UN has recived 'under 10%' of relief effort funds for humanitarian crises by Frances Williams Financial Times 9:57am 8th Apr, 2005   April 6 2005    The United Nations, appealing for an additional $110m in aid for survivors of the Indian Ocean tsunami, on Wednesday revealed that it had received less than a tenth of the money it needed to relieve other humanitarian crises.    The revised tsunami appeal, for 5m victims in seven countries, brings the total amount requested for this year to nearly $1.1bn. It follows an emergency request for $977m in early January for the six months to July, which has already raised $870m.    Jan Egeland, UN under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs, said emergency relief for the victims of the March 28 earthquake that struck Indonesia's Nias and Simeulue islands was being funded from the tsunami appeal.    But, contrasting the unprecedented generosity towards tsunami victims with unmet needs elsewhere, Mr Egeland urged donors to direct further resources to helping 30 million people affected by “forgotten” crises in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.    He said 92 governments had pledged a total of $5.8bn for tsunami relief and reconstruction with private individuals and companies promising billions more. But the UN had so far received only $168m or less than 10 per cent of the $1.7bn it had requested this year for other crises.    The $1.7bn appeal was “one fifth of what Europe spends on icecream in a year, or the equivalent to two-and-a-half fighter jets”, Mr Egeland said.    Just $181,000 had been donated towards the $40m needed for humanitarian aid following internecine fighting in Ivory Coast which he described as “one of the worst crises in the world”.    Less than 5 per cent of requested aid had arrived for some other African nations and for Chechnya.    Ahead of a conference on Thursday in Jakarta to discuss corruption prevention in the tsunami relief effort, Mr Egeland praised the “extraordinarily effective effort”put in by the UN and other agencies immediately following the December 26 disaster.    The aid had averted a feared aftermath of deaths from hunger and disease.    But he said the current phase of recovery and restoration of livelihoods was considerably more complex, predicting several months of difficult transition between relief and development.    “In most cases, the UN and its partners do not seek more money and pledge to use existing resources strategically and efficiently with increasing emphasis on shelter, livelihoods and recovery”, the UN said in a mid-term review of the tsunami appeal presented to donors in Geneva.    Mr Egeland cited problems of land tenure and property rights in rehousing tsunami-hit communities, and the need to consult survivors on development plans.    With some 300 international agencies working in Aceh, Indonesia, and a similar number in Sri Lanka, UN coordination was more necessary than ever, he added.
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