Christina Bennett

@StartNetwork sent letters to Western donors including Security Council P5 demanding 1)immediate ceasefire2)release of civilian hostages3)sustained & significant access to hum aid4)protection of civilians & hum workers5)all parties to uphold IHL w/out exception #CeaseFireInGaza

Firing the BLS Commissioner — the wonk in charge of the statisticians who track economic reality — is an authoritarian four alarm fire. It will also backfire: You can't bend economic reality, but you can break the trust of markets. And biased data yields worse policy.

Five years on it is time to repost this reminder: by the time #famine is declared many deaths have already happened. This is preventable with sustained access to quality food, healthcare and clean water for the most vulnerable. Don’t wait to act #Gaza #Sudan

We are sounding the alarm: US humanitarian and refugee leadership - long the backbone of global crisis response - is headed toward total collapse if the Trump/Rubio/Musk cuts are not immediately reversed. Millions of lives around the world hang in the balance.

‘I was pleased to meet senior leaders from the UK's Disasters Emergency Committee and Start Network, to discuss how we can strengthen the humanitarian movement, even at a time of mounting challenges and declining resources.’ @UNReliefChief

Invigorating discussion with UK NGOs and civil society on the crisis the sector faces. Thank you @StartNetwork & @decappeal for organising excellent discussion.

Re-upping this from last night, as the USAID website has just gone offline.

1 day to #COP29 and the message is #PayUp #makerichpolluterpay

The UN reports that no food has entered northern Gaza in nearly 2 weeks. Israel must urgently do more to facilitate the flow of aid to those in need. Civilians must be protected and must have access to food, water, and medicine. International humanitarian law must be respected.

In response to the angry replies below here are some more thoughts: The fact that I am questioning the risks of this war does not make me an appeaser. Arguing for peace does not make me an apologist for Hezbollah or the Iranian regime. ( I have spent longer in Iran and seen more directly what makes the Iranian regime horrifying than my critics below…) When I said that the Israeli attacks in Iran and Lebanon will make Iran feel forced to respond + lead to escalation this was a statement of fact not an endorsement of Iran. • Both sides feel that they are not escalating - they are simply “responding” - it is only the other side who is escalating. But that is how escalation always works. • The situation is particularly dangerous because the previous shadow war has been ended. Neither Israel nor Iran is now well-placed to predict the reactions of their opponents in the new situation. If you are interested in engaging with the argument rather than banging a particular twitter drum please try listening to the full discussion on the podcast…

This city is thrumming with “birth pangs of a new Middle East” energy and that should terrify everyone.

Excellent article by Larry Elliott quoting work by my fantastic @bondngo colleagues: One more item on Labour’s long to-do list: repair the UK aid budget | Larry Elliott | The Guardian theguardian.com/business/2024/…

Refugees International’s latest report from @JeremyKonyndyk + @JesCMarks outlines the trajectory of #Gaza’s hunger crisis since the start of the war. Without a widespread course-correction on aid access, famine conditions will spiral in #Gaza. Read more. refugeesinternational.org/reports-briefs…

Holy sh*t. This new Kamala Harris ad, which will air on Fox ahead of the debate, will mess with Donald Trump as it uses the words of Trump’s own cabinet & inner circle to show how he is unfit & unable to serve. This is so good. Watch & share it below.

Wow, ODA in 2024 is at its lowest level since 2007, if we take out spending on refugees in the UK, according to a new @bondngo briefing. Sobering reading! Rebuilding Britain’s reputation as a reliable development partner: the state of UK aid in 2024 | Bond

I am pleased to repost @StartNetwork Annual Report 2023 and proud of our achievements of transformation and change. Still more to do…

📢Start Fund Bangladesh has been activated to support people affected by flood in Feni, Noakhali and Khagracchari districts in 🇧🇩 📍A total of £122,000 has been allocated with support from the @UKinBangladesh, @DutchMFA and @JerseyOAC 🫱🏾‍🫲🏽

Today, on World Humanitarian Day, I am thinking about all humanitarian workers. And especially those Palestinian aid workers working - and dying - in Gaza. ⁦@LinaAbiRafeh⁩ puts it all more eloquently… linaabirafeh.medium.com/are-we-acting-…

The administration’s new $20bn arms deal with the Netanyahu govt speaks much more loudly than this tweet.

Holy sh*t. This is the Harris-Walz rally in Detroit today Trump is so fuc*ed

Vice President Kamala Harris has secured the Democratic nomination for president — winning 99% of the participating delegates. Harris is officially the first woman of color to win a major party’s nomination, setting up her matchup against Donald Trump. nyti.ms/4du2q32