GENEVA, 23 January: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday called on donors to respond quickly and generously to a 3,8 billion US dollar United Nations humanitarian appeal, stressing that for the poorest of the poor, early funding means the difference between life and death.
Six weeks ago, the UN launched its Humanitarian Appeal 2008 – ten consolidated appeals for specific emergencies – seeking 3,8 billion dollar to assist 25 million people in two dozen countries.
To date, only one per cent of the funds requested has been raised.
– We are here today on behalf of people the world has all too often forgotten: the weak, the disadvantaged, those suffering the effects of climate change, violence, disaster and disease, Mr. Ban told those gathered in Geneva for the “programme kick-off” for the Appeal.
– The people we seek to help are among the worlds “bottom billion” trying to survive on less than a dollar (ca. 5 DKR) a day, amid chaos and wrenching inequality, the Secretary-General noted, adding that for them, humanitarian funds “mark the difference between life and death.”
Urging donors to “act now,” Mr. Ban pointed out that early funding enables agencies to start programmes on schedule so that assistance arrives quickly and continues as needed.
Funding delays, on the other hand, only add to costs in the long run as conditions spiral downwards. – And these costs include precious lives lost – a price too terrible to pay, he stressed.
The Appeal, launched on 10 December, seeks funding for crises in the DR Congo, Somalia, the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Ivory Coast, Uganda, West Africa, Zimbabwe, Sudan, and the occupied Palestinian territory.
Some 188 organizations – including UN agencies, NGOs and other international organizations – come together through the Appeal to meet the worlds major humanitarian challenges in a strategic, coordinated, effective and prioritized way.
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