UN Issues Call for $22.2bn in Humanitarian Fund

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has issued a humanitarian call for $22.2 billion to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable 92.8 million people in 33 countries. 
"We face a time of immense global suffering and fear. The scale of humanitarian deprivation today is greater than at any time since the United Nations was founded. Despite successes elsewhere, more and more people are trapped in a cycle of vulnerability and need," Stephen O'Brien, the undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said. 
"Looking ahead to 2017, over 128.6 million people across 33 countries will require humanitarian assistance. Faced with the trend of increasing needs, the humanitarian community requires $22.2 billion to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable 92.8 million people in those 33 countries. This is an increase of 10 per cent since last year, and of 700 per cent since 1991. That's 25 years ago when the General Assembly passed the landmark resolution 46/182, still relevant today," he added. 
He added that the collective plans to meet people's needs are ready, noting that the best way to help those in need is now. "Funding in support of the plans will translate into life-saving food assistance to people on the brink of starvation in the Lake Chad Basin and South Sudan; it will provide protection for the most vulnerable people in Syria, Iraq and Yemen; and it will enable education for children whose schooling is disrupted by El Nino," said the international aid chief. 
O'Brien said the conflicts in Syria, Yemen, South Sudan and Nigeria are among the greatest drivers of humanitarian needs as they fuel new displacement within countries and across borders. 
"At the same time, the impact of El Nino-triggered droughts, floods and extreme weather is pushing vulnerable communities to the brink of survival. Responding to these protracted crises has prompted the humanitarian community to strive for better, faster and more effective delivery of aid, as highlighted during the transformational World Humanitarian Summit in May this year," O'Brien said.

Source: QNA