When conflict destroys services, who fills the gaps in care? We need to make sure it’s not always women

Hadeel QazzazConflict, Gender, Humanitarian

In Gaza and Lebanon, thousands of women are now first responders when it to comes to feeding, caring and comforting, all while dealing with their own trauma from deaths, injury, starvation and displacement. Yet too often the way humanitarian agencies operate actually adds to their workload, says Hadeel Rizq-Qazzaz.

Vetoing humanity: How a few powerful nations hijacked global peace

Marc CohenConflict, Governance, Research

Marc J. Cohen, Amy Croome and Elise Nalbandian introduce a new Oxfam report that sets out how the veto power of a few countries at the UN Security Council has been catastrophic for humanity. Ahead of next week’s landmark Summit of the Future, they demand four changes to reform a UN system that is simply no longer up to the challenge of maintaining international peace and security.

When will the ‘grand bargain’ deliver a better deal for women’s organisations in Pakistan?

Sarah ZafarHumanitarian, Participation and Leadership, Power Shifts

How can local Women’s Rights Organisations benefit from the global pledge to channel 25% of global humanitarian funding to groups like theirs when they haven’t even heard of it? Sarah Zafar and Shahnawaz Ali on insights from conversations with Pakistani WROs into what they need to flourish.

Violent pushbacks, a no-go zone and hostility: the triple threat for refugees at the EU’s ‘green border’

Dominika OżyńskaHumanitarian, Refugees and IDPs, Rights

In the forests that divide Poland from Belarus, those fleeing war-torn countries face a harsh crackdown. Dominika Ożyńska of Polish organisation Egala describes how many are being forced back into Belarus and cut off from humanitarian assistance, as NGOs are banned from certain border areas. All of this is taking place amid growing public and political hostility and anti-migrant rhetoric.

‘I would expect more trust’: five things holding back LGBTQIA+ led organisations in the Ukraine response

Charlotte GreenerHumanitarian, Research, Rights

LGBTQIA+ organisations responding to the crisis in Ukraine need  better support from international donors, including more flexible funding and support to boost the visibility of the LGBTQIA+ community. Charlotte Greener shares insights from conversations with two LGBTQIA+ groups working in Ukraine and neighbouring Poland.

How much does it cost to stop a cycle of violence in South Sudan? It’s less than you might think…

Sylvia BrownConflict, Fragile contexts, Innovation

What’s the biggest barrier to community-led peacebuilding in South Sudan? Often, it’s simply that volunteer peacebuilders can’t get the transport they need to reach the warring parties. In a blog for the International Day for Living Together in Peace, Sylvia Brown explains how an investment of just $28,000 can calm an inter-community conflict – and protect lives and livelihoods.

Four ways to build youth activism for peace: insights from one UK student’s campaigning on Yemen

Yasmin TurnerActive citizenship, Humanitarian, Influencing

Oxfam campaigner Yasmin Turner on how she is working to draw attention to the crisis in Yemen and pressure the UK government to stop the British arms sales fuelling the conflict – from hosting a photographic exhibition to writing to her local MP.

The world cannot stand by as starvation is used as a weapon of war in Gaza

Bushra KhalidiConflict, Emergencies, Food security

Starved and under siege, Gaza is both a humanitarian catastrophe and a crisis for our humanity, say Bushra Khalidi, Lawrence Robinson and Awssan Kamal. Ahead of this week’s global food security summit in London, they set out how international law forbids cutting off food to civilians – and why only a ceasefire will allow the massive response Gaza needs to end hunger, both now and in the longer term.