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UN appeals for record $51.5 billion to help 230 million on the brink in 2023 — Global Issues


The size of the call – 25% higher than this year – reflects the fact that the total number of people in need is 65 million more than in 2022, the UN and partner organizations note.

‘Astonishingly high’

Demand is “incredibly high,” said the top UN emergency aid official, Martin Griffithssaid, warning that it is highly likely that this year’s emergencies will continue into 2023.

“Demand is growing because we are affected by the war in Ukraine, by COVID, by the climate,” he said. “I fear that 2023 will be the year of acceleration of all those trends, and that is why we say… that we hope 2023 will be a year of solidarity, just as 2022 is a year of solidarity. years of suffering.”

Speaking in Geneva at the launch of Global humanitarian overview In the 2023 report, Mr Griffiths described the appeal as a “lifesaver” for those on the brink.

Mother and child at Malnutrition Healthcare Center, Somalia

© UNICEF/Sebastian Rich

Mother and child at Malnutrition Healthcare Center, Somalia

Climate chaos, COVID, Ukraine

He explained that many countries have suffered from deadly droughts and floods, from Pakistan to the Horn of Africa. In addition, the war in Ukraine has “turned part of Europe into a battlefield.

More than 100 million people are currently displaced worldwide. And all of this is above all the devastation left by the pandemic on the world’s poorest people.”

If the humanitarian outlook for 2023 is so bleak, it is largely because the need for relief is already so high.

Hunger threatens to increase

At least “222 million people… will face severe food insecurity in 53 countries by the end of the year,” Mr. Griffiths explained.

Turning to the threat of famine, he said that five countries “have experienced what we call a famine-like situation, where we can confidently and unhappily say that people are living in poverty.” die as a result – and that tends to be children – from the loss of shelter, food. insecurity, lack of food, starvation.”

Domestically displaced mothers with their children attend a WFP hunger assessment exercise in Borno state, northeastern Nigeria.

© WFP/Arete/Siegfried Modola

45 million people could starve to death

By 2023, 45 million people in 37 countries are at risk of starvation, according to the Global Humanitarian Review.

It highlights that vulnerable communities also face pressure on several fronts including health, as healthcare providers continue to struggle to recover from COVID-19, and while mpox and other vector-borne diseases continue, along with outbreaks of Ebola and cholera.

Climate change is also increasing risk and vulnerability, Griffiths said, in line with concerns that by the end of the century, extreme heat could claim the lives of as many as people. with cancer.

humanitarian role

To help communities on the front lines of the climate emergency, the head of the UN’s emergency relief agency insists that humanitarian organizations should play a bigger role in discussions. on climate change, to secure recovery funding for those most in need.

“In 2023, the humanitarian community that I think needs to be a lot more organized and really speak out about how to be more transparent about climate commitments, quicker to make disbursement decisions and get money promised to the recipients. promised.”

Reality

Mr Griffiths said he thinks it will be “very difficult” to get the full amount requested from both domestic and private donors, whose generosity cannot keep up with the growing demand. get a raise.

He explained that the UN-led Global Humanitarian call this year was funded only 47% – a sharp drop from previous years, where funding used to be 60 to 65%.

Regarding Ukraine, the UN official explained that 13.6 million people have received assistance and a total of $5.7 billion has been requested for this country and the wider region next year. “As we head into winter, it doesn’t get easier or less,” he said.

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