What is a “neglected crisis”?

Lack of political will

Often the countries that top our list are of little geopolitical interest to world powers. Investing political time and capital in resolving these emergencies will not reward the pockets of rich nations, so they use their resources elsewhere.

“For some crises, we witness impactful and swift political action, borders kept open, funding plenty, and media coverage extensive,” says Jan Egeland, Sectretary General of NRC. “Those in power need to show the same humanity towards people affected by crises in places such as Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

In other conflicts, the opposite is the case: there are many actors with conflicting political interests, and no-one is willing to compromise. These are crises where the civilian population’s best interests have taken a back seat to political interests.

The lack of political will to find a solution to a crisis is one of three criteria that NRC uses when compiling its list of the world’s most neglected crises. The other two criteria are lack of media attention and lack of funding for humanitarian aid.

Lack of media attention

Why do the media choose to highlight some crises and not others?

This is often tied to how much political attention a crisis gets – if that is lacking, the media may be less likely to cover a crisis.

But physical closeness also plays a role. The media tend to cover crises that are closer to their front doors than those in far-off places. The latter can be harder to physically access, and often complicated to explain in 60-second news bulletins. Sadly, this means an out-of-sight, out-of-mind mentality continues towards these forgotten emergencies.

One example is the so-called migrant crisis of 2015, when a large number of refugees came to Europe. As a consequence, the European media became very interested in the countries that people had fled from, such as Syria. When we know someone who has fled from a crisis, we are more likely to care about it.

Lack of international aid

Every year, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners launch funding appeals to cover people’s basic needs in countries affected by large crises. But the extent to which these appeals are met varies greatly.

Crises that receive little international attention and little media coverage tend not to receive the financial support required to meet acute humanitarian aid needs.

In 2023, the shortfall between humanitarian appeals and money actually received amounted to USD 32 billion - USD 10 billion higher than in 2022. That vast deficit meant 57 per cent of needs remained unmet. Whilst the funding gap is large, it is far from impossible to close. If each of the five most profitable listed companies worldwide contributed just 5 per cent of their 2023 profits, the funding gap could be matched in a second.

“We urgently need investment for the world’s most neglected crises. These investments must be made both in the form of diplomatic initiatives to get warring parties to come to the negotiating table, as well as funding commensurate with needs from donor countries,” said Egeland.

The extent of the media coverage of a crisis is often a poor indicator of which areas are in the greatest need. Humanitarian aid should be given on the basis of need, but it’s often easier to obtain funding for crises that receive a lot of attention from politicians and the media.

Neglect is a choice

The humanitarian aid needs are great in all the countries on this year’s list, which will be released on 3 June.

All crises featured in this year’s report are protracted and have been affecting the lives of communities for years, sometimes even decades. Several of the ten countries on the list are in central Africa.

“Neglect is a choice – that millions of displaced people are cast aside year after year without the support and resources they so desperately need is not inevitable,” says Egeland. 

What can be done?

The most important thing for these countries now is to put political solutions in place. It’s the only way we can end the suffering.

There is also a need for acute humanitarian aid. To stand any chance at all of bringing about political solutions, we must take the first step of meeting the most acute needs for aid. Hungry stomachs, a lack of work and a lack of opportunities to feed your family do not make a good starting point for stability.

This year’s Neglected Crises List includes a list of recommendations. These are practical steps that different groups can take to improve the attention that neglected crises receive. Politicians, donors, journalists, humanitarian organisations and members of the public – we all have a part to play in ensuring the people at the heart of these crises get the help they so desperately need and deserve.