The United Nations needs $2.25 billion until the end of the year to address the critical requirements of 49.4 million people affected by 25 crises in Africa, Europe and Asia.
At the launch of the Consolidated Humanitarian Appeals last November, United Nations humanitarian agencies and their non-governmental organization (NGO) partners appealed for some $2.95 billion to reach vulnerable populations around the world in 2004. To date, only $696.8 million has been received.
“The humanitarian community faces a shortfall of $2.25 billion for implementing its programmes for the rest of the year. The response so far is too little too late for millions of victims in forgotten emergencies. Timely and increased funding is essential for effective response”, said Jan Egeland, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator.
Despite generous contributions from many donors, the financing of humanitarian aid remains inadequate and unpredictable for aid agencies. One-hundred sixty-eight humanitarian organisations are working together to provide protection and assistance and their joint programmes are currently only 23.6 per cent funded. This is much lower than at the same time in both 2003 and 2002, when humanitarian programmes were funded at approximately 33 per cent.
Six months after the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) launch, the mid-year review details the funding response to date to the 2004 CAP. It shows the measures that have been taken over the past months to strengthen humanitarian action and to ensure that people in need receive on time the best protection and assistance.