ISLAMABAD: With a record number of people needing humanitarian aid around the world, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has announced $250 million for the United Nations Global Emergency Fund to help the most vulnerable people in some of the most forgotten crises.
A statement from the United Nations described the unprecedented 2022 floods in Pakistan as an ‘underfunded crisis’, and said the new funds would bolster the humanitarian response to combat protracted food insecurity in DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Honduras, Kenya, Lebanon, Madagascar and the impact of climate change in Pakistan.
The $250 million allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) will help people in 19 countries. This includes 8 countries – Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Mali, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen — that are home to more than 20 million people and just one step away from famine.
In 2022, the UN and its partners reached nearly 160 million people, but the surge in humanitarian needs is fast outpacing the ability to respond. This year, to meet the basic needs of 240 million people, nearly $54 billion is required, but it is anticipated
that less than half of that amount will be raised.
