MIDDLE EAST: IRIN Digest - February 2015

	humanitarian news and analysis

Table of contents 1. Has Syria really beaten polio? 2. Fresh blockade at Palestinian camp in Syria 3. Briefing: How the world's top donor spends its aid 4. Drones for good? 5. Briefing: Syria's "freeze zones" and prospects for peace 6. Embassy closures put Yemen aid at risk 7. Who celebrity advocates are really targeting. And it's not you. 8. No-man's land: the Iraqis trapped between IS and the Kurds 9. Yemen's power shift a setback for child soldier plan 10. Emergency aid projects in Iraq face closure due to funding shortfall 11. Game of Drones 12. The World Humanitarian Summit: Talking shop or game changer? 13. Egyptians in Libya - to flee or to stay? Has Syria really beaten polio? GAZIANTEP/DUBAI, 2 February 2015 (IRIN) - The World Health Organization has announced that Syria had seen no new cases of polio in the past year. But some health experts question the quality of the surveillance that led to this conclusion. Read report online Fresh blockade at Palestinian camp in Syria LONDON, 2 February 2015 (IRIN) - A year ago the world's attention was grabbed by the flight of the 18,000 Palestinians in the Yarmouk camp in Syria. A campaign was fought to lift the Syrian government's siege. One year on, the blockade is back. Read report online Briefing: How the world's top donor spends its aid DUBAI, 4 February 2015 (IRIN) - The United Arab Emirates spent the highest percentage of its Gross National Product on aid in 2013 of any country globally. How and where did it spend that money? Read report online Drones for good? DUBAI , 9 February 2015 (IRIN) - Most commonly associated with spying and military missions, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) - or drones - for humanitarian purposes is the subject of both hype and caution, but experts argue they could play an important role in disaster relief as well as having other useful civilian applications. Read report online Briefing: Syria's "freeze zones" and prospects for peace LONDON, 10 February 2015 (IRIN) - After two of his predecessors quit in frustration, the UN's third envoy to Syria has been working for several months on a new approach to ending a war that is about to enter its fifth year. This complex and fluid conflict has cost more than 200,000 lives and prompted more than 10 million people to flee their homes. Read report online Embassy closures put Yemen aid at risk SANAA/LONDON, 12 February 2015 (IRIN) - The political chaos that has seen the US, UK and other embassies withdraw their staff in Yemen could also lead to the suspension of aid that is the lifeblood of the country's economy. Read report online Who celebrity advocates are really targeting. And it's not you. LONDON, 13 February 2015 (IRIN) - In recent years, aid agencies have increasingly used celebrities to raise awareness and money for their causes. There's just one problem: It doesn't actually work. Read report online No-man's land: the Iraqis trapped between IS and the Kurds KIRKUK, 12 February 2015 (IRIN) - A growing number of displaced Iraqis are being refused entry into the safety of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. For some, they now face the prospect of being trapped in no-man's land. Read report online Yemen's power shift a setback for child soldier plan SANAA, 18 February 2015 (IRIN) - The coming to power of Houthi rebels in Yemen could derail moves to end the use of child soldiers there, the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict has said. Read report online Emergency aid projects in Iraq face closure due to funding shortfall LONDON, 18 February 2015 (IRIN) - Close to two thirds of emergency aid operations in Iraq could be shut down or cut back if new cash does not come through in the next few weeks. The United Nations has launched an urgent appeal for more funding and set out how it plans to prioritise its spending to cover the shortfall. Read report online Game of Drones BELGRADE, 24 February 2015 (IRIN) - In his latest column, recovering aid worker Paul Currion asks whether the debate over the use of drones misses a fundamental point: Does their very nature compromise humanitarian principles? Read report online The World Humanitarian Summit: Talking shop or game changer? LONDON, 25 February 2015 (IRIN) - With just over one year to go until the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, aid workers say the consultations so far have broadly succeeded at engaging an unprecedented spectrum of voices, but many fear the process still lacks any clear framework for turning talk into action. IRIN takes a look at the WHS preparations and some of the key issues emerging from the consultation process. Read report online Egyptians in Libya - to flee or to stay? TRIPOLI, 27 February 2015 (IRIN) - Over 25,000 Egyptians have fled Libya since the killing of 20 Coptic Christians by Islamic State militants. But others are deciding that despite the risk, they are staying. Read report online

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