By Bliss Okperan
The United Nations (UN) has said it needs about $46.4 billion next year to bring life-saving help to around 180 million people in desperate circumstances around the world.
The UN on Monday said the wider Middle East, Sudan and Afghanistan were among the hotspots that also needed major international aid operations.
The global humanitarian outlook for 2024 was “bleak”, with conflicts, climate emergencies and collapsing economies “wreaking havoc” on the most vulnerable, adding that the size of the annual appeal and the number of people it aims to reach were scaled back compared to 2023, recorded a decrease in donations.
The UN aid chief, Mr Martin Griffiths, said that, “Humanitarians are saving lives, fighting hunger, protecting children, pushing back epidemics, and providing shelter and sanitation in many of the world’s most inhumane contexts.”
“But the necessary support from the international community is not keeping pace with the needs,” he added, noting that the focus will be on those in the gravest need.
Recall that the 2023 appeal was for $56.7 billion but it received just 35 per cent of that amount, one of the worst funding shortfalls in years. It allowed UN agencies to deliver assistance and protection to 128 million people.
In addition, 2023 is likely to be the first year since 2010 when humanitarian donations declined compared to the previous years, with few weeks left to go.
Meanwhile, Launching the 2024 Global Humanitarian Overview, Mr Griffiths said the sum was nonetheless a “massive ask” and would be tough to raise, with many donor countries facing their own cost of living crises.
“Without adequate funding, we cannot provide life-saving assistance. And if we cannot provide that assistance, people will pay with their lives,” he stated.
Adedapo Adesanya