Défense

The IPC confirmed famine conditions in Gaza City, Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. Credit: UNICEF/Mohammed Nateel

By Naureen Hossain
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 22 2025 (IPS)

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has officially declared that there is famine in Gaza. The world’s biggest food monitoring system raised its classification to Phase 5, the highest level on its food insecurity scale.

The latest IPC analysis – the sixth on the crisis in Gaza – confirms that as of mid-August famine is occurring in Gaza City and warns that by mid-September it will expand to Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. More than half a million Palestinians are facing “catastrophic levels” of hunger. It is estimated that by the end of September, more than 640,000 people will be living through “catastrophic conditions” without immediate, sustained intervention. Conditions in North Gaza and its population of 120,000 people are expected to be just as severe, yet limited data on the region prevented its inclusion in the report.

The IPC classifies famine when three thresholds have crossed over emergency levels: extreme food deprivation or starvation, acute malnutrition, and starvation-related deaths. This is the fifth famine confirmed by the IPC in the 21 years it has been in place. This is also the first time a famine has been confirmed in the Middle East.

“It is a famine on all of our watch. Everyone owns this. The Gaza Famine is the world’s famine,” said Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General of Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. “It is a famine that asks, ‘but what did you do?’ A famine that will and must haunt us all. It is a predictable and preventable famine. A famine caused by cruelty, justified by revenge, enabled by indifference and sustained by complicity.”

“This is a moment of collective shame,” he told reporters in Geneva on Friday. “We all have to look back as the international community and think, where could we have gotten this in a different place? And we’ve watched it happen in real time.”

Major UN agencies are repeating their calls for an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access into Gaza. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UNICEF, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are “[reinforcing] that famine must be stopped.”

Representatives from FAO, UNICEF and WFP also briefed reporters in New York on the latest IPC report. Rein Paulsen, FAO Director of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience, noted that IPC partners have raised warnings on the food insecurity situation in Gaza escalating due to the conflict over the last 22 months.

Among the key drivers of famine in Gaza, namely conflict, displacement, and restricted access to humanitarian and commercial supplies, Paulsen emphasized the collapse of food systems. Remarking that a society that had previously been self-sufficient in its food production now saw that much of its infrastructure and food sectors had been “decimated.” This has left people “almost entirely dependent on food aid.” He noted that all fishing activities had been banned and that 98.5 percent of all croplands in Gaza were either destroyed or inaccessible.

Children have been, tragically, the most visible proof of famine in Gaza. Since July, at least 13,000 children are acutely malnourished, and over 112 have died due to starvation. The prevalence of child malnutrition in Gaza City tripled between May and July and was a determining factor for famine.

“We see malnutrition accelerating at a catastrophic pace, and for many, far too many children, it’s already too late,” said Samir Elhawary, UNICEF Acting Deputy Director of Emergency Programmes. “… It’s important to emphasize that children are starving, not because food doesn’t exist, but because aid cannot reach them inside. They are additionally vulnerable as the health system is collapsing.”

The latest IPC analysis was conducted with 50 experts across 19 organizations. The UN officials stressed that information was pulled from a variety of sources, including assessments from partners on the ground, interviews, data collection, and even measuring the circumference of upper arms of children who are malnourished or suspected of being malnourished.

Jean-Martin Bauer, WFP Director of Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service, emphasized that it was critical to “safeguard information systems,” saying that “These are the systems that produce the evidence that we will need to understand the situation on the ground and to guide the humanitarian response.”

The Famine Review Committee (FRC), which acts as an independent quality control mechanism according to Paulsen and Bauer, validated the conclusions of the IPC analysis. Its role, therefore, is to ensure the “robustness and credibility” of the findings from the IPC. The FRC also released a detailed report on the conditions in Gaza, which includes recommendations on the steps that need to be taken to reverse famine conditions. This includes a call for decision-makers and resource partners to “act without delay” to enact a large-scale humanitarian response plan to prevent further suffering from an “entirely man-made catastrophe.”

“This declaration of famine is important because it puts a number on a problem that we’ve talked about for a long time. This is about the evidence that we have at hand,” said Bauer.

“We hope that this confirmation of famine makes a change. It needs to make a change,” said Paulsen. “And the recommendations for practical actions to help avoid further loss of life are listed in the reports and we really do hope there is now a greater will to act on those.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Où l'on a vu comment l'installation du milliardaire et militant d'extrême droite catholique Vincent Bolloré en pole position des groupes éditoriaux français n'est que l'arbre qui cache une forêt bien mal fréquentée.

- Contrebande / Extrême droite, Livre

The European Parliament was in recess over the summer from 28 July to 22 August 2025.

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Following Achim Steiner’s June 2025 departure, the questions loom: Who will replace him? What sort of person does UNDP need? And why does it even matter? Credit: Shutterstock

By Felix Dodds and Chris Spence
SAN FRANCISCO, California / APEX, North Carolina, US, Aug 22 2025 (IPS)

In June this year, UNDP bade farewell to Achim Steiner. The ninth Administrator in UNDP’s history had completed a second four-year term in office.

Who will replace him? According to our sources, several strong candidates applied for the post by the June 9 deadline. Regional consultations are now taking place to figure out who will get the nod. In the meantime, UNDP’s deputy head, Haoliang Xu, has been serving as acting Administrator since June 17.

What sort of person does UNDP need? And why does it even matter?

 

Difficult Political World

The current political landscape has become widely polarized, marked by increased division and negativity, both within countries and globally. This is fueled by factors such as partisan polarization among policymakers and the electorate, as well as growing public dissatisfaction with the performance of democratic institutions and multilateral institutions. Some of this has been fueled by external forces seeking to undermine democracies; some of it is a result of bitter internal feuds and wide ideological differences.

The Global Risk 2025 World Economic Forum identified several risks:

• Declining optimism
• Deepening geopolitical and geoeconomic tensions
• A growing sense of societal fragmentation
• Environmental risks – from long-term concern to urgent reality
• Technological risks – considered still partially “under the radar”

Coupled to this, there is a shrinking in overseas development aid from Western countries and the impact of many regional conflicts, as well as the damaging legacy of the recent Covid-19 pandemic, and a slowing in progress global in terms of human development. Given this backdrop of global challenges and extreme uncertainty, the next leader of UNDP will certainly have their work cut out.

 

The Qualities of a Leader: The Times They Are A-Changin’

As the key decision-makers assess candidates, we hope “change management” is high on their list of qualities. With global geopolitics in a state of flux and UN funding under severe pressure, UNDP’s next leader will have to exhibit calm under pressure, an ability to build relationships across various political divides, and an aptitude for handling internal change management as the UN wrestles with its funding crisis.

Meanwhile, there is also a challenge over how UNDP should navigate its role vis-à-vis the World Bank and the growing involvement of various regional development banks in its sphere of work. Taken all together, this is a tall order.

We believe it is very important a future leader gets the internal changes right. UNDP’s remit is broad. From helping countries tackle poverty and inequality, to promoting sustainable development, human rights, women’s empowerment, and democratic governance, the role covers a lot of ground.

Who gets to decide who the new boss will be? Technically, the decision lies with the UN Secretary-General. However, his nomination requires confirmation by the UN General Assembly, and comes only after consulting with the UNDP Executive Board.

This board consists of representatives from 36 countries who serve on a rotating basis. Current board members include China, India, Brazil, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the US—some “heavy hitters” who will undoubtedly have a variety of strong views on the matter.

 

Possible Candidates

Candidates that are rumored to have applied include:

Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand): This one is (to the best of our knowledge) an unconfirmed rumor. But if selected, the well-known former Prime Minister of New Zealand would follow in the footsteps of Helen Clark, another former New Zealand leader, who served as UNDP head from 2009-2017. Although highly regarded, could Ardern’s left-of-center politics prove an obstacle in these fractured political times?

Alexander De Croo (Belgium): A politician of Europe’s center/center-right, this former Belgian Prime Minister is believed to have been nominated before the June deadline and is considered in-the-running for the job.

Rebeca Grynspan (Costa Rica): This former Vice President of Costa Rica has held several high-profile roles within the UN system, including Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). She is from the National Liberation Party in Costa Rica, a social democratic party.

Izumi Nakamitsu (Japan): Japanese national Nakamitsu has a long history of involvement with the UN and is a seasoned diplomat. Currently, she serves as UN Under-Secretary-General of Disarmament.

Bård Vegar Solhjell (Norway): The Norwegian government has apparently nominated the former left-wing Environment Minister as its candidate. He was active in the “No to the EU” campaign in Norway.

Jens Christian Wandel (Denmark): Another candidate with a wide range of UN experience, Wandel was recently appointed a Special Adviser on Reforms to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, with responsibility for an internal review of current reforms and their implementation.

Chrysoula Zacharopoulou (France): A former French Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships, centrist politician Zacharopoulou is also being considered for the position.

 

Whoever is appointed will need to hit the ground running. Succeed, and UNDP’s role could be elevated in a way it arguably has not been since the 1990s. Fail, and the organization risks irrelevance at a time when it is needed more than ever.

Prof. Felix Dodds and Chris Spence have participated in UN environmental and sustainable development negotiations since the 1990s. Their latest book, Environmental Lobbying at the United Nations: A Guide to Protecting Our Planet, was published in June 2025.

Excerpt:

UNDP is looking for its next leader. Who should it be? Prof. Felix Dodds and Chris Spence look at the candidates and identify the qualities and characteristics a new leader should possess. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that a peacekeeping operation carried out by European troops in Ukraine would be "absolutely unacceptable" for Moscow and that at this stage a summit meeting between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine would be premature. The Russian military has also intensified its air strikes on Ukrainian cities. Europe's press sees little scope for peace negotiations.

After a military drone crashed in Poland on Wednesday, the country's defence ministry has accused Russia of provocation. As was the case in Lithuania three weeks ago, Poland's press now asks how prepared the country would be for hostile drones in an emergency situation.

In a bid to promote reading skills, the Danish government has announced it will abolish VAT on books - which at 25 percent is currently the highest in Europe. Danish media are delighted and hope that lower prices will boost reading among the population. In Finland, on the other hand, VAT on books was raised from 10 to 14 percent at the start of the year - a step which has drawn much criticism.

Az Air Base blogon márciusban bemutatott, igen sikeres SH-3 Sea King helikopter történetéhez két másik típus is kötődik. Nem meglepő, hiszen a Sikorsky konstrukciója annyira a víz feletti üzemeltetésre termett, hogy adta magát egy kisebb és egy nagyobb kutató-mentő változat kifejlesztése is.

Amikor az Egyesült Államok Parti Őrsége (USCG – United States Coast Guard) az 1950-es évek második felében a forgószárnyas géppark cseréje mellett döntött, az új helikopterrel szemben megfogalmazott legfőbb követelmény a gázturbinás meghajtás és az úszóképesség volt. A dugattyús motorról gázturbinás hajtóműre való átállás mondhatni időszerű volt, az úszóképesség pedig egy új mentési eljárás miatt lett fontos. Akkoriban a parti őrség helikopterein nem volt szakképzett vízimentő, aki a vízbe ugorva segít a bajbajutottnak és az illetőt a gép fedélzeti technikusa csörlő segítségével emelhette a fedélzetre. A vízreszállásra alkalmas helikopterrel egy új eljárást alkalmazhattak és a mentett személyt egyszerűen behúzhatták a helikopterbe. Ez a képesség egy nyíltvízi kényszerleszállás esetén is jól jöhetett, mert a helikopter úszóképes maradt, időt adva a személyzetnek a gépelhagyásra, ráadásul szerencsés esetben a forgószárnyast bevontathatták egy közeli kikötőbe vagy a partra. Ugyanakkor bármilyen céllal is szállt vízre egy helikopter, ezt csak jó időben tehette meg. A vízen úszó gépet erős szél és már viszonylag csekély hullámzás esetén is borulásra hajlamossá tette, hogy a törzs felett elhelyezett hajtómű(vek) és a forgószárnyrendszer tömege miatt a súlypontja magasan volt. Az amerikai parti őrség történetében két olyan típus volt, amelyek megfeleltek az ötvenes évek végén megfogalmazott elvárásoknak, évtizedekig szolgálták az életmentést és amelyekről igen ritkán esik szó.

[...] Bővebben!

Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and Emergency Relief Coordinator, speaks at the Commemoration Ceremony for World Humanitarian Day 2025, held at Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Credit: UN Photo/Violaine Martin

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 22 2025 (IPS)

World Humanitarian Day (August 19) honors humanitarian aid workers, raises public awareness for humanitarian crises, and advocate for strengthened international cooperation. Through this year’s theme, A Call to #ActForHumanity, the United Nations underscored the need for increased funding for lifesaving humanitarian missions, stronger protections for aid personnel, and accountability for violations of international law.

“Humanitarian workers are the last lifeline for over 300 million people caught in conflict or disaster,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “Yet funding for that lifeline is drying up. And those who provide humanitarian aid are increasingly under attack…On this World Humanitarian Day, let’s honour the fallen with action: To protect every aid worker – and invest in their safety. To stop the lies that cost lives. To strengthen accountability and bring perpetrators to justice. To end arms flows to parties that violate international law”.

According to figures from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 2024 marked a record high for the number of humanitarian personnel deaths to date, with 383 killed while in the line of duty or in their homes. Another 308 workers were injured, 125 kidnapped, and 45 detained. Compared to the previous year, violence against aid workers rose significantly across 21 countries, with government forces being the most common perpetrators.

Humanitarian experts have expressed concern over the sharp rise in attacks targeting humanitarian workers in 2025, with an estimated 265 killed as of August 14. CARE International reports that this represents a 50 percent increase compared to the same period last year, warning that 2025 could surpass 2024’s record death toll if the trend continues.

“Even one attack against a humanitarian colleague is an attack on all of us and on the people we serve,” said Tom Fletcher, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator. “Attacks on this scale, with zero accountability, are a shameful indictment of international inaction and apathy…Violence against aid workers is not inevitable. It must end.”

According to figures from CARE, in 2025, roughly 97 percent of the killed aid workers were national staff. Since 2022, the number of aid workers killed annually has doubled, with this being largely attributed to increased attacks from the Israeli military in Gaza. In 2025, approximately 180 aid workers were killed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory alone.

Palestinian aid workers have not only faced targeted attacks but, like the rest of the population, struggle to access essential services, such as food, water and healthcare. Olga Cherevko from OCHA stated that aid workers in Palestine have “lost everything and several times over”, and face exhaustion from being overstretched and maneuvering in dangerous conditions. Additionally, many aid workers have reported facing significant access challenges due to hostilities. Samah, a malnutrition expert working for CARE in Deir Al-Balah described being unable to commute to work due to the threat of sniper fire at critical checkpoints.

Yuliia Hladka, Programme Manager at Winds of Change in Ukraine, stated that aid workers in Ukraine face regular threats of kidnapping and torture, with many also experiencing “profound psychological exhaustion”. Hladka added that aid workers in Ukraine also face risks of shellings, limited evacuation options during attacks, and increased surveillance. Female aid workers in Ukraine face heightened risks of harassment, which greatly impedes their ability to help children and victims of gender-based violence.

“We are witnessing a disturbing trend of blatant violations of international humanitarian law,” said Deepmala Mahla, CARE’s Global Humanitarian Director. “The perpetrators must be held to account, as well as the world leaders who have consistently failed to take sufficient action to prevent these attacks… Attempts to prevent humanitarians from doing our jobs are not only death sentences for aid staff but also for the people we are trying to assist”.

The UN emphasizes the importance of humanitarian assistance today, with many countries facing critical turning points in their humanitarian crises. The efficacy of humanitarian assistance is often challenged by the unpredictability of conflict zones, as well as numerous funding cuts and a vast, expanding scale of needs.

“Everyone’s still showing up (to work), but courage alone and commitment alone isn’t going to feed people, isn’t going to save people,” said Cherevko on the crisis in Gaza. “What we need is, again, a permanent ceasefire. We need political solutions to this conflict and a resolution to this crisis.”

According to the 2025 edition of OCHA’s Global Humanitarian Overview, approximately 305.1 million people in 72 countries rely on humanitarian assistance for survival. Roughly 4 out of 5 of all civilian deaths in conflict hotspots occurred in countries that have submitted humanitarian appeals. With food insecurity, displacement, and disease running rampant in these regions, it is imperative that there is a coordinated and unimpeded humanitarian response. For 2025, the UN has appealed for over 47 billion USD to assist over 190 million people in 72 countries.

Due to severe funding shortfalls from budget cuts, many lifesaving programs have been forced to scale back their efforts or prioritize the most urgent populations, leaving significant gaps unattended. Additionally, the lack of funding severely restricts flexibility in humanitarian responses, with strategies for anticipated emergencies and flash appeals being the most affected.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Least Developed Countries account for less than 1 percent of world trade. Credit: Ali Mkumbwa/Unsplash

By Deodat Maharaj
GEBZE, Türkiye, Aug 22 2025 (IPS)

Artificial intelligence and the use of frontier technologies are already transforming trade and boosting prosperity, particularly for developed and some developing countries. This ranges from the digital exchange of documents, the digitalisation of trade processes and leveraging online platforms to fast-track cross-border trade.

The rapid adoption of new technologies will further consolidate the dominance of world trade by developed economies, which currently account for roughly 74 percent of global trade, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The world’s 44 Least Developed Countries (LDCs), with a population of an estimated 1.4 billion people, are seeing a different trajectory altogether. According to the World Trade Organisation, they account for less than 1 percent of the world’s merchandise trade. LDCs continue to reel from the relentless onslaught of bad news, including increased protectionist barriers.

Deodat Maharaj, Managing Director of the United Nations Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries.

UNCTAD has estimated that tariffs on LDCs will have a devastating consequence, possibly leading to an estimated 54 percent reduction in the exports from the world’s poorest countries.

In this dire situation, exacerbated by declining overseas development assistance, what does an LDC do to survive in this difficult trade environment?

To start with, they must continue to advocate globally for fairer terms of trade. At the same time, they need to be more aggressive in addressing matters for which they have control. Otherwise, the status quo will leave their people in a perpetually disadvantageous situation. Imagine paying three times more than your competitors just to ship a single crate of goods across a border. For millions of entrepreneurs in the world’s LDCs, it is the everyday cost of doing business. Technology offers a way out in reducing these high costs.

Indeed, when the international community gathered in Sevilla for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in July 2025, one truth stood out: Technology is no longer a luxury—it is a prerequisite for effective participation in global trade. The outcome document was clear that for the world’s 44 LDCs, bridging infrastructure gaps, building domestic technological capacity, and leveraging science, technology, and innovation are vital to unlocking trade opportunities.

So, given the challenges and opportunities, what forms the core elements of an action agenda for LDCs to leverage trade to generate jobs and opportunities for their people?

Firstly, there is a need to pivot to digital solutions, which can dramatically reduce trade costs and open new markets. According to the World Bank, paperless customs and single-window systems have been proven to cut clearance times by up to 50 percent, reducing bureaucracy that stifles commerce. In Benin, automating port procedures reduced processing time from 18 days to just three days (World Bank). E-commerce platforms, when paired with secure payment systems and targeted training, have shown remarkable potential.

Secondly, invest in digital infrastructure. The data suggest that LDCs still have a lot of catching up to do. The solution is for development partners and the international financial institutions to steer more resources in this area with a fixed percentage of resources, say, 15 percent of a country’s portfolio dedicated to boosting digital infrastructure.

Thirdly, focus on value addition and reduce transition away from the export of raw commodities. This in turn requires the human resource capacity to spur innovation and creativity. Boosting investment in research and development can pay rich dividends.

According to the World Economic Forum, LDCs invest less than 1 percent of GDP in research and development compared to developed countries. The Republic of Korea invests 4%.

Finally, for LDCs to enter the technological age, their businesses must lead the way. It is difficult to do so in some countries like Burundi, where internet penetration is a mere 5 percent of the population. The average internet penetration is around 38 percent. So, in addition to digital infrastructure, support must be provided to micro-, small and medium-scale enterprises to benefit from the opportunities provided by technology to boost trade, thereby creating jobs and opportunities. This includes the establishment of incubators to support this business sector, boosting their technological capacities to trade and profile their businesses on digital platforms, and helping them to deliver services created by the digital economy. Rwanda has been a pioneer in this regard.

Of course, technology alone will not address all the challenges faced by LDCs. However, by delivering cost-efficient solutions, it can help level the playing field and drive transformation. It is time for the international community and development partners to back their words with action in helping LDCs advance this agenda. Since LDCs represent an emerging market of 1.4 billion people, when they rise, everyone else will rise with them.

Deodat Maharaj, a national of Trinidad and Tobago is the Managing Director of the United Nations Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries and can be reached at: deodat.maharaj@un.org

 

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