On 20 May 2021, the MV X-Press Pearl container ship caught fire and started sinking on early June, releasing fuel oil, dangerous chemicals, and plastic pellets – among other materials – in the Laccadive sea as it was anchored around 9 nautical miles (17 kilometers) northwest of the Port of… Read More
On 14 August 2021, a major 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit Haiti, and caused particularly severe damage to the departments of Nippes, Grand’Anse and Sud, in the country’s South. A United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team deployed and supported the government-led response by providing environmental expertise. Information on the… Read More
On 7 March 2021, a series of explosions occurred in the city of Bata, Equatorial Guinea, leaving the country in a catastrophic situation. After consultation with the UN Resident Coordinator (RC) in the country, a United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team was deployed to support the government-led… Read More
This report analyses the nexus between the protection of civilians and the environment in humanitarian operations. The study focused on examining the type of harms that come out of this nexus, as well as reviewing best guidance and practices existing in the field. Finally, it underlines how the protection sector… Read More
A growing number of people need humanitarian assistance (UNOCHA, 2020), which is intended to save lives, alleviate suffering and restore human dignity during and after manmade crises and disasters caused by natural hazards (Good Humanitarian Donorship, n.d.). At the same time, solid waste management (SWM) is a rising development challenge… Read More
Dorian made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane in The Bahamas on 1 September 2019, leaving a trail of devastation behind. A United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team, embedding environmental expertise, was dispatched to support the government-led response. The full environmental mission report is accessible here. This… Read More
Convened and funded by USAID, the Joint Initiative brings together 23 humanitarian actors from the UN system, NGOs, and bilateral and multilateral donors to reduce the negative environmental impacts of humanitarian action, with a focus on packaging waste. Packaging is essential to keep life-saving items, such as food, in good… Read More
