Bagoundié, Mali, Aicha Dicko, 39, in her tent at an informal camp in Bagoundié, 8km from Gao, Mali, on 16 October 2020. The camp hosts 300 households who fled due to the ongoing conflict. "I hope I can go back to my home one day. What I want above all else for now is to be able to feed my children and that they can go to school to get a better future."

Bagoundié, Mali

Aicha Dicko, 39, in her tent at an informal camp in Bagoundié, 8km from Gao, Mali, on 16 October 2020. The camp hosts 300 households who fled due to the ongoing conflict. "I hope I can go back to my home one day. What I want above all else for now is to be able to feed my children and that they can go to school to get a better future." OCHA/Michele Cattani

Global Humanitarian Overview 2021

Published on 1 December 2020
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People in need

235.44 million

People targeted

159.86 million

Requirements (US$)

35.07 billion

In 2021, 235 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection.

This number has risen to 1 in 33 people worldwide - a significant increase from 1 in 45 at the launch of the Global Humanitarian Overview 2020, which was already the highest figure in decades. The UN and partner organizations aim to assist 160 million people most in need across 56 countries and will require a total of $35 billion to do so.

Introduction

Dharwan IDP camp, Yemen, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock visits Dharwan IDP camp.

Foreword by the Emergency Relief Coordinator

Global,

COVID-19,

Partners,

Funding

1 December 2020

Gao, Mali, A volunteer teacher with her pupils, during a course at a camp for displaced people who fled from Mondoro. She arrived at the camp to assist people who fled violent clashes in central Mali at the end of 2018.

At a glance

World,

Needs Analysis,

Financing,

Conflict,

Disasters,

Displacement

1 December 2020

Charikar, Afghanistan, Flood victims receive a package of food from WFP. On 26 August 2020, flash floods occurred across the Parwan province, washing away hundreds of homes, killing several dozen people and injuring hundreds more.

Global achievements

Global,

Health,

Water,

Sanitation,

and Hygiene (WASH),

Gender,

Education

1 December 2020

Aden, Yemen, A girl is vaccinated against diphtheria at the Khawr Meksar clinic, where vaccinations continue despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Integrating the Global Humanitarian Response Plan for COVID-19 into the Global Humanitarian Overview 2021

World,

Disease,

COVID-19,

Needs Analysis,

Inter-agency

1 December 2020

Part one: Global trends

Qamishly, Syria, Two volunteers hang posters providing information on COVID-19 protection measures in Qamishly, a city in northeast Syria. The posters, placed at pharmacies, supermarkets and clinics, contain messages on best handwashing practices, seeking medical assistance if showing symptoms and how to care for someone who exhibits symptoms.

Historic economic decline is reversing development gains

Global,

Economy,

Poverty,

Financing,

COVID-19

1 December 2020

North-west Syria, Thousands of people in north-west Syria remain displaced. Violence forced families from their homes, and 80 per cent of the displaced were women and children. Many left on foot, taking just what they could carry, and moved to over-crowded camps with limited shelter and sanitation facilities. Some families have been living in these camps for several years as they were forced from their homes by conflict.

Conflicts continue to take a heavy toll on civilians

Conflict,

Violence,

Displacement,

Gender-based violence (GBV)

1 November 2020

Mareb, Yemen, This father lives with his family in an IDP camp in Al-Jalal in Mareb. He and his family fled fighting initially to Al Jawf. After Al Jawf was attacked, they fled to Mareb. A mobile health team recently discovered that his two daughters are severely malnourished. He said: “These five years of war have had severe effects on us. We're tired, exhausted of this situation and living conditions. If there was no war, we could have been in our homes now. I don't know how or when my daughters…

Displacement is increasing while durable solutions remain elusive

Global,

Displacement,

Conflict,

Disasters

1 December 2020

Ras Al-Arah, Yemen, A young girl sits in a van after receiving a food basket for her family in Ras Al-Arah.

Hunger is rising, COVID-19 will make it worse

Global,

Food security,

Nutrition,

COVID-19

1 December 2020

Munyuki, Zimbabwe, A farmer in Munyuki village, Mazambara district, cultivates cotton, maize and sorghum. He has been badly affected by drought and the economic crisis. “If I compare the temperatures between when I was a boy and now, it’s hotter and drier than before," he said. "Never have I lost two rounds of planting to drought. In Zimbabwe the first rains used to come in October, but now they are getting later.”

Climate change will continue to exacerbate vulnerabilities

Climate Change,

Disasters,

Displacement

1 December 2020

Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, IOM is supporting or operating 35 health-care facilities in Cox’s Bazar, contributing to infection prevention and control, risk communication, community engagement and case management. Despite the provision of personal protective equipment to healthcare providers, staff have been infected with COVID-19. As well as personal suffering, the infection of health staff also results in a vacuum in the workforce and interrupted health services.

Disease outbreaks are increasing, hard-won gains are at stake amid COVID-19

Global,

Health,

Immunizations,

COVID-19,

Disease

1 December 2020

Port Sudan, Sudan, Enas is from Port Sudan in eastern Sudan’s Red Sea State. As a young person who is deaf, Enas is passionate about raising awareness, and advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities and special needs, the right to education and women’s empowerment. “I will support, raise awareness and encourage people with disabilities to speak up and participate, know their rights, demand [their rights] and help each other realize their rights," she said. "It is Important to hear voices of…

Youth movements are shaping global trends

Global,

Economy,

COVID-19,

Education,

Children

1 December 2020

Kurigram, Bangladesh, Despite the massive scale of the 2019 floods in Bangladesh, there was limited attention from the global media. An OCHA ROAP communications mission to Kurigram in February 2020 was used to capture the response to the floods six months on from the CERF anticipatory action allocation and to highlight how the CERF-funded humanitarian projects impacted affected people.

New and emerging technologies are improving humanitarian action

Anticipatory Action,

Protection,

Data and technology

1 December 2020

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, This young man was selected by the Women-Young Entrepreneurs and Citizenship project (ProFeJec) to receive support from a business incubator in Ouagadougou to transform part of his strawberry production into the first local organic strawberry jam in Burkina Faso. ProFeJec aims to improve the contribution of young people and women to the sustainable economic and social development in the country.

Humanitarian-development-peace collaboration to reduce need

Humanitarian-development-peace collaboration,

Needs Analysis

1 December 2020

Kalemie, DRC, Women were sexually assaulted outside the Elinya IDP camp when they went to fetch water more than 5 km away. Suffering trauma, many women hid what happened to them out of fear of their husbands' reaction. The NGO Transcultural Psychosocial Organization offers support so that these women can resume their normal activities.

Gender and Gender-Based Violence in humanitarian action

Gender,

Gender-based violence (GBV),

COVID-19

1 December 2020

Western Bahr el Ghazal, South Sudan., This man is blind. He received training in walking independently with a cane provided by the NGO Sudan Evangelical Mission, with support from the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund. He no longer has rely on his daughter, who previously helped him walk, and she can go to school. In January 2020, OCHA South Sudan and partners assessed humanitarian needs in Wau and Jur River counties in Western Bahr el Ghazal, and monitored projects supported by the South Sudan Humanitarian…

Persons with disabilities

Global,

Health,

Accountability to Affected People,

Food security

1 December 2020

Beirut, Lebanon, This man used to work as a blacksmith in an electric welding. He lost his job when the economic situation deteriorated, but found another as a night security guard. After five years and one day, he and 55 other colleagues were fired. "I am 63 years old, I have never seen a year like this," he said. "I used to be strong! But when I injured my neck, I collapsed. How much pain can I take?"

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in emergencies

Global,

Mental health and psychosocial support,

Conflict

1 December 2020

Ajuong Thok Refugee Camp, South Sudan, Sudanese refugees observe physical distancing while listening to health and sanitation messages broadcast through a speaker system. UNHCR, WFP and partners are distributing two months’ worth of food rations to refugees in South Sudan, in line with COVID-19 preventative measures, to reduce the number of times refugees need to gather in larger groups to receive humanitarian aid.

Older persons

Global,

Protection,

Health,

Poverty,

Displacement

1 December 2020

Part two: Inter-Agency Coordinated Appeals

Niamey, Niger, This nurse works at the Gamkalé health centre in Niamey, Niger. “With the arrival of the first cases of COVID-19 in Niamey, the mothers were afraid to come to the health centre,” she says. “We noticed a drop in visits and it was very worrying because we know how much mothers and children need the routine services of the centre." Her colleague, the head of the centre's immunization unit, says: "We cannot turn our backs on other diseases such as polio or measles as their impact may be greater…

Inter-Agency Coordinated Appeals: results from 2020

Inter-agency,

Funding,

Partners

1 December 2020

Gao, Mali, People who have fled from Mondoro, at the Gao IDP camp. The displaced, who fled violent clashes in central Mali, arrived at the site at the end of 2018. According to the latest census, the site is home to around 600 displaced households.

Inter-Agency Coordinated Appeals: overview for 2021

Inter-agency,

Financing,

Partners

1 December 2020

Nyal, South Sudan, Embroiled in conflict since 2013, South Sudan is facing a critical humanitarian situation, with chronic hunger and malnutrition affecting families and children in particular. The conflict's longer-term effects have forced tens of thousands of families to remain in temporary shelters and millions of people to seek refuge outside the country. WFP provides life-saving humanitarian assistance in South Sudan, reaching 5 million people across the country.

Southern and East Africa

Southern and Eastern Africa,

Conflict,

Climate Change,

Disease,

Poverty

1 December 2020

N'Djamena, Chad, This year’s rainy season saw record-high rainfall in Chad, and in the Sahel as a whole. August 2020 saw numerous floods across most of the national territory: the central regions, the south, the east, Lac province and the capital, N’Djamena.

West and Central Africa

West and Central Africa,

Displacement,

Conflict,

Food security,

Climate Change

1 December 2020

Tukuko, Venezuela, Yukpa mothers wait for a nutritional screening by the Venezuelan Red Cross. The Yukpa indigenous people belong to a binational tribe that lives on both sides of the Venezuelan and Colombian border and number nearly 10,000. The Venezuelan Red Cross is an implementing partner of UNHCR projects in the region.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Latin America and the Caribbean,

Violence,

Poverty,

Displacement,

Protection

1 December 2020

Kachin State, Myanmar, When the gates of Maina IDP camp closed in April, the family of this 9-year-old Kachin internally displaced girl, were not prepared to face the financial and mental challenges to come. Her mother weaved traditional dresses – longgyis – and her father was a labourer. But with the camp gates closing it became nearly impossible to work. Despite receiving some money each month, the family struggled to make ends meet to even afford the basics.

Asia and the Pacific

Asia and the Pacific,

COVID-19,

Food security,

Violence

1 December 2020

Ibb, Yemen, This 13-year-old girl is a former Taizz resident. She and her family fled the fighting in 2015. Now she wants to be an architect and design modern buildings.

Middle East and North Africa

Middle East and North Africa,

Conflict,

Displacement,

Protection

1 December 2020

Avdiivka, Ukraine, A local citizen of Avdiivka, Donetsk area, stands next to his home, which was shelled.

Eastern Europe

Europe,

Displacement,

Protection,

Conflict

1 December 2020

Amman, Jordan, An 11-year-old Syrian refugee walks to school in Amman. Her family fled Homs in 2013. Due to their dire financial situation, she had to take on household duties. Despite this, her resilient spirit enables her to excel at school: she is top of her class, rejects the idea of early marriage and aspires to be a pilot when she grows up. Every morning she changes her baby brother’s nappy, makes breakfast and gets her other two brothers ready. She then cleans the house and leaves for school. Four…

Regional Refugee Appeals

Regional plan,

Middle East and North Africa,

West and Central Africa,

Southern and Eastern Africa

1 December 2020

Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, A 12-year-old Rohingya refugee covers herself and her 10-month-old niece. Both go for a walk in the early morning at the Kutupalong camp to warm up from the cold inside their shelter.

Other appeals

Other Plan,

Regional plan,

Latin America and the Caribbean,

Bangladesh,

Southern and Eastern Africa

1 December 2020

Part three: Delivering better

Komsilga, Burkina Faso, A local woman in Komsilga village is helping to raise awareness of female genital mutilation in her community, with support from UNFPA. Despite the national ban on female genital mutilation, the tradition is so strong that it continues to be carried out clandestinely, in unsanitary conditions. It is a major cause of death and disability among women and young people.

Moving gender equality and gender-based violence prevention forward

Global,

Gender,

Gender-based violence (GBV),

Women

1 December 2020

Niamey, Niger, In Niger, 1.6 million children are affected by humanitarian crises. Border closures and other COVID-19 containment measures have rendered specific vulnerable groups even more at risk, such as children living on the street. As the pandemic continues to spread across the Sahel region, violence against children has spiked.

Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

Global,

Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse,

Gender-based violence (GBV),

Protection

1 December 2020

Maiduguri, Nigeria, With funding from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund, local civil-society organization Jireh Doo Foundation is providing capacity-building in soap making to internally displaced women and girls.

Pooled Funds and humanitarian emergencies

Global,

Funding,

Pooled Funds,

COVID-19,

Localization

1 December 2020

Kinshasa, DRC, When a state of emergency was declared in DRC, students from remote provinces were stranded in Kinshasa, unable to return home. With UNICEF's support, nearly 150 students from the Institut Supérieur des Arts et Métiers de Kinshasa (Higher Institute of Arts and Crafts) mobilized to produce 2 million masks.

COVID-19 and localization

Global,

COVID-19,

Localization

1 December 2020

Amran, Yemen, A community health worker in Amran visits a family to conduct a physically distant information session on how they can protect themselves from COVID-19. She provides medical information and refers them to healthcare services. Every day she navigates rough roads, cliffs and faces insecurity to visit vulnerable families who often are cut off from vital medical services because of ongoing conflict.

Accountability to Affected People

Access,

Accountability to Affected People,

COVID-19

1 December 2020

Intikane, Niger, This Malian refugee was forced to flee twice: when her husband was killed protecting his cattle, and when armed groups attacked her host village. She said: “I received a cash grant and bought myself some goats for breeding. Thanks to my new business, I gain up to $1 per day to support myself and my children. I hope one day they can become doctors or teachers."

Cash and Voucher Assistance

Cash

1 December 2020

Aden, Yemen, An aid worker interviews a displaced family at the Al Sha'ab IDP collective centre in Aden to understand their needs.

Joint Intersectoral Analysis Framework

Global,

Needs Analysis

1 December 2020

Gao, Mali, A displaced woman at the camp for people who fled violent clashes in Mondoro, Gao. The displaced arrived at the site at the end of 2018. According to the latest census, the site hosts around 600 displaced households.

Compound Risk Monitor

World,

Needs Analysis,

Disasters,

Disease,

Economy,

Conflict

1 December 2020

Beirut, Lebanon, Following the explosions at the Beirut port, a 19-member UNDAC team and 13 USAR teams from 10 countries deployed immediately following the request from the Government and the Humanitarian Coordinator. The first INSARAG team arrived 24 hours after the explosions.

Disaster response during a pandemic: Beirut Port explosions

Lebanon,

Disasters,

Early recovery,

COVID-19,

Partners

1 December 2020