Reports

Down Syndrome International and Humanity & Inclusion are working together to learn about health equity for people with Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities. In 2024, we asked people around the world about their health. We spoke to people with disabilities, families, and support workers. These are our findings.

Humanity & Inclusion (HI), along with 200+ NGOs, call for immediate action to end the deadly Israeli distribution scheme (including the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, GHF)

Explosive ordnance contamination in Ukraine is among the most severe in the world, affecting one-fourth of the country’s land.

The people of Gaza continue to endure the devastating consequences of Israel’s indiscriminate bombing campaigns, which have compounded more than 19 months of brutal destruction. The most recent total siege imposed by Israeli authorities on March 2 stripped over two million people of access to food, water, fuel, and medicine, deepening an already catastrophic man-made humanitarian crisis. For more details, refer to the full report of Gaza Humanitarian Snapshot 12.

This report takes stock of harm to civilians from the use of explosive weapons across the globe in 2024 and identifies state and non-state actors reportedly responsible for this use. As civilian deaths caused by the use of explosive weapons remained alarmingly high in Palestine, they increased elsewhere across the globe in 2024. Meanwhile, civilian access to healthcare, education, and humanitarian aid was impeded with increased frequency by explosive weapons use across contexts such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen.

Nineteen months into the conflict, the Gaza Strip is still confronted with a critical risk of Famine. Over 60 days have passed since all humanitarian aid and commercial supplies were blocked from entering the territory. Goods indispensable for people’s survival are either depleted or expected to run out in the coming weeks. The entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, with half a million people (one in five) facing starvation. Explore the IPC - Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report on Gaza for more information.

Humanity & Inclusion joins other INGOs in providing updates on the situation in Gaza from January 19 to March 2, 2025. However, this progress was abruptly halted when the Government of Israel unilaterally resumed hostilities on March 18, killing more than 400 people in a single day. Since March 2, Israeli authorities have reinstated a complete siege on Gaza, blocking all aid and commercial goods from entering for more than six weeks to date. This marks the longest period the Government of Israel has blocked all aid and goods from entering Gaza in history.

This report follows the Factsheet published by Humanity & Inclusion (HI) in April 2024, titled “Escalation of violence and impacts on persons with disabilities and persons with injuries in the West Bank." At the moment of finalizing it, a ceasefire deal in Gaza was signed. In May 2024, HI conducted a survey with 16 organizations working in healthcare and emergency response in the West Bank, focusing on the reduced access to healthcare in the West Bank, particularly for people with disabilities. More details are included in this report.

In February 2025, Humanity & Inclusion issued an advocacy factsheet, examining the situation for people with disabilities in Syria after years of conflict. People with disabilities are estimated to represent 16 percent of the world’s population. In humanitarian contexts, they comprise a much higher percentage and are among the most marginalized in crisis-affected communities. In disasters, their mortality rate is two to four times higher than that of persons without disabilities. This is particularly evident in Syria, where over a decade of conflict has exacerbated the vulnerabilities of persons with disabilities.

Extensive contamination by explosive remnants of war (ERW) and unexploded ordnance (UXO) poses a significant threat to the safety of civilians and seriously undermines Syria's recovery efforts. In areas where families are starting to return to their homes and land, this contamination is a real and omnipresent danger. This briefing paper gives an overview of the gravity of the problem and updates the previous brief published by HI in 2024.