UN SEEKS $3.8 BILLION FOR HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCIES IN 24 COUNTRIES

UN SEEKS $3.8 BILLION FOR HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCIES IN 24 COUNTRIES
New York, Dec 10 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations today <" http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/475d589d2.html">appealed</a for $3.8 billion to provide urgent support to 25 million people in humanitarian emergencies in 24 countries around the world, including Somalia, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Speaking at the launch of the Humanitarian Appeal 2008 this morning in Geneva, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said that "many humanitarian crises involving conflict continue, in Somalia, Sudan, the occupied Palestinian territory, and the DRC to name just a few – and people living in such extreme circumstances will need continued generosity in 2008.

"Floods, hurricanes, cyclones, and drought also struck more frequently in 2007, and this trend points to a future where aid agencies, and the world's vulnerable poor, will have to respond ever more frequently to climate-related disasters," he added.

The Appeal is made up of ten consolidated appeals for the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, the DRC, the occupied Palestinian territory, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, the West African region and Zimbabwe.

Some 188 organizations – including UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other international organizations – come together through the Appeal to meet the world's major humanitarian challenges in a strategic, coordinated, effective and prioritized way.

Mr. Holmes urged generosity among donors, noting that "although we know that legislators face many competing priorities, we are asking for merely a few cents of humanitarian aid for every hundred dollars of national income."

Also present at today's launch were UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres; Secretary-General of CARE International, Robert Glasser; and Founder and Chairman of Virgin Group, Sir Richard Branson.
2007-12-10 00:00:00.000

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