The recent attacks on United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon highlight once again how their presence is no guarantee of security. Marc Cohen and Elise Nalbandian explore UN peacekeeping failures in DRC, Rwanda, Darfur and Haiti – and one notable success in Timor Leste.
When conflict destroys services, who fills the gaps in care? We need to make sure it’s not always women
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 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.
‘I would expect more trust’: five things holding back LGBTQIA+ led organisations in the Ukraine response
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.
The world cannot stand by as starvation is used as a weapon of war in Gaza
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.
The unfolding water catastrophe in Gaza
The current crisis comes on top of a long-standing struggle for water in Gaza – and demonstrates again how access to clean water is often one of the first casualties of conflict. Bushra Khalidi and Awssan Kamal set out six ways the destruction and obstruction of water supplies is having devastating short- and long-term impacts on civilians.
The day after ISIS in Iraq
Maya Mailer, Head of Humanitarian Policy & Campaigns, argues that the challenges facing Iraq go beyond Isis’ presence and that we must plan beyond short-term militarism to create a new, peaceful environment. “Isis is like a mushroom. It was able to grow here, in Iraq, because there is a fertile environment. It didn’t just come from nowhere.” That is what …