The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Friday warmly welcomed the commitment shown by donors at Thursdays follow-up meeting in Geneva to the UNs Humanitarian Appeal for 2006, but said more is needed particularly for those countries that traditionally get overlooked.
– The fact that 80 Member States came to this event and pledged more than 200 million US dollar (1,24 milliarder DKR) is a very positive development indeed. We very much appreciate the commitment, said OCHA spokeswoman Stephanie Bunker.
The pledges made at Geneva included more than 105,8 million dollar for Sudan and contributions of 308,9 million for Pakistan, which represents around 56 per cent of the 550 million dollar requested for the Asian country, Ms. Bunker said.
The Geneva meeting gave representatives of UN member countries the opportunity to state their humanitarian priorities as well as their funding intentions for this year. The public can keep track of how much is being donated by visiting www.reliefweb.int/fts.
Addressing the gathering on Thursday, António Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, called on the humanitarian community to work “based on fairness and responsibility” rather than to give assistance on the basis of “strategic considerations or the impact on public opinion.”
Ms. Bunker said that all the key speakers had emphasized that humanitarian funding should be “predictable, sufficient and timely” but added that the Genevas meeting was just a beginning and there was still much to do, particularly regarding certain African countries.
– Unfortunately, pledges of no more than 1 million dollar (6,2 mio. DKR) were made for countries that are historically under funded, such as the Central African Republic, Ivory Coast and Guinea, she said.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan launched the 2006 Humanitarian Appeal on 30 November, and this year is seeking 4,5 billion US dollar (27,9 milliarder DKR) for urgent support to 31 million people in 26 countries stricken by war, natural disasters, drought or a combination of such scourges worldwide.
The “Humanitarian Appeal 2006” comprises the consolidated Appeals for relief projects of UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Liberia, occupied Palestinian territory, Republic of Congo, Somalia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, the Great Lakes region of Africa and the West African region.
Flash Appeals, which are released in response to sudden onset emergencies during the year, are not included in the Humanitarian Appeal. Last year was a record year for Flash Appeals, with 10 issued and requirements totalling just over 2 billion dollar (12,4 milliarder DKR).
Funding requirements for major ongoing emergencies such as those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Sudan are included, though, with the latter country requiring the most funding for 2006 – 1,5 billion dollar.
