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Agriculture is a source of economic livelihood for 86% of rural populations worldwide. 63% of the world’s population lives in rural areas and agriculture provides jobs and income for smallholder producers and landless labourers.

The ̽����ѡ’s Economic Recovery and Development Department works with a range of partners to make markets work for our beneficiaries. Our approach recognises that the prosperity of the vulnerable and conflict-affected is closely linked to their ability to engage with the larger market as a whole, stabilising their lives through jobs and income. This approach, where appropriate, works not only to directly support the conflict-affected and most vulnerable, but also those who are able to generate jobs and investment capital, namely processors, wholesalers, retail traders and others.

Inadequate Water and Sanitation is One of the World’s Leading Killers 2.5 billion people lack improved sanitation facilities, and 768 million people still use unsafe drinking water sources, according to the latest estimates of the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program, released in early 2013 The ̽����ѡ is engaged in Environmental Health (EH) programs in 19 countries across the world.

This Charter outlines guiding principles for members of the Global Alliance for Urban Crises (the Alliance). They are to be used as a basis for both policy and operational level engagement, in order to be more effective in preventing, preparing for, and responding to humanitarian crises in urban environments. Adapting to an urbanising world: By 2050, 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas. Accelerating urbanization is defining our global reality and will shape our future. Urbanization intersects with climate change, natural disasters, conflict and displacement. It is a critical lens through which to review national and international efforts to prevent, prepare for and respond to crises, conflict and disasters

The Global Alliance for Urban Crises is a global, multi-disciplinary and collaborative community of practice. It is a ‘network of networks’ working to prevent, prepare for and effectively respond to humanitarian crises in urban settings. The Global Alliance for Urban Crises (the Alliance) is an initiative that arose out of consultations for the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS), during which a number of committed organisations led an urban expert group and developed a series of Urban Recommendations. The Alliance is the vehicle through which these recommendations will be put into action. It is guided by a series of principles as laid out in the Urban Crises Charter. The Alliance will be formally launched during a Special Session at the WHS, where institutional and joint commitments will be made by Alliance partners and delivered over the next three to five years.

On February 18, 2016, Emergency Humanitarian Relief Coordinator and UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Stephen O’Brien, welcomed guests to the United Nations in New York City for a special event entitled City Haven: People on the Move • Harboring the Displaced. The event highlighted the challenges and opportunities of responding to urban emergencies, including the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and the Syrian refugee crisis. It sought to change our perceptions of displaced people and propose new ways to ensure towns and cities are safe and inclusive places for all – including refugees and migrants. Referencing the urban context as it relates to both Sustainable Development Goal Number 11 and the UN Secretary-General’s five core responsibilities for the upcoming World Humanitarian Summit, O’Brien started the discussion by stating that, “we will commit to a concrete set of actions and commitments that will enable all – including member states, affected populations, civil society, and the private sector – to better prepare for and respond to crises, and to become more resilient to shocks.” In order to put these commitments in to practice, O’Brien announced that a new form of collaboration, the Global Alliance for Urban Crises, will be launched during a special session at the World Humanitarian Summit. The Alliance joins a diverse group of actors, who do not currently work together (including municipal authorities, urban professionals and humanitarian and development agencies) to deliver humanitarian responses in urban areas.

Europe Refugee Crisis: urgent action needed for protection of women and girls Women and girls fleeing conflict, violence and insecurity are finding unsafe and substandard living conditions as they arrive in Greece, transit through the Balkans and seek refuge and asylum in Europe. This policy brief outlines four recommendations for governments, donors, and humanitarian actors to implement to improve the safety and protection of women and girls in Europe.

The world’s richest continent is failing some of the world’s most vulnerable people. In the last two years, European governments have been unable or unwilling to agree a common humane response to people seeking refuge. This has resulted in the tragic loss of thousands of lives in the Mediterranean, a deplorable humanitarian situation in Europe, and women, men and children embarking on long and hazardous journeys through the continent.

Afghans represent 21 percent of the over one million refugees who have fled to Europe since January 2015. By labelling Afghanistan as not sufficiently ‘war-torn’ and discriminating against Afghans at various stages of their journey, Europe has created a hierarchy amongst different nationalities in search of protection. The situation inside Syria is dire, but Europe cannot ignore those of other nationalities who are also fleeing persecution and violence, and are in need of international protection. All nationalities must be granted their right to a fair and thorough status determination procedure based on their individual circumstances, and meaningful access to protection

Women and girls fleeing conflict, violence and insecurity are finding unsafe and substandard living conditions as they arrive in Greece, transit through the Balkans and seek refuge and asylum in Europe. The lack of consideration given to women and girls within the crisis response has serious implications for their safety and well-being. Organisations at the front lines of the refugee crisis report that women and children – who have made up 59% of arrivals in Greece since January 2016 – are experiencing serious and varied forms of gender-based violence, including rape and sexual exploitation.The international community has a responsibility to protect all women and girls, regardless of their immigration status, from gender-based violence, abuse and exploitation, and to provide life-saving assistance to those that have been subjected to such harm.