The large 25% increase over last year’s appeal is because there are 65 million more than in 2022 in need of emergency humanitarian assistance. Needs are increasing because we have been hit by the war in Ukraine, by COVID and by the climate.
A record $51.5 billion is needed to help 230 million of the world’s most vulnerable people in nearly 70 countries next year, the United Nations said Thursday.
The size of the appeal, 25 percent higher than this year’s, reflects the fact that the total number of people in need is 65 million more than in 2022, the UN and partner organizations said.
The needs are “outrageously high”, said the head of UN emergency aid, Martin Griffiths, warning that this year’s urgent needs were likely to continue in 2023.
“Needs are increasing because we have been hit by the war in Ukraine, by COVID and by the climate,” he said. “I’m afraid 2023 is going to be an acceleration of all those trends, and that’s why we say (…) that we hope that 2023 will be a year of solidarity, just as 2022 has been a year of suffering.”
A call that is a lifesaver
Speaking in Geneva at the launch of the World Humanitarian Panorama 2023 report, Griffiths described the appeal as a “lifeline” for people on the brink.
He explained that numerous countries have been affected by deadly droughts and floods, from Pakistan to the Horn of Africa. Moreover, the war in Ukraine has “turned a part of Europe into a battlefield.” More than 100 million people are now displaced worldwide. And all this in addition to the devastation that the pandemic has left among the poorest in the world.”
If the humanitarian outlook for 2023 is so bleak, it is largely because the demands for aid are already so high.
At least “222 million people (…) will face acute food insecurity in 53 countries by the end of this year,” Griffiths explained.
As for the threat of famine, he said five countries are already experiencing famine-like conditions. In those countries, many people, mostly children, are already dying as a result of displacement, food insecurity, lack of food and starvation.
By 2023, 45 million people in 37 countries are at risk of starvation, according to the Global Humanitarian Outlook.
The most vulnerable face several fronts
The report underscores that vulnerable communities also face pressure on several fronts, including health, as healthcare providers continue to struggle to recover from COVID-19, while mpox and other vector-borne diseases continue to rage, along with outbreaks of Ebola and cholera.
Climate change is also increasing risks and vulnerability, in line with concerns that by the end of the century extreme heat could claim as many lives as cancer.
To help communities on the front lines of the climate emergency, the UN emergency relief official said humanitarian workers must play a greater role in international climate discussions to ensure resilience financing for those most in need.
“In 2023, the humanitarian community needs to be much more organized and, indeed, need to be heard on how to be more transparent about climate pledges, be quicker in deciding to disburse the money and get it to the people for whom it has been promised.”
Griffiths said he expects it to be “very difficult” to get the full amount requested from donors, both domestic and private, whose generosity has been unable to keep pace with growing demands.
In fact, this year’s UN-led global humanitarian appeal is only 47% funded, down sharply from previous years, when funding levels used to reach between 60% and 65%, he explained.
As for Ukraine, the UN official explained that 13.6 million people have received assistance, and that a total of 5700 million dollars has been requested for the country and the wider region for next year. “As we go into winter this doesn’t get any easier,” he said.
Source: UN
