Global Scans · Poverty · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Due to a deteriorating global economic outlook, more than 130 out of 189 countries will experience reduced income growth, with the average global GDP growth rate falling from 4.1 percent to 3.1 percent between 2011 and 2030. Almost all of the countries with large numbers remaining in extreme poverty in 2030 will be in sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia.

• [New] As fossil fuel-driven floods, storms and hurricanes hit more and more countries, and inequality widens as the world approaches its first trillionaire, negotiators are starting to wake up to the huge opportunity. Greenpeace International
• [New] Families across the Occupied Palestinian Territory are concluding the month of Ramadan amid deepening humanitarian needs and heightened exposure to violence, displacement and destruction of property; UN human rights officials warn of a pattern of unlawful killings. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitar
• [New] Continued international support for Ukraine by the EU and reports of civilian abductions highlight a protracted and escalating conflict, sustaining elevated security and humanitarian risks, especially now the negotiations for a cease fire are intensifying. All About Shipping
• [New] Disruptions to and closures of airspace, transportation, shipping routes and key humanitarian crossings across the Middle East are impacting humanitarian operations and commercial supply chains, including availability and prices of basic goods and pharmaceuticals. UNOPS
• [New] The crisis reserve for humanitarian emergencies has been cut, though by less than expected, from £85m to £75m. The Guardian
• [New] Economic risks are closely interconnected with inequality, which remains the most interconnected global risk for the second consecutive year. Swiss GRC | Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC)
• [New] The declining trend of global inequality will continue. Brookings
• [New] Inequality within countries has become relatively more important and is projected to account for more than half of global inequality by the mid-2030s. Brookings
• [New] A recent report from Global Parametrics has acknowledged that catastrophe bonds can be part of the solution to risk financing for humanitarian organizations. Artemis.bm - The Catastrophe Bond, Insurance Linked Sec
• [New] The popular initiative endangers Switzerland's prosperity, internal security and humanitarian tradition. INSIDENOVA.COM
• [New] Environmental and humanitarian experts warned that targeting desalination plants risks severe regional consequences in the water-scarce Persian Gulf region. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
• By 2030, AMR will cost the global economy $3.4 trillion yearly, and by 2050 it will have pushed 28 million people into poverty. Milken Institute
• Without effective interventions, the annual mortality attributable to AMR is predicted to rise to 8.22 million by 2050, with projected economic losses of up to 3.8% of global gross domestic product, which could lead to an increase of 28 million people in extreme poverty. Nature
• In 2026, an estimated 6.3 million people will need health assistance and more than 10 million people will require some form of humanitarian support. UNOG
• Despite the growing needs, funding for humanitarian operations in Nigeria has sharply declined, dropping from $1 billion annually a few years ago to under $200 million projected for 2026. fundsforNGOs News - Grants and Resources for Sustainabi
• A worsening humanitarian crisis could produce a new wave of Venezuelan migrants crossing into Colombia, concentrating in border regions where some demobilized former combatants live and active armed groups compete for control. Council on Foreign Relations
• External factors - primarily U.S. military threats and ripple effects from a Venezuela humanitarian and security crisis - could overwhelm Colombia's capacity to implement the 2016 Peace Accords and could fundamentally alter the political calculus for all parties. Council on Foreign Relations
• The United Nations warned last week that the vast majority of Cubans are being hit by rolling blackouts, and that the humanitarian collapse would worsen, and if not collapse, if its oil needs go unmet. Portside
• Donald Trump's move to slap new tariffs on countries sending oil to Cuba could trigger a humanitarian crisis on the island, which is already suffering from chronic fuel shortages and regular blackouts. The Guardian
• The contraction of refugee admissions and legal pathways will weaken global protection amid a rising displacement and instability, and damage US credibility as the global humanitarian leader. Elcano Royal Institute
• Reduced access to legal pathways, combined with US cuts to foreign aid and the aggressive deportation campaign, could exacerbate the humanitarian landscape in Central America, a region with high levels of emigration to the US and significant development challenges. Elcano Royal Institute
• When projected onto future climate simulations and combined with demographic and poverty projections consistent with the IPCC Shared Socioeconomic Pathways, the AI model reveals sharply diverging food-crisis risks by century's end. Joint Research Centre

Last updated: 27 March 2026