Humanitarian Emergency Fund: annual report 2023-2024

Section G: Looking ahead

Crises of Concern: Gaza Crisis

On 7^th October 2023, Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. Israel then began a siege, attacking Palestine, specifically the Gaza strip. Seven months on, the international community continues to witness the deaths and suffering of many thousands of Palestinians and Israelis. Gaza has seen months of sustained bombardment, siege, and ground incursions, receiving only limited supplies of food, water, and medicine. The impact on civilians in the territory has been horrific. At the time of writing (July 2024), more than 38,000 people have been killed in Gaza and over 87,900 injured, with many thousands more that are missing/presumed under rubble.

An estimated 1.7 million people are internally displaced, which amounts to almost 75% of the population in Gaza. Estimates suggest that more than half of all buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged, and in some areas of Northern Gaza, no access to clean water has been found. In Rafah, where there is overcrowding and widespread displacement, a UN official reports of “hellish disregard for basic human needs and dignity.”

Famine is now projected to be imminent, unless prevented or alleviated with a swift and rapid scale-up in humanitarian action. The latest data from IPC is showing that more than half of Gaza’s population, over 1.1 million people, between March and July 2024 are expected to reach food insecurity of the highest level - ‘catastrophe’.

The Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) Response

As of the end of July, the DEC has not launched an appeal for the Gaza crisis. There is currently limited access for humanitarian aid relative to the desperate level of need across Gaza. The DEC continue to assess the crisis closely against its three appeal criteria^[14].

However, 14 DEC member charities^[15], including 6 of the HEF Panel members, have launched appeals to help civilians affected by the conflict. Some member charities are able to support their long-term partners inside Gaza and the West Bank using what aid is coming in, while others are preparing to deliver aid as soon as there is increased humanitarian access.

Crises of Concern: Activation for Kenya Flooding

During the 8^th of May 2024 6-monthly HEF Panel meeting, there was unanimous agreement to activate the Stream 2 fund for the first segment of 2024, to respond to the urgent needs arising due to the flooding in Kenya.

At the time of activating (early May), an estimated 267 people had been killed, 188 injured, 75 missing, and over 280,000 people displaced. At least 9,973 livestock have been lost, 41,562 acres of cropland and 61 roads damaged, 886 businesses, 1,967 schools, 1,465 water sources and 62 health facilities damaged in 11 out of 42 counties affected by floods. On 4^th of May, Tropical Cyclone Hidaya made its landfall in the Coastal regions accompanied by heavy rains and strong winds, thereby worsening the damage already caused by deadly floods in the country.

Rapid humanitarian action was required to meet the needs of the affected communities, primarily through providing water, sanitation, and hygiene services, medicines to treat waterborne diseases, temporary shelter, and support those who have lost their livelihoods.

The Panel agreed to activate for this crisis due to the urgency of the crisis, the impact of Scottish Government funds in this specific context and value for money, as well as strong Panel member presence and capacity on ground to deliver swiftly and at scale.

At the end of May, the Scottish Government approved a total of £250,000 for the Kenya floods response, awarding £125,000 to Oxfam and Islamic Relief respectively.

The selected projects for Kenya flooding will be covered in the 2024-2025 Annual Report.

Crises of Concern: Other Priorities

Crises that the Panel have discussed in recent months include ongoing displacement in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), ongoing conflict and displacement in Tigray - Ethiopia, food insecurity in Malawi, disease outbreak in Yemen, drought in Zambia, continued displacement in Myanmar, severe flooding in Afghanistan, food insecurity and displacement in Sahel, the Sudan crisis, and violence and unrest in Haiti.

When considering which crisis to activate for, the Panel evaluate a number of factors; namely:

• Humanitarian need and an urgent response being required,
• Strong operational presence on the ground,
• Sustained access to affected areas,
• The ability to respond swiftly and effectively,
• The ability to absorb Scottish Government funding, as well as largest impact with the funds provided.

Additionally, the Panel consider the HEF’s objectives of targeting under-the-radar crises, and typically, crises that do not usually receive a significant amount of humanitarian funding from donors.

The Panel then must collectively agree which crisis to put forward to the Minister for approval of releasing of funds. This is carried out by populating an activation alert form which outlines humanitarian need, context of the crisis, and proposed approach regarding response priorities and deliverables. Once this activation alert is approved by the Minister, the Panel formulate their proposals, ready for the peer review process [see Annex 1].

Zambia – Cholera Outbreak January 2024

A cholera outbreak in Zambia, first reported in October 2023, saw a dramatic increase in transmission from mid-December onwards.

By 27 January 2024 the country had recorded 14,900 confirmed cases and 560 deaths, with over 500 new cases daily and all 10 of Zambia’s provinces affected. 31% of cases in children under five. In January the IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) launched an emergency appeal, seeking approx. £3.6 million to support the Zambia Red Cross Society (ZRCS) to reach 3.5 million people with life-saving assistance.

The Scottish Government, having consulted with the Government of Zambia, decided to donate £500,000 to the IFRC emergency appeal, via the British Red Cross, to help support its four main aims: to prevent and control the spread of cholera, reduce the spread and build trust in the response through risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) approaches, improve access to safe water and sanitation facilities, and provide psychosocial social support (PSS) to communities. It helped enable ZRCS staff and volunteers to conduct door-to-door visits to gather data and provide information on prevention, establish Oral Rehydration Points to rehydrate individuals showing cholera symptoms, promote hygiene practices, and conduct community sensitization campaigns on cholera prevention and control.

By the end of May 2024, over 3.5 million people had been reached through the door-to-door visits, 51 Oral Rehydration Centres had been successfully established nationally, over 4,000 patients had been assisted, 15,000 cholera kits and 6,000 water purification tablets distributed. Consequently, both the number of cases and the number of deaths fell significantly throughout February and March, highlighting the importance of the Scottish Government’s funding at the critical early stages of the appeal.