End of UN Gaza Aid Proves Humanity’s Will is Fading
Last month, the Israeli Government passed a devastating new law, banning the UN’s most prominent Palestinian aid agency from operating inside the war-torn country.
In the 75 years since its foundation, UNRWA has been a lifeline to Palestinian refugees. In the past year, it has been instrumental in delivering vital supplies to the almost 2 million Palestinians forced from their homes.
But Gaza’s hardship is just the latest instance of a world unable, or too depleted, to cope with competing and worsening crises.
In Sudan, 17 million are facing starvation, 5 million are nearing famine, and 80% of healthcare facilities have been destroyed. In Syria, 12 million people are affected as diseases like cholera and measles spread unchecked.
Even the developed world is not immune. In the US, broken emergency response systems failed to properly respond to Hurricane Milton, with millions of gallons of raw sewage still endangering Floridians weeks after it made landfall.
This marks a stark departure from 2005 when Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans. Then, aid poured in from across the globe—even the poorest nations like Albania and Afghanistan stepped up to help.
But this isn’t just a reflection of weakened international relations, increased isolationism, poor policy, or climate fuelled disaster. Instead, it’s symbolic of a pandemic of global apathy – which is reaching its tipping point around the globe.
During the COVID pandemic, the world swiftly mobilized—closing borders, enforcing distancing, and racing to develop vaccines. Over $13 trillion was raised to prevent a projected 40 million deaths.
The pandemic showed that global collaboration works—vaccine sharing, technology transfers, and supply chain support helped us through COVID’s darkest days.
It was a united front, all-hands-on-deck. Today however, international interventions tank before reaching fruition and even the boldest promises barely shift the needle.
While isolationism offers the allure of protection from pressing international issues, the level of economic and social interdependence in our increasingly globalized world shows it’s not a viable long-term strategy.
In fact, ignoring regions like Gaza, Sudan, or Syria only delays the inevitable consequences: increased migration, economic shifts, and instability that no nation can escape.
This is why it’s important to set a new global support benchmark, akin to NATO’s 2% defence pledge to secure the much needed funds to drive action around humanitarian, health, and climate emergencies.
Current aid commitments are voluntary and insufficient, and countries like the United Kingdom’s recent plan to cut aid to balance its budget suggest they can’t be reliably relied on. The UN may recommend countries spend 0.7% of their income on aid, but few actually meet that goal.
This benchmark could be turned into a precondition for participation in global forums like the General Assembly or Security Council. Moreover, the target should be increased to approximate the scale of COVID-era commitments, with the US spending over a quarter of its GDP on pandemic response and Japan nearly half.
Yet, this crisis of apathy isn’t limited to aid—it permeates other essential areas, such as inclusion for marginalized groups. At the recent G7 Ministerial Meeting on Inclusion and Disability in Italy, leaders addressed the increasing disregard for disabled individuals, especially in times of global crisis. The Open Society Foundations’ sideline discussions underscored that disabled and marginalized individuals are often the first forgotten when resources are scarce.
U.S. Special Advisor on International Disability Rights, Sara Minkara, and UK Minister of State for Social Security and Disability, Stephen Timms, highlighted that disabled people are not merely recipients of aid; they are pivotal contributors to resilience and innovation. Their inclusion strengthens society’s ability to withstand and recover from crises, making them integral to sustainable solutions. In a world teetering on the brink of interconnected challenges, sidelining any group weakens our collective potential for recovery and progress.
Ultimately, if we continue to let apathy dictate our response, we’re not only abandoning millions in dire need—we’re forsaking the principles of mutual aid that have sustained global peace and prosperity.
By setting a binding benchmark for international support, we can transform aid from a choice into a commitment, creating a foundation for a future where every country stands ready to help, not just in times of shared crisis like the pandemic, but in the face of any disaster, anywhere.
Because if we turn our backs now, who will be there when it’s our turn to need a helping hand?
Adama Dumbuya is an accredited advisor to the United Nations for the government of Sierra Leone.
