10 most under-reported humanitarian crises of 2016
The report “Suffering in silence: The 10 most under-reported humanitarian crises of 2016” features the food crises in Eritrea, Madagascar, North Korea, Papua New Guinea; the conflicts in Burundi, Lake Chad Basin, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Sudan and last year’s monsoon floods in Bangladesh.
“There are many disasters around the world that rarely make it into the news. With this report CARE aims to shine the spotlight on those humanitarian crises that have been neglected or eclipsed by others grabbing the world’s attention”, says Philippe Guiton, CARE International’s Humanitarian and Operations Director.
Media attention and fundraising for humanitarian causes are closely intertwined. Watching people suffering on TV prompts many people to engage and donate, which is widely known as ‘the CNN effect’. “The media has the power to set agendas, hold politicians accountable and help raise crucial funds to deliver aid”, says Guiton. “At the same time, politicians must not act solely based on political interests. Politicians prefer to focus their attention on the most visible emergencies to show their constituencies that they are acting. These humanitarian crises are not simply forgotten. They are wilfully ignored and neglected by world leaders.”
The Start Fund was created to enable aid organisations to respond quickly to many of these under-reported crises.