Typhoon toll, refugee climate fund and Myanmar abuses

A coastal community in the Philippines.

The strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year has affected an estimated 1.7 million children and more than five million people overall.

Super Typhoon Fung-wong made landfall on 9 November with winds of around 185 kilometres (115 miles) per hour, leaving at least six people dead and damaging homes, schools and health services across 16 regions, UNICEF reported on Thursday.

The archipelago has already been battered by repeated climate-related and geophysical disasters this year. Only days earlier, more than 200 people died in the Typhoon Kalmaegi tragedy.

From one crisis to the next

“Children and their families are barely climbing out of one crisis before another strikes, pushing them back to zero,” said UNICEF Philippines Representative Kyungsun Kim.

UNICEF is conducting joint assessments with authorities and partners to identify urgent needs. Alongside immediate life-saving support, the agency is prioritising child-centred climate policies, climate-resilient social services and increased climate financing to help communities withstand future shocks.

UN launches first refugee-led green fund to restore land and cut carbon

The UN refugee agency has launched the Refugee Environmental Protection Fund, the first major refugee-led initiative using carbon finance to counter deforestation, support clean energy and create green jobs.

The fund will begin projects in Uganda and Rwanda, with the goal of restoring more than 100,000 hectares of land and providing clean energy access to one million people over the next decade.

Seed projects in Uganda and Rwanda

In Uganda’s Bidibidi and Kyangwali settlements, activities will include reforestation, seedling production and the rollout of cleaner cooking technologies. These efforts are expected to reduce over 200,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually and generate thousands of jobs for refugees and host communities.

In Rwanda’s Kigeme camp, the project will rehabilitate degraded hillsides, expand access to safer cooking for 15,000 people and support sustainable livelihoods through nursery management and soil conservation.

Revenues from verified carbon credits will be reinvested into local environmental initiatives, ensuring that communities directly benefit.

“Refugees often live on the front lines of extreme weather,” said Siddhartha Sinha, UNHCR’s Head of Innovative Financing. “This fund helps them protect the land they depend on.”

Expansion to Brazil and Bangladesh is also under consideration, linking environmental restoration with long-term resilience.

Daily struggle for survival for people with disabilities in Myanmar

Soldiers loyal to Myanmar’s military junta have executed, tortured and sexually assaulted persons with disabilities, leaving many trapped in a daily fight for survival, according to a new report by the UN’s independent human rights expert for Myanmar.

Since seizing power in 2021, the military has ruled by force, targeting opposition groups, protesters, ethnic minorities and particularly persons with disabilities, said Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews.

Burned alive

“Dozens of persons with disabilities have been burned alive in their own homes as junta forces carried out campaigns of mass arson across the country,” he said.

The report highlights deeply rooted religious and cultural beliefs that continue to fuel discrimination, leaving many people with disabilities isolated and disenfranchised. Some internalise these beliefs, withdrawing from community life because of shame and a loss of personal dignity.

Despite the challenges, a network of organisations—many led by persons with disabilities—continues to provide essential services and advocate for their rights.

“As the world focuses on other crises and conflicts, the situation of persons with disabilities in Myanmar has become a hidden crisis within a forgotten humanitarian catastrophe,” Mr Andrews said. “It is critical that the world pay attention.”

Independent experts and Special Rapporteurs are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to report on specific human rights issues. They are not UN staff and serve in a personal capacity.