IBA Global Insight – famine, poverty and the importance of aid
Monday 1 September 2025
Growing conflict and instability are pushing an increasing number of people into extreme poverty and destitution, with the ongoing famine in some parts of Gaza just one example. The situation further emphasises the importance of humanitarian aid, a sector facing great challenges. Below, we’ve selected some of the best of Global Insight's continuing coverage of these and related issues.
News analysis: Gaza is being subjected to the ‘worst-case scenario of famine’
In August, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the leading international authority on food crises, issued a report confirming famine in Gaza’s largest city and surrounding areas. By the end of July, the World Health Organization had recorded 74 malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza in 2025, with 63 occurring in July alone.
Read here...
Feature: The end of aid as we know it
The US was the world's largest donor of overseas development aid in 2024, contributing almost $62bn. However, the Trump administration is now cutting 83 per cent of USAID programmes and reducing its staff to only 15 positions, a decision that will have far-reaching repercussions worldwide. Global Insight assesses the consequences for the aid sector.
Read here...
News analysis: Rule of law – almost half the world living in poverty
The World Bank has reported that almost half of the world's population is living in poverty, subsisting on less than $6.85 per day. Since the 1990s, extreme poverty had been steadily declining, but this progress has stalled in recent years due to lower economic growth and major events, including an increase in conflicts and instability around the world.
Read here...
News analysis: Aid worker deaths prompt calls for international law compliance
The UN has confirmed that 2024 was the deadliest year on record for humanitarian personnel. The Aid Worker Security Database recorded the deaths of 344 aid workers, surpassing the 2023 total of 280. Aid workers rely on the protection of the government hosting the humanitarian operations; states may therefore be in breach of international law by denying them this security.
Read here...
News analysis: China set to capitalise on America's foreign aid retreat
Following the Trump administration's suspension of funding for mine clearance in Cambodia, Beijing has stepped up to fill the void in the project, with a non-repayable grant of $4.4m to support the clearance of more than 3,400 hectares of mine-affected land. The move is symbolic of how China is poised to fill the vacuum left as the US retreats from world leadership.
Read here…
Column: Defender turns gatekeeper
Once a leader of Palestinian solidarity synonymous with Arab defiance, Egypt is cracking down on protests over the starvation of the people of Gaza. In June, enforcers targeted international activists for attempting to break Israel's siege of the region, detaining them at airports, dragging them from hotels and even beating them on camera.
Read here…
News analysis: Ukraine war turning food security concerns into global crisis
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has highlighted significant concerns about food security, notably after Russian restrictions affecting goods leaving the country left 22 million tonnes of wheat stuck in Ukraine for five months. Countries reliant on imports, such as those in the Middle East and North Africa, are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of conflict for global supply chains.
Read here…