The floods that began in August 2011 and swept across the province of Sindh and parts of neighbouring Balochistan resulted in one of the most destructive disasters that Pakistan has experienced. Six months after the floods began the crisis is far from over. In total, more than 2.5 million men, women and children lack basic necessities such as adequate food and durable shelter. Most people who have returned home are still living in makeshift shelters, struggling to keep their families alive and healthy. The threat of hunger, malnutrition, disease and destitution continues to hang over them.
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A safe and just space for humanity: Can we live with the doughnut?
Humanity’s challenge in the 21st century is to eradicate poverty and achieve prosperity for all within the means of the planet’s limited natural resources. In the run-up to Rio+20, this discussion paper presents a visual framework – shaped like a doughnut – which brings planetary boundaries together with social boundaries, creating a safe and just space between the two, in which humanity can thrive. Moving into this space demands far greater equity – within and between countries – in the use of natural resources, and far greater efficiency in transforming those resources to meet human needs.
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Ending poverty need not be at the expense of the environment
Ending poverty need put no additional stress on the planet’s natural resources, according to a new report published today by international agency Oxfam.
According to the paper’s author Kate Raworth, human deprivation and environmental degradation must be tackled together as humanity’s two major operating boundaries – “social boundaries” like hunger, inequality and ill-health and the “planetary or environmental boundaries” like climate change and biodiversity loss – are inextricably linked.
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Millions of Pakistanis struggle to survive as floods crisis continues
Islamabad: Six months after floods devastated Sindh and parts of Balochistan province, millions of Pakistanis still need help to survive, international and national aid agencies warned today. A coalition of agencies also said that a lacklustre response from the international funders is seriously threatening flood hit communities’ chances of coping with the next monsoon season and called on the Pakistani government to boost its efforts to limit the impact of future disasters.
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A robust Arms Trade Treaty would prevent another Syria
Recent events in the Middle East and North Africa demonstrate the tragic impact of the unregulated arms trade and the urgent need for a strong Arms Trade Treaty, said a coalition of non-governmental organisations ahead of crucial talks in New York this week. A global deal on arms trade, the group says, would prevent irresponsible arms transfers that cost so many innocent lives and fuel internal conflicts such as in Syria.
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Crises in a new world order
In 2010, vast humanitarian crises from Haiti to Pakistan almost overwhelmed the international system’s ability to respond. Despite years of reform, UN agencies, donors, and international NGOs (INGOs) struggled to cope. At the same time, humanitarian action is needed now more than ever. The growing number of vulnerable people, the rise in disasters, and the failure to put most fragile states on the path to development, will significantly increase needs. The UN and INGOs’ response will be vital, but their contribution will increasingly be measured by how well they complement and support the efforts of others, and encourage every humanitarian actor to uphold humanitarian principles.
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