HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES FACE $2.25 BILLION SHORTFALL

HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES FACE $2.25 BILLION SHORTFALL

NEW YORK/GENEVA, 15 June (OCHA) -- The United Nations needs $2.25 billion until the end of the year to address the critical requirements of 49.4 million people affected by 25 crises in Africa, Europe and Asia.

At the launch of the Consolidated Humanitarian Appeals last November, United Nations humanitarian agencies and their non-governmental organization (NGO) partners appealed for some $2.95 billion to reach vulnerable populations around the world in 2004.  To date, only $696.8 million has been received.

“The humanitarian community faces a shortfall of $2.25 billion for implementing its programmes for the rest of the year.  The response so far is too little too late for millions of victims in forgotten emergencies.  Timely and increased funding is essential for effective response”, said Jan Egeland, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator.

Despite generous contributions from many donors, the financing of humanitarian aid remains inadequate and unpredictable for aid agencies.  One-hundred sixty-eight humanitarian organisations are working together to provide protection and assistance and their joint programmes are currently only 23.6 per cent funded. This is much lower than at the same time in both 2003 and 2002, when humanitarian programmes were funded at approximately 33 per cent.

Six months after the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) launch, the mid-year review details the funding response to date to the 2004 CAP.  It shows the measures that have been taken over the past months to strengthen humanitarian action and to ensure that people in need receive on time the best protection and assistance.

Prompt and equitable funding is needed.  The percentage of requirements funded in the 2004 CAP ranges from 49.5 per cent to 1.7 per cent.  The lowest responses have been for Burundi with 14.9 per cent, Sudan 14.9 per cent, Zimbabwe 12.8 per cent, Guinea 10.2 per cent, Sierra Leone 9.9 per cent, Côte d'Ivoire 6.3 per cent, Indonesia 2.2 per cent, and Madagascar 1.7 per cent.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) manages the CAP, a United Nations-led mechanism created a decade ago by the General Assembly to ensure strategic and coordinated humanitarian response to crises.  Through the CAP, the international humanitarian community seeks to support governments in fulfilling their responsibility to assist and protect people in need.

For further information, please call:  Brian Grogan, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs New York, tel.:  (212) 963 1143; Elizabeth Byrs, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Geneva, tel.:  41 22 917 2653, mobile:  41 (0)79 473 4570.

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