The situation in the Palestinian Territories can be best described as a protracted protection crisis. The humanitarian conditions continued to deteriorate in 2021 as hostilities, heightened tensions and violence exacerbated an already dire situation. The Gaza Strip continues to face critical conditions. The entire population has endured for the last 15 years a blockade of land, air, and sea blockade. The already severe strain on the population of having to live through four conflicts in the last 14 years have had devastating consequences for mental health with many across the Gaza Strip struggling to cope with complex trauma. According to a UN organization, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has experienced a disturbing increase in armed incursions in the past twelve months. These incursion into refugee camps, use of live ammunition against civilians and settler violence, while displacement and demolition remain constant threats.   At the peak of the lockdown and economic restrictions, around 110,000 additional Palestinians entered poverty. The new poor were concentrated in rural areas of the West Bank and were more likely to be living in female-headed households. With 20% of previously employed main income earners losing their jobs, income fell in more than 60% of Palestinian households during the height of the pandemic. DSPR and EJ YMCA plan to continue their response providing assistance to the Palestinians. Alert Palestine Protracted Crisis

A heatwave emergency has gripped the country for the last two months and still continues. The heat level peaked on 1 May 2022 when one of the districts in Sindh province hit 49.5 degree Celsius, the hottest temperature recorded in 2022. Another district hit the temperature half of the boiling point. It is estimated that about 3.4 million people who are living below poverty line in Karachi and Umerkot, are vulnerable to the effects of the heatwave. Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has informed that day temperature in certain parts of Sindh province is likely to increase gradually and shall remain between 46-48 degrees. The summer months usually begin from April and last till September . The weather gets extremely harsh from May to July while August and September are more humid which can cause dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke. The prevailing hot and dry weather could cause stress on water reservoirs, crops, vegetables, and orchards as well as increase energy and water demand that in current crisis is difficult to manage. Community World Service Asia plans to provide support to the people most affected through the Rapid Response Fund. ACT Alert Pakistan Heatwave 

The Horn and East Africa region has been hit by a severe drought affecting Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. The rains in October -December 2020 were below average in addition the rains in March-May and October to December of 2021 were also below average while the current rains March-May 2022 are scanty and below average. The situation is now moving to a critical stage. With drought being cyclic in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia, there have been close to three and in some areas, four failed rainy seasons. In Ethiopia, 5.5-6.5million people are affected, in Kenya 2.8million are affected and in Somalia, 6 million people are affected^[1]. The food security situation of these populations falls between integrated phased classification (IPC) of 3-4 bordering on catastrophic phase. The populations in phase 3 are rapidly moving into an emergency and crisis phase of IPC 4 due to the livestock losses and stretched coping mechanisms. Country forums from Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya are submitting a regional appeal to respond to the drought. Horn and Eastern Africa_Drought

Due to persistent rains from Friday, the 8^th of April 2022, with the heaviest rainfall experienced on Monday and Tuesday (11^th and 12^th April). In the Durban area, over 300 mm of rain was recorded in the 24-hour period. Many roads and bridges were washed away, leaving many communities cut off. Houses and buildings were washed away or damaged by mudslides. Many rivers burst their banks. Trucks and cars were washed away.  At a shipping container depot, several containers were washed away. According to the initial assessment done by the Disaster Management Centre, about 2000 RDP houses (low income) and 4000 shacks (informal) have been damaged. The number of formal houses damaged is unknown now. Several Business properties were also damaged forcing them to shut down until clean-up is completed. The water and electricity infrastructure was damaged. Parts of the electricity network have been restored and the Company responsible for the water treatment plant is busy trying to repair the damage. This is a small to medium-scale emergency in the Province of KwaZulu Natal, which lies to the east of South Africa, along the Indian Ocean. To the north lies the border with Mozambique and Eswatini (Swaziland). At present ELCSA cannot give a breakdown by gender, and age as people are still streaming into temporary shelters. All race groups have been affected but most that have gone to temporary shelters are black South Africans who were the worst affected. The immediate need is housing, food, clothes, and blankets. In the medium term to long term, people would need assistance with rebuilding their homes. All the owners that lived in the RPD houses and shacks would not have insurance. It is not sure how many of the formal houses have insurance to assist with rebuilding. Businesses would claim from their insurances but the length of time that they will be paid out or start the rebuilding is not known. ACT South Africa member, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in South Africa (ELCSA) is planning to launch a rapid response fund to respond to those who have been severely affected. South Africa­_Flooding

Please note information remains limited as actions on the ground are developing constantly and rapidly. Armed conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine erupted on 24^th February 2022 and within the first 24 hours extensive violence was presented causing loss of lives and massive movement of people. Martial law is invoked allowing authorities to impose restrictions on movement, block rallies, and ban political parties and organisations, by doing so civilians in Ukraine have to look to the military to enforce laws. Airports are now shut, few number of railways are operational. Since military governance is in place governors of each Oblast hold all the power. Millions of civilians fleeing the violence are heading towards Western districts and towards neighbouring countries such as Poland, Moldova, Romania and Hungary, final destination is not clear. Many roads are blocked, male Ukrainians (age 18-60) are halted at the borders. Damage to civilian infrastructure has left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity or water. Hundreds of homes have been damaged or destroyed, while bridges and roads damaged by shelling have left some communities cut off from markets. Besides, even before that, i.e. in the beginning of February, the situation in the demarcation zone in Donbas has worsened. As a result more than 100,000 refugees from Donbass and Eastern Ukraine crossed the border to find refugee to the territory of the Rostov region of Russia. Civilians fleeing violence – armed conflict in Ukraine

The state of São Paulo was hit by heavy summer rains that affected with greater severity the metropolitan area of the state capital. Between January 29 and 30, it rained from 80 mm to 170 mm in several areas of the central and eastern parts of the state. The 4-day accumulation was very close to the historical monthly average of rainfall. On the 1rst of February, because of this accumulation, the summer rain resulted in the displacement of more than 4,500 families in the 37 affected municipalities and 29 deaths. Among these deaths, 8 are children and 4 adolescents. There was also great infrastructures damage. The highest number of deaths is concentrated in the municipality of Franco da Rocha, where there are also 7 people missing in the landslide area and who are still being searched for by volunteers and rescue teams.  The region of Franco da Rocha was the most damaged by the January rains. With 156.4 thousand inhabitants, Franco da Rocha is the third city in the metropolitan region of São Paulo with the most risk areas mapped. There are 382 points at risk of collapse or flooding, where around 19 thousand dwellings are located. The city of Franco da Rocha has issued an alert for the opening of the floodgates of a dam, as it has reached its safety limit, with 81.6% of its operational capacity. Brazil_Floods_Sao_Paulo_alert

A new tropical cyclone named BATSIRAI formed over the Indian Ocean on 27 January and started moving westward, toward Mauritius, Réunion, and Madagascar. On February 05, 2022, around 15.00 UCT, its center was located 118 kilometers from the East coast of Madagascar. Madagascar was still picking up the pieces after Tropical Storm Ana affected at least 131, 000 people across the island in late January with almost fifty-five deaths (Aljazeera, Feb 2022). At least 20 deaths are reported with 15,489 households displaced according to CRIC (Intersectoral Reflection Committee for Disasters). At the national level, the operational structure under the leadership of the National Risk and Disaster Management Office (BNGRC) has coordinated emergency response actions. The two national ACT members in Madagascar are SAF/FJKM (The church of Christ in Madagascar) and SMT FLM Malagasy Lutheran Church) are planning to respond to the crisis. Madagascar_Cyclone BATSIRAI (alert).

From January 23^rd to 25^th 2022, there was accumulated precipitation under influence of Tropical Storm Ana that made Mozambique experience heavy rain across the country, affecting the Northern area of the country. The storm subsequently headed westwards, significantly affecting Nampula, Zambezia, and Tete provinces respectively. The Tropical Storm Ana reached the province of Nampula, Zambezia, and Tete on the 24th, having entered from Angoche district. This storm influenced the weather, heavy to very strong rains, accompanied by thunderstorms and winds of 85 to 100 km/h and gusts up to 130 km. The short- and long-term consequences for people are particularly difficult for female-headed households (FHHs), including widows, who are both the income provider and main caregiver. The identified gaps so far include the need of food and non-food items, water sanitation, temporary shelter, clothing and all the costs to maintain the processes to reduce vulnerabilities and risk, which is incorporated within each sector. CEDES will support the affected communities with WASH activities which include providing clean water through water filters in Angoche and Meconta in Nampula Province, where CEDES is implementing some projects such as Bread for the World working with communities in components of food security and livelihood. Mozambique_Storm Ana.

Tropical storm Ana made landfall in Namwala, Itezhitezhi, Choma, and Monze districts, in the Southern province of Zambia between 25th -26th January 2022. The storm came westwards and subsequently headed Southwards to the borders of Zimbabwe (Gwembe and Livingstone districts), then Botswana (Kazungula district), Namibia (Sesheke, Samoa districts), and Angola (Shang’ombo district) significantly affecting Southern and Western provinces of Zambia. There have been damages to public infrastructure and private homes, widespread floods, displacements, as well as interruption of basic services reported. The ACT Alliance Zambia Forum members are concerned about this storm and are currently conducting a rapid assessment in affected areas. Zambia_Tropical Storm Ana.

On 24^th and 25^th January 2022, most parts of Southern Malawi were severely hit by heavy persistent rains and strong winds due to the influence of Tropical Storm Ana. The tropical storm, that originated in the Indian Ocean, North-East of Madagascar, made landfall in Malawi on 25^th January 2022, through the Southern Region in Malawi. The storm has now affected a total of 49,214 households (270,677 people) and left 11 people dead and 107 with injuries. The scale of devastation is so unprecedented that on 26^th January 2022, the President declared a state of disaster over the affected districts. Tropical storm ANA-induced disaster caused widespread floods and displaced thousands of people. The storm has damaged power, road, and communications infrastructure disrupted schools, destroyed homes, washed away crops, and contaminated water sources like boreholes, wells, and other WASH facilities. The stormy rains have largely affected many districts in the Southern Region, with Mulanje, Phalombe, Thyolo, Blantyre City, Zomba, Neno, Machinga, Mangochi, Balaka, Chikwawa and Nsanje, and Mwanza among the worst hit. Thousands of households in these districts are hosted in school and church compounds/camps and others are hosted by relatives. ACT Malawi Forum national members CARD and ELDS are planning to conduct a rapid assessment and plan to submit a rapid response fund request to support the affected. Malawi-Floods alert

In the afternoon of Thursday the 16 December 2021, the region of CARAGA and other affected regions in the Philippines, was battered by catastrophic winds sustained at 195 kilometers per hour with gusts of up to 270 km/h brought by Super Typhoon Rai (local name: Odette). Typhoon Rai, a category 5 typhoon in its initial landfall, wreaked havoc in several regions and made landfall in a number of areas in Mindanao and Visayas (southern Philippines) and parts of Luzon. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Typhoon Rai has killed at 31 people and displaced 488,463 persons, with numbers still increasing as reports from the local government units continue to pour in. The typhoon left the Philippine area of responsibility on Saturday afternoon, 18 December. Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal 4 was raised in several provinces which meant very destructive typhoon-force winds were experienced. Floodwaters in some areas reached chest-high and some even reaching the roofs of many houses, inundating many low-lying communities. Flashfloods and storm surges were reported in coastal areas. Houses and infrastructure, as well as agricultural lands were devastated. There were power outages and downed telecommunication lines caused by heavy rains and strong winds, making it very challenging to get information on the damages in badly affected areas, particularly small islands.  The Philippines is the ninth country most-prone to the impacts of climate change, and the poor communities are the ones mostly experiencing the brunt of extreme climate-induced weather events. Evacuation centers for the typhoon affected families are being updated since some of them were used as isolation facilities to those who contracted COVID-19. Since the Omicron variant was just detected in the country, there is a possibility of an outbreak if the cases will not be detected and contained. Meanwhile, the supposed mass COVID-19 vaccination drive in most of the country was postponed due to the storm. ALERT Philippines Typhoon

According to OCHA, in 2,021, 126,675 people crossed the border between Colombia and Panama through the Darien Gap. Notwithstanding high under-reporting, local authorities and national and international NGOs located in the area have identified that many people from several countries chose the Darien Gap as a viable migration route, despite the great challenges imposed by the geography of the place and the conflict dynamics present in the territory: In the first three months of 2022, 13,425 people crossed through the Gap—at a rate of more than double when compared with the 5,622 people who crossed in the same period in 2,021.

As per the Colombian Ombudsman in his last field visit to Necoclí (Antioquia) in June 2022, the dire humanitarian situation is driven by mixed migratory flows, that sum up more than 19,000 refugees and migrants (about 25% of them are children) coming from Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela, and some African countries, who are stranded in the municipality of Necocli seeking to reach Central America and the US.

Some other trends identified by the Ombudsman and UN agencies such as UNICEF are as follows: i) migrant profile has changed as most of the migrant population stagnated come from Venezuela, extremely impoverished as many of them come from countries as far as Chile on foot, by bus and lack the resources to sustain themselves and pay the high cost of crossing the border; ii) the increase of migrant families with children, in comparison to 2,021 when the predominant demographic group migrating were young male individuals and, iii) the most concerning trend, the increase of non-accompanied children. According to UNICEF, the number of non-accompanied children has increased twofold in 2,022 with 169 children aged 0 to 17 years and 41 children aged 13 to 17 years, who are more vulnerable to human trafficking, exploitation and, use and forced recruitment by illegal groups. Up to date, 5,000 children have crossed the border since January 2,022.

The ACT forum Colombia through one of its members, the Fundación de Diaconia PAZOS, is planning on submitting an Appeal proposal to provide humanitarian relief through the adaptation of a temporary shelter that meets the habitability conditions. It is also expected to provide humanitarian assistance in food security (delivery of CVA), WASH (delivery of hygiene kits), and Protection (including SGBV and Child Protection, through psychosocial support and the strengthening of the local referral mechanism).