Yesterday’s news? Revisiting crises the headlines have moved on from

This new year will be full of challenges, crises, and calls to action to build a better world. New events will inevitably spring up, grabbing headlines and attention, but disasters across the world from previous years continue to affect many lives. The principle of Promotion of Peace – Te Whakatairanga i te Rangimārie requires not just an immediate response to disasters, but an ongoing effort to rectify injustice and advocate for peace. Therefore, as we go into the new year, it is important not to forget the ongoing crises that will sadly continue into 2024.

Myanmar

In 2017, the Myanmar military junta began a series of attacks and persecution against the Rohingya people that have been described as genocidal by the United Nations. This displaced more than 750,000 people, many of whom fled to camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

Caritas Bangladesh has been providing support to these displaced Rohingya communities in Cox’s Bazaar for over five years. Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is proud to support its efforts, including through the 2023 Day of Prayer for Refugees and Migrants.

In 2021, the situation in Myanmar grew worse as the military seized power, and began a brutal nationwide crackdown against mass protests. This situation has now intensified to the point of civil war. Even though Western media have largely moved on from the crisis, it has only grown, as major anti-junta offensives in November and December 2023 led to fighting across the country, including in Rakhine State where approximately 600,000 Rohingya people still live.

The fighting, coupled with retaliatory air strikes and artillery shelling, has displaced thousands of people. It seems that in Myanmar, suffering and displacement are inevitable without peace, and peace is unattainable while the government continues to trample on Human Dignity – Te Mana o te Tangata.

Pakistan

In 2022, Pakistan suffered devastating nationwide flooding covering thousands of square kilometres and affecting over 30 million people. The effects of climate change fueled the unprecedented level of flooding.

Caritas Pakistan responded immediately, supporting 2,000 families, assisted by Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand. Caritas Pakistan provided food and water, hygiene supplies and tarpaulin sheets to flood-affected families in the aftermath of the flooding to help alleviate the immediate humanitarian toll.

However, since the 2022 flooding, little has been done globally to prepare for future climate change-fuelled disasters in countries such as Pakistan. The 2022 flooding caused billions of dollars of damage, and was driven by climate change, something Pakistan has contributed very little to.

Negotiations at the COP28 summit over whether wealthy, high-emitting countries should contribute to a Loss and Damage Fund had mixed results. Our article on Loss and Damage explains that although the fund was created, it is unclear how much it will end up supporting those most in need, as would be expected under the principle of Distributive Justice – Te Tika ka Tohaina. It is difficult to see how peace can be promoted in Pakistan when communities remain so vulnerable to increasingly frequent natural disasters.

Ukraine

Although global headlines were fixed on Ukraine in the aftermath of Russia’s 2022 invasion, attention has gradually slipped away as the war goes on. Despite this, millions of people remain displaced, many of whom are now refugees facing the reality that it may be years before they can safely return home.

Caritas Poland has been supporting Ukrainian refugees in Poland since early in the conflict, and Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is proud to have stood in solidarity with them by providing funding and aid. In the first 15 months of the conflict, Caritas Poland established refugee centres helping almost 70,000 refugees in Poland, providing services such as psychosocial and psychological support and Polish language courses.

As the conflict looks set to drag on with no end in sight, war-weary populations across Europe are less willing to stand in solidarity with Ukrainians than they were in 2022. With their homeland still a warzone, Ukrainian refugees still require support to integrate into their host countries, especially so that children do not miss out on years of schooling and people receive necessary medical care. If we are to promote peace, we must continue to support those affected by war.