Good morning, this is Paula. Twenty years in the making, a treaty aimed to help coordinate disaster response may soon see the light, thanks to the work of a Geneva-based body of experts, my colleague Michelle Langrand reports.
Getting assistance to those in need of immediate relief can be lengthy, costly and chaotic, with aid shipments hit by tariffs, medicines spoilt while in transit, and humanitarian workers diverted away from response to instead focus on logistics.
While some states still disagree over how issues such as sovereignty and human rights will be addressed in a future treaty, discussions are set to move forward at a conference in early 2027. |
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Nepal army soldiers carrying the body of a victim on a stretcher during a rescue operation at the site of a hydropower project in Upper Trishuli, Nepal, 30 August 2026. (Keystone/Nepal Army via Associated Press)
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Last week, mud and floodwater tore down the Bhote Koshi-Trishuli river corridor in Nepal, flattening villages, roads and bridges in their path. More than 4,200 people are still unaccounted for while more than 1,200 have been confirmed dead. In the months before, the earth shook with violent force under Venezuela and Colombia, trapping scores of people under the rubble.
Each time, rescue efforts quickly got underway – the first hours and days are critical for survivors. Proposals for assistance from states, NGOs and diaspora communities poured in just as fast. These latest events are a stark reminder that when disaster strikes, international coordination is critical. Yet, there are no global rules on how countries should work together before, during and after a natural or man-made disaster.
States are hoping to change that, with a new UN treaty expected to be adopted as soon as next year. “There are many instruments at the regional or sector level that provide for disaster response and cooperation, but there is no overarching comprehensive international legal framework, and this really will fill that gap,” said Isabelle Granger, global lead for disaster law and auxiliary role at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, speaking from preparatory meetings this week in New York.
Read the full story on Geneva Solutions.
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Here's what else is happening
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🌀'Supersized' El Niño may become strongest ever recorded, UN says.
The head of the World Meteorological Organization, Celeste Saulo, told journalists in Geneva that forecasts indicated with the highest level of certainty ever that the weather phenomenon will continue into February 2027, amid high sea and atmospheric temperatures.
Reuters (EN)
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💰Is the WHO Foundation running out of money?
Questions are being raised about how funding received from its sole contributor, the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, owner of Swiss watch brand Rolex, is being managed.
Devex🔐 (EN)
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💼Who should lead the Global Fund?
Let the candidates make their case. In contrast to the World Health Organization, which has announced candidates running in the race to head the agency, the Fund is keeping the selection of its next executive director under tight lock, which this former board member said needs to change.
Health Policy Watch (EN)
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🦠Ebola epidemic in the DRC is deadliest on record, with more than 3,000 deaths.
With no specific vaccine against the strain, chains of Ebola transmission are multiplying in a region devastated by three decades of conflict and little access to primary care.
Le Temps via Geneva Solutions (EN)
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🚸Unicef estimates 20 million children suffered online sexual abuse in one year.
One in five children across 21 countries experienced tech-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse in a single year, a report by the UN children's agency has found.
Reuters (EN)
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