UN relief chief: Humanitarian action cannot stand alone

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths’ remarks on behalf of the UN Secretary-General at the event “The Evolving Humanitarian landscape for 2023 and beyond” at the Riyadh Humanitarian Forum:

(As prepared)

 Honourable Heads of State, Heads of Government, Your Excellencies and ambassadors.

 I warmly thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for your invitation to UN Secretary-General, on whose behalf I speak today.

 We both thank you for your support, your leadership, and your engagement with the United Nations humanitarian work around the world. 

 Excellencies,

 The humanitarian landscape before us, which I will speak about today, is a rough and rugged one.   Needs are spiralling across the world. Humanitarian crises are piling on top of each other, and desperate people are looking to us in their hour of need. 

 The world is facing the largest food crisis in modern history, and famine is knocking on many doors.  Human rights, especially women’s rights, are under vicious attack in many places, punishing entire societies.

Tensions are high where injustice has been left to fester for decades.  In Ukraine, a brutal war is about to enter its second year. 

 And today marks two weeks since the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria claimed tens of thousands of lives and caused indescribable destruction.

Allow me to share some of the global numbers we have. 

 More than 350 million people around the world currently need humanitarian assistance.  We need almost US$54 billion to meet the basic needs of the worst affected among them. But experience shows that we can expect to raise barely half of that amount.

Each year, our count of people in need, and dollars to raise, takes another jump. The trend is clear, and there are three main reasons for this.

 First, old wars don’t end as new ones start. Conflicts linger on and become protracted.

 Second, the climate emergency is hitting the most vulnerable people worst. We’re in a constant race to mitigate its impact. 

 Third, economic collapse – fuelled first by the shock of COVID-19, then by the war in Ukraine – is pushing millions of people to the brink.

 And while these megacrises mount, the resources needed to respond to them are not keeping up.

Excellencies, 

 As humanitarians, our solidarity will always be with the people we serve. Our role is to listen to the local communities and organizations who are the first responders, and often the only responders, on the front lines. 

 Our mandate and mantra is “We don’t give up.” But to discharge this mandate, we need your help in practical and tangible ways.

 To end the wars and conflicts we know and to stop new ones breaking out, we urgently need a surge in diplomatic efforts.

 I thank all those pushing for peace at all levels.

 We also need to address climate change head on, because every flood, heat wave, drought or super storm leaves a humanitarian crisis in its wake.

 Decisive action to reduce emissions is long overdue. We must shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy at greater speed.

 Right now, a doubling of financing for climate adaptation is required, and we must ensure that the money flows to the right places. 

 It is unacceptable that the most vulnerable countries – those contributing the least to climate change – receive almost no climate money. This must be reversed. I hope this year’s COP28 will be a turning point for this.

Excellencies,

 It will come as no surprise that we need more resources to save lives today. 

Globally, more than 222 million people don’t know when or even if they’ll eat another meal. Forty-five million people are already on the brink of starvation. Most of them are women and children. Those are simply heart-breaking statistics.

 In response to this emergency, the Secretary-General has just announced an unprecedented $250 million from the UN’s emergency fund, CERF.

 This money will enable early action, getting ahead of crises in the making, including famines.  I thank all donors who have contributed to CERF. You have made this massive allocation possible. 

But we will need you to replenish the Fund and the other pooled funds we operate. We want and need to scale up anticipatory action with these mechanisms in the years to come.

 Excellencies,

 Humanitarian action cannot stand alone. We need all hands on deck. By working together, with the political will that is your currency to expend, we can stop conflicts, address the climate emergency, fight famines, and be ready for the next emergencies that inevitably lurk around the corner.

 Thank you.