9 April 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is presenting States in Europe with an extraordinary and unprecedented public health emergency. In response, States are taking necessary and legitimate measures to prevent the spread of the virus and to protect their populations. Some of these measures have been... taken within the framework of a declared state of emergency, based on specific national provisions governing emergency situations.
more
299 deaths have been recorded and 329 people are still missing, according to the Government.
• Latest assessments indicate that the homes of some tens of thousands of people have been destroyed or damaged beyond habitability. Most of these people are staying with hosts in the extended community.
...
• Revised Flash Appeal requires US$294 million to respond to the drought and Cyclone Idai.
• Food Cluster partners have so far assisted an estimated 30,000 people in the worst-affected areas of Chimanimani and Chipinge.
• Access to a sufficient quantity of water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene has been restored for 43,000 people.
• Eight clusters have been activated to bolster the humanitarian response effort in support to the Government of Zimbabwe,
more
Reducing the humanitarian impact of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas is a key priority for the United
Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), civil society and an increasing number of Member States.
The United Nations Secretary-General has expressly called on... parties to conflict to avoid the use in populated areas of
explosive weapons with wide-area effects.
While the use of explosive weapons in populated areas may in some circumstances be lawful under international
humanitarian law (IHL), empirical evidence reveals a foreseeable and often widespread pattern of harm to civilians,
particularly from explosive weapons with wide-area effects.
Many types of explosive weapons exist and are currently in use. These include air-delivered bombs, artillery projectiles,
missiles and rockets, mortar bombs, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Some are launched from the air and
others are surface launched. Whilst different technical features dictate their accuracy of delivery and explosive effect,
these weapons generally create a zone of blast and fragmentation with the potential to kill, injure or damage anyone
or anything within that zone. This makes their use in populated areas – such as towns, cities, markets and camps for
refugees and displaced persons or other concentrations of civilians – particularly problematic. The problems increase
further if the effects of the weapon extend across a wide-area either because of the scale of blast that they produce; their
inaccuracy; the use of multiple munitions across an area; or a combination thereof.
more
The 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) sets out the framework within which the humanitarian community will respond to the large-scale humanitarian and protection needs in Syria throughout 2019, on the basis of the prioritization undertaken across and within sectors. The HRP, based on United Natio...ns’ assessments and analysis, also presents urgent funding requirements to address these needs. It is anchored by three strategic objectives: saving lives and alleviating suffering, enhancing protection, and increasing resilience. These objectives are interlinked and achieving positive outcomes for affected people requires concerted action across all three.
more
The following Emergency Response Plan for the COVID-19 pandemic seeks to set out activities that will be undertaken by humanitarian actors in Ukraine over the course of 2020 to respond to the public health impact of the epidemic – as well as the indirect, socio-economic impact on people’s well-b...eing, which will span across many areas. Given the extensive public exposure of the COVID-19 threat, the response will cover the whole of Ukraine, while providing a distinct focus on Donetska and Luhanska oblasts that have been ravaged by an armed conflict for the last six consecutive years. The planned COVID-19 response in the two conflict-affected oblasts will be treated as an annex to the current Humanitarian Response Plan for Ukraine
more
Accessed: 25.04.2020
El presente documento tiene por objeto brindar a las autoridades competentes algunas recomendaciones prácticas para reducir el impacto de la pandemia del virus responsable de la COVID-19 (“la pandemia”) en lugares de detención. El Comité Internacional de la Cruz Roja (...CICR) reconoce que la prevención y el control de la pandemia resulta compleja y ha puesto a prueba a toda la sociedad y los sistemas de salud del mundo y la región. La falta de preparación, así como de recursos humanos, materiales, y financieros puede dificultar la respuesta a las necesidades de las personas que sufren de la enfermedad y la contención de la pandemia. Igualmente, se comprende que los lugares de detención, en particular aquellos donde existe sobrepoblación podrían ser espacios proclives a una rápida propagación del virus.
more
The official death toll was 447 people as of 25 March, according to the Government.
• Nearly 129,000 people are sheltering in 143 collective sites across Sofala (more than 97,600 people), Manica (more than 14,800 people); Zambezia (more than 9,600 people); and Tete (more than 6,800 people).
...• The entire District of Nhamatanda in Sofala Province has been affected by Cyclone Idai and related floods, and nearly 15,000 people are sheltering in 14 sites across the district
more
Accessed: 27.04.2020
La crisis de refugiados y migrantes de Venezuela en la región se encuentra ante un nuevo desafío con la llegada del COVID-19. Esta población se ve particularmente afectada por las condiciones en las que se encuentran, en especial quienes están en zonas de frontera. El aut...oaislamiento, las medidas de higiene y el conseguir ingresos para el día a día representan una limitación evidente que está generando situaciones de calle, desplazamiento intra e inter fronteras, y exposición al COVID. Esta situación extrema inclusive está forzando a algunas familias a retornar a Venezuela.
more
Ces orientations provisoires sont destinées aux coordinateurs de terrain, aux responsables de site et au personnel de santé publique, ainsi qu'aux gouvernements nationaux et locaux et à la communauté humanitaire au sens large travaillant dans des situations humanitaires sur des sites de distribu...tion de nourriture, qui sont impliqués dans la prise de décision et la mise en œuvre d'activités multisectorielles de préparation et de réponse aux épidémies COVID-19 - les orientations sont donc pertinentes pour tous les Clusters humanitaires et leurs partenaires.
more
Flooding caused by the Tropical Cyclone Idai weather system since early March has affected nearly 3 million people and caused at least 678 deaths in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Accessed: 25.04.2020
La République démocratique du Congo connaît une situation d’urgence complexe, aggravée par de multiples crises aiguës depuis plus de deux décennies. La dégradation de la situation humanitaire a provoqué une crise aiguë plongeant 15,6 millions de personnes dans les ...besoins d’assistance humanitaire en 20201 dont 8,1 millions ciblés par le Plan de Réponse Humanitaire en 2020. En plus de cette crise humanitaire, la RDC fait face à une crise sanitaire due à la pandémie de la maladie à coronavirus (COVID-19) depuis le 10 mars 2020.
more
Initial reports indicate significant damage to Beira and surrounding areas, including destroyed houses.
• Sofala, Manica, Zambezia and Inhambane provinces have been hardest hit by the cyclone’s path and the preceding tropical depression.
• An inter-agency assessment team, led by the Nati...onal Institute of Disaster Management’s (INGC) Director, is on ground in Beira
more
Looking forward, the 2019-2020 Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRRP) for the DRC situation aims at addressing the needs of new arrivals of Congolese refugees in the region, and those in protracted situations. By supporting livelihoods opportunities and through a resilience-based approach, refugees w...ill be able to contribute to the development of their host countries, and of their country of origin upon their return. Given the limited capacity of host communities to support the impact of massive numbers of refugees, the response strategy will also address the needs of local populations, strengthening peaceful co-existence and building social cohesion.
more
Putting Human Rights at the Heart of the Response
Topic in Focus: COVID-19 and Women’s Human Rights
15 April 2020
Stay-at-home restrictions and other measures restricting the movement of people contribute to an increase in genderbased violence, a finding confirmed by media reports, official ...statements and information received from OHCHR field presences and human rights defenders in many countries.
Women and girls already in abusive situations are more exposed to increased control and restrictions by their abusers, with little or no recourse to seek support. Hotlines receive reports of women being threatened with being thrown out of their homes, exposed to the infection, or having financial resources and medical aid withheld.
more