What you need to know on the two-year mark of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine - and a decade of conflict.

The three global challenges of climate change, extreme poverty and conflict are converging to form a new epicenter of crisis. This convergence is neither a coincidence nor inevitable.

The geography of poverty is changing. Extreme poverty is increasingly concentrated in places characterized by fragility and violent conflict: by 2030, 85 percent of the extreme poor—some 342 million people—will live in fragile and conflict-affected states.1 Yet just one in five fragile states are on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).2 Meaningful progress on the goal of reducing global extreme poverty requires meeting the development needs of vulnerable populations in fragile contexts; but assistance in these contexts has traditionally been limited to short-term humanitarian aid, ill-equipped to address underlying development challenges. World Bank leadership, staff, and shareholders recognize that protracted crises and associated mass displacement and chronic extreme hunger, as well as threats from sudden-onset emergencies such as climate disasters and pandemics, threaten development progress. Driving progress in these complex environments is the only way that the World Bank will meet its twin goals of reducing global poverty and improving shared prosperity, and address the underlying drivers of some of the world’s most protracted crises.

As COVID-19 spreads globally, people living in conflict zones with weak health systems will be hit hardest. These areas are home to displaced families and overcrowded refugee camps with limited resources. Just this week, the first reported case of this new coronavirus has been confirmed in Syria, which could lead to one of the most severe outbreaks in the world.

The three global challenges of climate change, extreme poverty and conflict are converging to form a new epicentre of crisis. But these communities at the epicentre of the climate crisis are being unjustly abandoned by global leaders. Climate-vulnerable, conflict-affected communities contribute the least to climate change, bear its worst impacts, and yet have been consistently left out of the business-as-usual approach to climate action focused on stable settings. COP28 has the opportunity to address the climate injustices facing the most vulnerable communities worldwide - not just fragile states, but specifically climate-vulnerable, conflict-affected countries. Global leaders at the annual climate conference can shift power to the communities at the epicenter of the climate crisis and contribute to the achievement of climate justice by committing to: • Improving risk mapping of conflict-affected communities to target action where it is most needed; • Investing in innovative adaptation, resilience and anticipatory action designed for conflict settings; • Adopting a “people-first” approach to delivery through meaningful non-governmental partnerships; • Making climate finance more equitable and accessible to adequately resource action.

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is an important human rights concern and a pervasive issue affecting women and girls during times of conflict and humanitarian crisis. Over the last five years, the What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls research programme, funded by UK Aid, has been conducting research to expand the international community’s knowledge around VAWG and the effectiveness of programmes that seek to prevent and respond to this violence. This new brief synthesises the key results of What Works studies as well as other findings from contemporaneous research efforts published since 2015. It aims to provide an up-to-date resource for practitioners, policymakers and researchers on the state of evidence on VAWG in conflict and humanitarian settings and makes recommendations for VAWG policy, programming, and future research priorities.

Humanitarian need and political instability grow as armed groups expand their control of northern Burkina Faso. Learn more about why Burkina Faso features on the IRC’s 2023 Emergency Watchlist