2023 came with its fair share of highs and lows, and we touched on some of these in our year-in-review newsletter. As we step into this new year, you can be sure that we at Minority Africa will continue to keep you up-to-date on minority issues across Africa and the world at large. To kick off the first Minority Roundup of the year, I’ll be sharing some already emerging news in 2024 around LGBTQ+ rights, Europe’s plans to find new countries for asylum seekers, and critical trends likely to leave millions in need of medical care, food, and shelter this year. But first, in Nigeria, where the enforcement of the Disability Rights Act will finally take effect in January 2024. In 2019, Nigeria’s National Assembly’s former President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Disability Rights Act into law. This Act criminalizes all forms of discrimination against persons with disability, and offenders will be liable to pay a fine or face six months imprisonment. The Act would also ensure equal access, social justice, and inclusivity across various sectors. However, the legislation wasn’t fully implemented, but with the recent announcement from James David Lalu, the executive secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), the Act is expected to be in full effect in all states by January 16, 2024. The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Beta Edu, and other relevant stakeholders are key players in ensuring the smooth integration of this law across the country. Trends driving humanitarian need in 2024 (and what to do about them Here are seven key trends likely to leave millions of people needing food, medical care, shelter, or other humanitarian aid over the next year, plus some ideas on what governments, aid groups, or individuals might do differently so 2025 looks a little better. We publish this list against a backdrop of ongoing conflicts and violence – in Gaza, Ukraine, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; in Sudan, Haiti, and Myanmar; and in so many other places where humanitarian needs are growing or have become a way of life for many. We also publish it with the knowledge that women and children, as always, will bear the brunt of the impacts. In 2024, Europe to hunt for new partners to offload asylum seekers From Ghana to Georgia, Rwanda to Albania, the EU is looking for nations that will hold vulnerable people on its behalf. Eight years after the image of three-year-old Alan Kurdi lying facedown on a beach in Turkey shocked the world, pictures of asylum seekers’ lifeless bodies washed up on the coast of Italy’s Calabria region in February once again stirred global outrage. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen responded to the tragic shipwreck just metres away from the coast of Steccato di Cutro by promising to “redouble our efforts”. “Member states must step forward and find a solution. Now,” she said. Yet as 2024 begins, activists and experts told Al Jazeera that 2023 has seen Europe reach for ever more drastic solutions to curb NGO search and rescue operations and outsource its border management to other nations. Feminist Manifesto: 11 things women want to see in 2024 At one point or another, most feminists have been informed that “Actually, women have never had it so good.” While there’s truth to that statement – most of us aren’t the literal property of our husbands anymore – true gender equality still feels far away. The fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022 serves as a painful reminder that our freedoms are hard-fought and easily lost. Earlier this year, a woman in England was imprisoned for illegally inducing an abortion during lockdown. While her sentence has since been suspended, it’s still extremely worrying that abortion is criminalized at all in the UK – not to mention that religious zealots are still protesting outside abortion clinics thanks to the new laws around buffer zones not being enforced. What’s At Stake for LGBTQ+ Rights in 2024? Anti-trans politicians will undoubtedly be busy once again this year, but LGBTQ+ activists and advocates have no plans to back down. After a year of legislation that relentlessly targeted LGBTQ+ Americans, the community is already facing another potentially record-breaking legislative session in 2024. More than 500 bills were put forward in 2023 seeking to restrict rights and protections for queer and trans people in arenas, from public restroom access to gender-affirming health care, and LGBTQ+ advocates do not expect that historic pace to slow down with a presidential election on the horizon. Embracing Change: Key Trends Shaping the Future of Work for People with Disabilities in 2024 As December is here, our focus shifts to the upcoming year.