iStock-1169552689-3
GENEVA, Sept 16 (dpa): Despite record government donations this year, the United Nations lacks the humanitarian aid funds required to make it through the year.
UN agencies are short US$32 billion to meet increased global needs until the end of December, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Friday in Geneva.
A total of $17.6 billion was received this year, more than ever before, but the deficit remains larger than ever as funding requirements reached $49.5 billion this year.
Worldwide hunger, displacement, conflicts and the effects of the climate crisis have contributed to the dire situation, leaving 204 million of the world's most vulnerable people in need of help.
"Millions of people suffer unprecedented hardship in conflicts, droughts, floods and other humanitarian emergencies where the scale of needs has vastly outpaced the resources we have available," said UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffths.
In some states and regions, less than 20% of the required aid to provide people with food, shelter and medical assistance has been received, an OCHA spokesperson said. This includes Myanmar, El Salvador and Mozambique, for example.
The best funded areas include Libya, Somalia and the Central African Republic, where between 69% and 79% of estimated required aid has been provided.
Griffiths released $100 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) on Friday to help aid underfunded humanitarian operations. That brings the total amount released from the fund to $250 million this year, a record high.
The money will be distributed across 11 states including Yemen, South Sudan, Myanmar, Nigeria and Bangladesh. - dpa
