People affected by the famine in Somalia receive clean drinking water at a UNICEF distribution centre in Mogadishu, supported by UK aid. Picture: UNICEF/Kate Holt
The last few years have seen an unprecedented number of disasters, from the massive earthquake in Haiti and extreme flooding in Pakistan during 2010, to the shocking death and destruction caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March 2011. As well as natural disasters, protracted conflicts in countries such as Sudan, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo have continued to cause suffering, as has the recent conflict in Libya.
In 2010, 263 million people were affected by disasters – 110 million more than in
2004, the year of the Asian tsunami. And all trends suggest that more people – particularly in developing countries – will be affected by humanitarian emergencies in the coming decades.
There are many reasons for this. Rapid population growth, especially in disaster prone areas, is a key factor, particularly when combined with continued mass urbanisation, much of it unplanned and unsafe. So too are the changes already underway in sea levels, and in global rainfall and storm patterns – changes that will contribute to significant additional pressure for food and water in the years ahead.
The existence of nearly a billion chronically hungry people (a humanitarian disaster in itself), primarily in Asia and Africa, already exacerbates the consequences of emergencies. An average of 1,052 people die in any given disaster in less developed countries, compared to 23 in developed countries.
Co-ordinating the UK's response to disasters
The Department for International Development co-ordinates the UK Government's response to humanitarian disasters and emergencies in developing and overseas countries. In the event of a disaster or emergency, we work closely with other government departments, international and UN aid agencies and governments of affected countries, to get aid quickly to where it is needed most.
Helping the world's poorest also means helping them cope with disasters, especially as these are on the increase. Families who lose everything in floods or war are often the most vulnerable on the planet. Many millions will suffer if we collectively fail to meet the ever increasing challenges of humanitarian disaster and emergency work, and fragile development gains will be lost.