Iraq and Syria crises force UN to appeal for record funds Conflict in Central African Republic and South Sudan also stretching humanitarian efforts, as UN warns scale of need is outpacing capacity A man holds a knife to his throat in Bangui, Central African Republic. The UN has launched an unprecedented appeal for funds to respond to crises exacerbated by conflict in CAR, Syria, Iraq and South Sudan. The UN has launched a record appeal for $16.4bn (£10.5bn) of aid donations to help almost 60 million people in 22 countries next year, warning that the proliferation of crises in Central African Republic (CAR), Iraq, South Sudan and Syria is stretching humanitarian resources to their limits. Announcing the global humanitarian appeal on Monday, Valerie Amos, UN under secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said 2015 was going to be an incredibly difficult year for 57.5 million of the world’s most vulnerable people. “Over 80% of those we intend to help are in countries mired in conflict where brutality and violence have had a devastating impact on their lives,” she said. “We will continue to put people at the centre of our relief efforts and do everything we can to respond quickly and effectively, but the rising scale of need is outpacing our capacity to respond.” This year has seen a sharp rise in the number of people affected by conflict, with millions forced to flee their homes and left dependent on humanitarian aid. Although the appeal also covers Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burma, the occupied Palestinian territories, Somalia, Sudan, Ukraine and Yemen, more than 70% of the amount requested is needed for relief efforts in CAR, Iraq, South Sudan and Syria. A significant portion of the requested funds would go to trying to alleviate the Syrian crisis, with $2.8bn intended to help 12.2 million inside the country and a further $4.4bn needed to help 6 million Syrian refugees in five asylum countries. The UN estimates that the war in Syria has killed 191,000 people, displaced 7.6 million internally and compelled another 3.2 million to seek refuge in neighbouring countries. Last week, the World Food Programme suspended the distribution of food vouchers to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees after it failed to secure the necessary funding from the international community. It warned that the impact could be devastating for a displaced population facing a harsh winter. theguardian/global-development/2014/dec/08/iraq-syria-crisis-united-nations-record-appeal
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 18:24:37 +0000
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