UN, Aid Agencies seek humanitarian support for 52 million people in 2014 by UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 1:45pm 4th Jan, 2014   An unprecedented number of people are beginning 2014 either internally displaced or as refugees, the United Nations humanitarian chief warned today, urging sustained support for millions who have been driven from their homes by violence and bloodshed or uprooted by devastating natural disasters.    “2013 was a real test of the global humanitarian system, and there is no indication that 2014 will be any different,” said UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos, briefing reporters in New York on the past year, which was marked by the international community’s efforts to ease suffering in war-torn Syria and typhoon-hit Philippines, and the year ahead, which has opened amid sectarian fighting in both Central African Republic and South Sudan.    “It is clear that the United Nations and its partners will be needed more than ever,” she said, noting that just a little more than two weeks ago, the Organization had launched its largest ever funding appeal – nearly $13 billion – to reach millions of people with life-saving aid in 2014, with half of that sought for those affected by the deepening crisis in Syria.    Tragically since then, inter-communal fighting has shattered the world’s youngest nation – South Sudan – and bloody violence has spread throughout the Central African Republic, where a worrying crisis has been unfolding against a backdrop of abject poverty and a collapsing State. “The world’s collective response capacity and resources are being stretched to the limit,” she said, stressing that more funds will be needed to address emerging needs.    In South Sudan, violence has driven an estimated 194,000 people from their homes in a matter of weeks with more than 57,000 seeking protection at UN missions.    Some 107,000 people have been reached with assistance, Ms. Amos said, adding that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which she heads, aims to reach over 600,000 people in the first three months on this year.    She expressed deep concern about ongoing disturbing reports of gross violations of human rights and the lack of protection of civilians, “Aid organizations need access to affected communities to provide shelter, health care and clean water. People’s lives depend on this.”    In Syria, where over 100,000 people have been killed since the conflict erupted in March 2011, Ms. Amos noted that the collapse of the country’s infrastructure, ongoing targeting of civilians and militarization of schools and hospitals remain ongoing concerns, with some 6.5 million people displaced and more than 2.3 million seeking refuge in neighbouring countries.    “We continue to stress the need for a political solution to the crisis. Every day that passes leads to further deterioration of the situation,” Ms. Amos said adding that the funding need is “unprecedented”.    On the Central African Republic, Ms. Amos noted that violence and unrest continue against the backdrop of abject poverty and the collapse of the State, with more than one of six residents internally displaced, an equivalent of more than 800,000 people, and a half-million hungry.    In Sudan, aid workers continue to face challenges accessing South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, with limited access also to Darfur whose crisis is now entering its tenth year.    Large-scale displacement is also a concern in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where 2.7 million people remain uprooted, 65 per cent of them in the Kivu provinces alone.    The surrender of the M23 rebel group in early November last year raised hopes of progress, “but security is volatile and the return of the displaced remains an elusive goal,” Ms. Amos said.    In addition to displacement, aid workers in the country are grappling with food insecurity. An estimated 6.3 million people do not have steady access to food, resulting in half of all children under five years of age in the country being considered chronically malnourished.    Similarly, in Somalia, where a fragile political landscape and rampant insecurity continue to pose operational challenges for aid workers, 3.2 million people are in need of assistance with malnutrition rates topping some of the highest in the world.    In Mali and eight other countries in the Sahel which are high on OCHA’s agenda, around 16 million people are at risk of hunger due to fighting and rapid population grown.    The UN relief arm is following a twin track approach in the region, delivering food and other assistance to vulnerable people, while working to strengthen the ability of the people and the Governments in the region to build resilence to future shocks as a result of drought and other natural disasters.    Among other countries cited, Ms. Amos also noted the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan, Haiti and Myanmar.    16 December 2013    The United Nations and its partners will need nearly $13 billion in funding to reach millions of people with life-saving aid in 2014, with half of that sought for those affected by the deepening crisis in Syria.    The $6.5 billion sought to assist millions of Syrians inside the country and across the region is the biggest amount so far requested for a single humanitarian emergency. The conflict, which began in March 2011, has left some 8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.    “As we look towards the fourth year of this appalling crisis, its brutal impact on millions of Syrians is testing the capacity of the international community to respond,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos said at the launch of the appeals in Geneva.    In total, aid agencies are aiming to 52 million people worldwide with assistance, launching humanitarian response plans for 17 countries, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a news release.    Complex crises in Syria and its neighbours, as well as in Philippines and Yemen have displaced or affected 35 million men, women and children who need emergency relief, protection and basic services to sustain them on a daily basis.    The protracted crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) has deteriorated into a major humanitarian emergency with more than half a million people displaced and half the entire population in urgent need of aid.    “I have seen people in desperate circumstances in the Central African Republic and Yemen, the typhoon-devastated parts of the Philippines and in many other countries I have visited this year,” said Ms. Amos, who is also UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.    “It is hard to put into words their despair, but also the dignity with which they endure the most painful and difficult circumstances. We count on the continued support from our partners as we work to save lives and support the millions of people caught in crisis.”    A total of 568 aid organizations are participating with projects in Afghanistan, CAR, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Myanmar, occupied Palestinian territory, Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, the combined plan for Syria and neighbouring countries, and Yemen. The plans for the Sahel will be launched early next year.    “What is clear already is that 2014 will be a very challenging year for all of us. Globally, forced displacement levels are approaching record highs. It is critically important that humanitarian organizations are properly in a position to respond,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres.    Funding for consolidated and flash appeals reached an unprecedented $8 billion in 2013, exceeding the previous high of $7.2 billion in 2010. Despite the generosity of donors and individuals, funding of the coordinated plans and appeals is only at 60 per cent of requirements.    http://www.unocha.org/top-stories/all-stories/global-un-and-partners-launch-record-humanitarian-appeal Visit the related web page
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