UN chief seeks US$ 1.7bn for 'forgotten crises'

NEW YORK, November 11, 2004 -- The UN Secretary-General has requested US$1.7bn to help people survive a web of forgotten humanitarian crises, mainly in Africa. "We are here today to sound an alarm on behalf of 26 million people struggling to survive the ravages of war and other emergencies," Mr Annan told North American, European and Japanese donor governments in New York today.
"Responding to this appeal will enable countries to work together, help millions of people in need, and make a vitally important investment in our common future," said Mr Annan. The UN chief has taken the unprecedented step of writing to donor aid ministers asking them to meet the requirements and state their funding intentions by mid-January 2005.

"Twenty-six million people in war-affected regions need aid to stay alive, and large numbers of them hope for improved conditions in the year ahead," said Mr Jan Egeland, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. "Hopes for recovery are growing in places like Burundi, Central African Republic (CAR) and Somalia, hanging in the balance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Côte d'Ivoire, and have diminished in the occupied Palestinian territory."

"Through this Humanitarian Appeal, 104 relief agencies together propose principled and effective action to save lives and reduce suffering," said Mr Egeland. "This Humanitarian Appeal for 14 emergencies is based on rigorous needs assessments, prioritization and coordination." Average requirements per appeal are 15% lower this year.

"Humanitarian donor nations must work together to make sure that populations in need are not 'forgotten,'" said Mr Egeland, adding that donors can get more for their money by contributing it early." The previous Humanitarian Appeal received only 52% of the funding required, and just 12% of it within four months. The overall shortfall also reflects a downturn in global humanitarian funding of 50% compared to 2003 and of 18% compared to 2002, when contributions to Iraq and Afghanistan peaked.

To find out more and have your say, visit www.humanitarianappeal.net.

Media contacts / interviews with Mr Jan Egeland, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs

Andrew Lawday: Tel: +1 (917) 367-4027 / Mob: +41 (0)79 444 37 15 / Email: lawday@un.org
Stephanie Bunker: Tel: +1 (917) 367-5126 / Cell: +1 917-892-1679 Email: bunker@un.org