Since the last issue of New World went to press in October 2013, the humanitarian landscape has shifted significantly.
In November, the strongest typhoon ever to make landfall devastated parts of the Philippines. By December, the Central African Republic (CAR), which experienced a coup last March, descended into violence which the UN has described as constituting crimes against humanity. The same month rivalries in South Sudan turned into full-scale clashes between government and rebel forces, with civilians in the crossfire. And in January, the UN announced that due to the increasing difficulties of verification, it would stop counting the dead in Syria.
In light of these major emergencies – and the many others vying for the UN’s attention – this issue of New World explores how the UN engages with conflicts and crises.
Charles Petrie, Chair of the Secretary-General’s Internal Review Panel on the UN’s actions in Sri Lanka, contributes the feature essay on the UN’s role in future situations of escalating violence. Sara Pantuliano explores changes to the sector. Rebecca Johnson discusses how international humanitarian law is beginning to have an impact on nuclear disarmament debates. And Deepayan Basu Ray considers how humanitarian and development actors could better coordinate their work. Also included is an interview with H.E. Fakhraddin Gurbanov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the UK.
As ever we have our usual updates on the news and views from UNA-UK and its members, including a report from Tony & Juliet Colman, who recently attended discussions of the Sustainable Development Goals in New York, and an interview with Young Professional Amanda Meral Gray, a Senior Protection Officer at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in the UK.
Finally, we have a number of thought-provoking New World web exclusives, including:
- Louisa Collins Boyle, from St John International, on maternal and child mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa
- Per Heggenes, CEO of the IKEA Foundation, on their work with UNHCR
- Sarah Cotton of the International Committee of the Red Cross on the increasing difficulty of protecting healthcare workers in the field
- Iain Levine, Deputy Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, on whether human rights and humanitarian actionare compatible
- Crystal Wells from Concern Worldwide, on the crisis in South Sudan
