Donors pledged US$1.4 billion (knap 8,1 mia d. kr.) on Wednesday for humanitarian aid in 2007 at a conference organised by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva.
Of the funds pledged, $280 million (1,6 mia. d. kr.) was earmarked for the OCHA-led 2007 Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP).
The UN still needs $3.7 billion (21 mia. d. kr.)for the CAP.
– We request only a few cents for every hundred dollars of national income, Margareta Wahlstrom, the acting UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, told donors.
– If some of the biggest economies improve their performance even partway to the level of the best, humanitarian action worldwide could be fully funded.
Wednesday’s donor-pledging conference, dubbed ‘Programme Kick-off’, follows the launch in November 2006 of 13 appeals for $3.9 billion (22,5 mia. d. kr.) by the former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. These appeals were made to help 27 million people in 29 countries. Since then, four others have been made, bringing the total to $4 billion.
Smith said at least 150 participants attended the meeting, during which 14 donors set out their funding intentions. The donors included the European Commission (EC), Ireland, Greece, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
