Briefs

Brief: After Trump Administration's 90-Day U.S. Foreign Aid Review, the Human Toll is Immeasurable and Will Grow Exponentially

On January 20, President Trump signed an Executive Order that began the assault on U.S. foreign aid and led to the illegal dismantling of USAID. After a 90-day review, the human toll is immeasurable and will grow exponentially.

Sudan crisis, two years on

Two years into Sudan’s brutal war, the humanitarian catastrophe has engulfed the entire country, spilled over across the region, and shows no signs of abating. Thousands continue to be killed, starved and raped as violence forces millions to leave their homes throughout Sudan and across borders.

Since breaking out in Khartoum in April 2023, the armed conflict quickly spread and escalated into the world’s gravest humanitarian crisis. All key indicators turned scarlet over the course of the past 24 months:
 • Highest number of People in Need ever recorded : For the first time in the history of modern humanitarian response, a single country reaches over 30 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. That’s 3 in every 5 people living in Sudan.
 • Highest number of internally displaced in the world with up to 9 million people forcibly displaced inside Sudan. Combined with over 3.7 million refugees and returnees in neighboring countries, nearly 13 million people have fled violence in the past 2 years, making it one of the largest displacement crises post-World War II.
• Highest number of people in emergency or catastrophic levels of hunger, with over 600,000 people living in famine, and 8 million others on the cliff edge.

Cuts to the Internal Revenue Service are a Gift to Billionaire Tax Cheats

Some of the very wealthiest people already fail to pay what they legally owe in taxes to the tune of over $200 billion a year. As part of an effort to further rig the tax code for corporations and billionaires, President Trump and Elon Musk have proposed cuts to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that would allow rich tax cheats to steal an additional $110 billion from the public over the next decade. That’s $30 million more in stolen tax revenue every single day.

Water-Driven Hunger: How the Climate Crisis Fuels Africa's Food Emergency

This briefing paper examines the interconnected water and food crises in Eastern and Southern Africa, focusing on eight of the continent’s most water-insecure countries. The focus countries are hunger hotspot countries for 2025 according to the FAO and WFP. The report shows that to address food security, water security is fundamental.

The report demonstrates the importance of adopting an integrated approach that tackles water and food insecurities, emphasizing the importance of equitable access to resources and improved coordination between sectors such as water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), food security and nutrition. It also points out the challenges of localizing climate models, securing funding for adaptation, and responding to loss and damage.

The brief was developed using a combination of desk reviews and key informant interviews conducted at the country level to gather comprehensive insights.

Sector Profile: Technology

Publicly listed retail companies are some of the country’s most lucrative and diverse, yet data shows that they drive inequality across all four pillars we analyzed – People, Power, Profits, and Planet.

Innovative Pathways: When and how to use alternative approaches to Human Rights Impact Assessments

Human rights violations are widespread across global supply chains, with companies increasingly exposed to risks like forced labor and environmental degradation. While audits and certifications have proven insufficient in preventing such abuses, a more robust approach is necessary. A Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) is an essential tool that helps businesses identify and assess human rights risks by engaging directly with affected rightsholders. This process is becoming more critical, especially with new regulations like the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, which mandates comprehensive human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD) for large companies starting in 2027.

To make the HRIA process more efficient, some companies are exploring alternatives like joint HRIAs, sector-wide impact assessments, and rapid assessments. Joint HRIAs allow companies to share resources and expertise, especially when they source from the same suppliers or regions, while sector-wide assessments provide a broader view of industry-wide impacts. Rapid assessments are a faster alternative, focused on urgent or well-documented issues.

Regardless of the approach, companies must adhere to key criteria to ensure effectiveness: selecting appropriate targets, engaging rightsholders meaningfully, addressing root causes, ensuring transparency, and committing to action. These principles ensure that the assessment process is thorough and leads to real, lasting improvements in human rights practices. Cutting corners in the due diligence process is not an option.