– We risk not realizing what is happening in countries now being hit by the climate crisis and rising food prices. That could give us an unpleasant surprise, said general secretary Kaj-Martin Georgsen at Care Norway.

The organization has developed an overview in collaboration with media monitoring agency Meltwater.

The least talked about

5.8 million online articles have been reviewed, and a report has been prepared addressing the ten most neglected crises of 2022.

Angola tops the list with 1,847 articles, followed by Malawi with 2,330 articles and then Central African Republic with 3,711 articles.

The Sahel region in West Africa also stands out, including Mali, Chad and Niger.

– Every year, the situation in the Sahel is getting worse. The climate crisis and conflict means that more and more people have to leave their homes. The harvest failed, and many children did not attend school due to the security situation, said Georgsen.

Ukraine included last year

– Ukraine was included in last year’s report. It was a crisis in the making that we now hear every day. Ukraine is an example of how what we ignore today, tomorrow can directly affect us Norwegians, added the Secretary General.

A UN report shows that 339 million people will need emergency assistance this year, a figure that has increased by 44 percent in two years.

– The increased need for assistance places us who are rich with additional obligations. We must provide long-term emergency relief and development assistance, so that we can lift people out of poverty and reduce the need for emergency assistance, said Georgsen.

– The need for help is growing

As the need grew in Ukraine, Care noticed that the need for assistance was increasing in other countries as a result of the war in Europe.

– A few weeks ago I was in Burundi, which is a regular item on the list of forgotten crises. Everything is getting more expensive there, while climate change makes crops more erratic. “It’s difficult to tell people there that we have fewer opportunities to help because of the situation in Ukraine,” said Secretary General Georgsen.

He believes that not only are the crises at the top of lists of forgotten crises that don’t get enough attention in the media, but other humanitarian crises also often end up in the shadow of more click-friendly articles.

– Depends on media coverage

– Humanitarian crises, also outside Africa, suffer from under-reporting and lack of media coverage compared to domestic politics, celebrity news, cucumber news and other clique winners. Populations in crisis-affected countries depend on our attention to crises, because a lack of media coverage and public awareness means the crisis receives less financial assistance and political attention, says Care-topp Georgsen.

He believes that Norway has a responsibility to raise awareness of the forgotten crisis.

– Norway has an important voice and an obligation to highlight this forgotten crisis. The lack of coverage has a direct impact on the lives of those affected, and therefore Norway must ensure that the world does not forget the areas hit by the crisis and the people living there, said Kaj-Martin Georgsen.

Winter Olympics and Musk

The ten crises on Care’s list were mentioned in a total of 66,723 articles last year.

In comparison, 285,580 articles were published about the Winter Olympics in China and 248,132 articles about Elon Musk’s plans to buy Twitter, the organization said.