International Network of Street Papers Global News Round Up (December 2022)

A new report by the United Nations estimates 339 million people, or 1 in 23, around the world currently need emergency assistance to survive.

A rise of nearly 20 per cent from last year. An estimated 222 million people will not know when or if they will eat another meal. Nearly 1 million people are at-risk of starvation in places like Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Haiti, Somalia, Yemen and South Sudan.

The United Nations also says Latin America and the Caribbean could face a “prolonged social crisis” in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.An estimated 45.4 per cent of people aged 18 or younger in Latin America are living in poverty. The report also notes infant vaccine coverage experienced its biggest drop in 30-years, which could prove disastrous for future generations.

As sub-zero temperatures descend on much of the UK, the continuing dual crises of energy prices and inflation are leaving many low-income households vulnerable as people aren’t able to afford the cost of heating their homes.

As many as three million families are being left at risk by the extreme cold according to analysis by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

The availability of warm banks is now being highlighted for those who might need to use them. UK street paper The Big Issue is signposting where they can be found.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated by the subsequent cost of living crisis across Europe has significantly damaged mental well-being, according to a new report by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.

The report’s findings show that, in the EU and its neighbouring countries, there are widespread feelings of social exclusion, with 75 per cent of people between the ages of 18 and 44 are at risk of depression.

The Bank of Italy warned against the country’s rightwing government’s plan to cut anti-poverty subsidies.

More than 800,000 people could be affected. According to the bank’s head, the move could penalise families unable to find an alternative source of income on the labour market.

In New York City, the mayor has launched a controversial plan to allow people experiencing a mental health crisis to be hospitalised against their will.

The plan outlines guidelines that say individuals can be hospitalised for not being able to meet their basic needs. In a city with more than 100,000 people experiencing homelessness, advocates say the approach is inhumane and that local government should make access to shelter, housing and healthcare the priority.

In 2021, Evanston, Illinois became the first US city to create a reparations plan for its Black residents.

That same year, California set up the nation’s first state-level reparations task force. This month the taskforce in California recommended that $569 billion be given to African Americans for past discriminatory practices (including housing) and slavery.