UN releases 100 mln USD in emergency aid funds for 10 countries

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) — The United Nations on Friday released 100 million U.S. dollars for critical underfunding of emergencies across 10 countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Middle East, UN humanitarians said.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the money was authorized from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) by Joyce Msuya, the acting under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.
“In far too many humanitarian emergencies, a lack of funding prevents aid agencies from reaching people who need life-saving assistance, and that is heart-wrenching,” said Msuya. “CERF funding is an emergency cash injection of last resort to avert the worst and save lives when other humanitarian funding is inadequate. We urgently need increased and sustained donor attention to these underfunded crises.”
The office said more than one-third of the new funding from CERF, managed by OCHA, will support aid operations in Yemen and Ethiopia. Yemen emergencies will get 20 million dollars and Ethiopia 15 million dollars because people are grappling with the combined impact of hunger, displacement, diseases and climate disasters in both countries.
“The new funding package will also support humanitarian operations in countries beset by years of conflict and displacement, exacerbated by climate shocks and stresses,” the office said.
OCHA listed the other countries as Myanmar, getting 12 million dollars; Mali, 11 million dollars; Burkina Faso, 10 million dollars; Haiti, 9 million dollars; Cameroon and Mozambique each will get 7 million dollars.
The office also said two countries responding to El Nino-induced drought and flooding are included. Burundi will receive 5 million dollars, and Malawi 4 million dollars. Part of this allocation will promote climate-smart humanitarian action supported by CERF’s Climate Action Account, recognizing climate change as a critical driver of humanitarian needs.
OCHA said the 100 million dollars released on Friday is CERF’s second allocation for underfunded emergencies this year, following the release of 100 million dollars in February for seven countries — Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Honduras, Lebanon, Niger, Sudan and Syria.
“The combined 200 million U.S. dollars released this year for poorly funded humanitarian crises is the lowest amount in the last three years, underscoring the growing gap between humanitarian needs and the donor funding CERF receives to meet them,” OCHA said.
The humanitarians said 49 billion dollars is being sought to reach 187 million of the most vulnerable people in crises worldwide. However, only 29 percent of the funding has been received, leaving a 35 billion dollars gap. ■