|
Donors have given more than ever in 2022 for crises across the
world but the needs have also soared amid unprecedented floods
in Pakistan and famine warnings in Somalia, the United Nations
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says.
"We know these are difficult times, not least after COVID where
budgets have shrunk and we've seen global recessionary trends,"
Jens Laerke, spokesperson for OCHA, said at a Geneva press
briefing.
"However the needs are sky-rocketing. It's out of control."
The latest drawdown of $100 million means that OCHA has spent a
record quarter of a billion dollars from the Central Emergency
Response Fund so far this year. Laerke did not say how much
remained. The fund enables the world body to respond quickly to
new humanitarian crises or underfunded emergencies without
having to wait for earmarked donations.
The money will go to life-saving programmes including in Myanmar
and Mali which are only 18%- and 28%-funded. In contrast,
Ukraine is one of just a handful of dozens of countries where
programmes are more than half funded, at 66%, according to OCHA.
Noting the late arrival of funds for crises in the Horn of
Africa and Pakistan, Laerke said some of the newly-released
funding will also be used for "anticipatory action" in Niger to
address the impact of drought.
"A common concern is that resources often get mobilised only
when the disasters reach peak point, the suffering is at its
worst, and the response becomes more expensive," he added.
(Reporting by Emma Farge; adding by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
