasefire for a certain period of time, but we're going to the end," he said. Oren Marmorstein, a spokesperson for Israel's foreign ministry, said he could not give details from internal talks, adding the ministry was in daily contact with all relevant agencies and watching the situation closely. Since March 2, Israel has blocked all humanitarian aid, including food, water, fuel, and medicine, from entering Gaza. This blockade has been described by the United Nations as "deliberate and unashamedly" imposing inhumane conditions on Palestinians, placing them at severe risk of famine. The WFP reports that its meal distributions have dropped from one million to only 250,000 per day due to the blockade, leaving warehouses empty. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that rising malnutrition rates in Gaza may have lasting effects on an entire generation of children, with 11 per cent suffering from acute malnutrition in some areas. Israel maintains that the blockade is necessary to prevent aid from reaching Hamas. UN officials argue that starving civilians cannot be justified.
Middle East Eye
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Jordan confirms high costs of Gaza aid deliveries but denies profiting
Jordanian authorities have strongly rejected a report by Middle East Eye, which stated that Amman had earned significant sums of money through the delivery of international aid into Gaza. On Thursday, MEE reported that Jordan profited from coordinating aid deliveries through the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO), the official body that acts as the sole conduit for aid passing through the country. MEE spoke with sources from aid organisations and individuals with knowledge of the JHCO's operation, who said authorities charged $2,200 for each aid truck entering Gaza, $200,000 for each random aircraft aid drop and $400,000 for each targeted aircraft aid drop. One source said that aid attributed to the JHCO had in fact originated from foreign governments and NGOs - both Jordanian and international - while direct contributions from Jordan's government were negligible. On Friday, the JHCO's media office responded that Jordan had covered the expense of land convoys, aid drops, an air bridge and flights through al-Arish in Egypt, before other countries and organisations joined the efforts. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters It said that Amman fully covered the expenses of 125 'purely Jordanian airdrops' while 'friendly and brotherly countries' covered the cost of 266 aid drops in which they had requested to also be involved. The distance between Amman and the southern Gaza boundary with Egypt is around 200km. The JHCO media office said the costs of airdrops were, in fact, slightly higher than stated in MEE's report, with free airdrops costing $210,000 each and GPS-guided airdrops reaching 'up to $450,000'. Gaza aid crisis: NGOs fear Israeli crackdown as mass starvation looms Read More » It said that these reflected the costs of a single airdrop and strongly denied that Jordan had profited from these operations. The JHCO confirmed the $2,200 figure for each aid truck entering Gaza, stating that this covered insurance fees, operating expenses, maintenance and fuel. It said that the direct cost of Jordan's support to the people of Gaza 'amounted to tens of millions' of dollars, while indirect costs on the Jordanian state 'reached hundreds of millions'. The media office described MEE's report as an attempt to 'tarnish Jordan's image for malicious and misleading purposes'. Aid organisations were told by the JHCO that fees were paid directly to the Jordanian Armed Forces, sources told MEE. Sources added that Jordan had expanded its logistical infrastructure in response to rising revenues from the aid operations. MEE's sources also said that the kingdom had recently acquired 200 new aid trucks through a foreign grant and is building larger UN-supported storage depots in anticipation of increased deliveries under new international arrangements. Insufficient aid Since the outbreak of Israel's war on Gaza, Jordanian leaders have had to navigate growing anti-Israel sentiment at home while maintaining their strategic relationship with the country. Jordan is home to a large population descended from refugees forced to flee historic Palestine after the mass expulsions of 1948, widely known as the Nakba. In the war's early months, mass demonstrations in support of Gaza and Palestinian factions, particularly Hamas, were common across Jordan. Under mounting domestic pressure, the Jordanian military began airdropping aid into Gaza about a month after the war began and Israel imposed a full siege. In the midst of despair over Gaza, a regional struggle for freedom is brewing Read More » Since then, Jordan has carried out around 400 airdrop operations, some in coordination with other countries, according to the military. King Abdullah II himself took part in at least one of the missions, all of which were pre-arranged with the Israeli military. The airdrops have faced widespread criticism, including from Gaza residents and humanitarian workers. They argue that the airdrops, which have in some cases killed or wounded Palestinians, are unsafe, inadequate and unnecessary, particularly when land crossings remain a more viable route for aid delivery. Jordanian officials also claim to have dispatched at least 140 aid convoys by land since the war began, each carrying multiple truckloads of relief. These convoys, too, were subject to Israeli approval and coordination before reaching the besieged enclave. According to Palestinian officials in the Gaza Strip, 500 trucks of supplies were required daily under pre-war conditions - a need that has not been met since Israel's assault began 19 months ago. On 9 October 2023, two days after the Hamas-led assault on Israel, former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant - now wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes - declared a 'complete siege' on Gaza. Although limited aid and commercial goods trickled in at times, the siege has largely remained intact. On 2 March, Israel reimposed a total blockade. In the two months since, no aid or goods have entered Gaza, pushing the enclave to what some aid agencies call 'catastrophic famine levels'.
