2016 Global Humanitarian Appeal to support millions of people in desperate need by UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs, agencies 6:00am 8th Dec, 2015   Warning that global suffering has reached levels not seen in a generation, the United Nations and its partners today launched their largest ever humanitarian appeal.    “Conflicts and disasters have driven millions of children, women and men to the edge of survival. They desperately need our help,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien said as he launched the Global Humanitarian Overview 2016 in Geneva, calling the outlook for next year grim.    The “brutal, extended” conflicts in Syria, Iraq, South Sudan and Yemen will remain among the greatest drivers of prolonged humanitarian needs in 2016, fuelling new displacement within countries and across borders, the appeal said.    Worldwide, the number of people forced to flee their homes has already reached 60 million, a level previously unknown in the post-World War II era, half of them children.    “UN agencies and our partners are committed to do everything we can to respond quickly and effectively to the urgent needs of affected people, families, and communities,” said Mr. O’Brien, who heads the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). “They count on us all today for their tomorrow. I urge the international community to respond generously again to our call for funding to allow us to do the job.”    The appeal is the culmination of a global effort in which hundreds of organizations delivering food, shelter, medicine, protection, emergency education and other basic assistance to people in conflict- and disaster-affected regions come together to assess needs, decide response strategies and present their plans to donors.    “Mass movement of people, be it refugees or people fleeing within their own countries, has become the new defining reality of the 21st century,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres told the launching ceremony.    “The international humanitarian system is all too often the only safety net that exists for people fleeing wars. It has to be funded on a scale that’s realistic and commensurate with today’s immense challenges. It is clear that with the present level of resources, we are not able to provide even the very minimum in both core protection and life-saving assistance.”    UN World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan stressed the disastrous effects conflict and natural disasters are having on global health.    “The number of people now affected by conflicts and other crises is unprecedented, with an unprecedented impact on their health,” she said. “WHO and its partners are committed to ensuring that everyone - especially women and children – get the health care they require more funding in order to do so.”    Mr. O’Brien highlighted that the conflicts wracking the world from Syria and Yemen to Ukraine and Nigeria had resulted in “millions of people being trapped in conflict zones and subjected to flagrant human rights abuses.” “With the level of violence unspeakable”    Addressing under-funding requires a range of measures, including adjusting the approach to protracted crises and disasters, leveraging diverse funding sources, using the right mix of financial instruments for each situation and investing more in preparedness.    “Faced with ever-growing needs, we rely on the international community, Governments and the public to give their support and resources – financially and in kind – to allow us to continue humanitarian action”. “Our shared aims are to end suffering, meet the immediate needs of crisis-affected people, keep them safe from harm and enable them to live in dignity.”    Geneva, 7 December 2015    Remarks to the press by UN-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien.    Today we launch the Global Humanitarian Overview for 2016, the annual appeal to support millions of people in desperate need across the world.    I will offer you some of the key facts about the state of humanitarian affairs and funding in the world as we approach 2016.    The appeal outlines the priority humanitarian needs across 37 countries. The overall picture is bleak. Human suffering has reached levels not seen since the Second World War: more than 125 million people will need humanitarian assistance to survive in 2016.    Of those, we target the most vulnerable 87.6 million people. We appeal with our partners for $20.1 billion dollars to do so. This amount is five times the level of funding we needed a decade ago and it is the largest appeal we have ever launched.    To develop this Global Humanitarian Overview we have worked with all partners to ensure our efforts are effective and strategic and give our donors maximum value for money.    Today, humanitarians deliver more aid in more places and at a higher standard than ever before. Each year, more is expected of us.    In 2016, protracted conflict will continue to be the greatest driver of human suffering and will take up the bulk of our funding requirements.    We remain convinced that the only means to end the suffering in Yemen, Central African Republic, Nigeria, South Sudan, Syria and beyond, are political solutions.    But in these protracted conflicts, international political solutions remain elusive and humanitarians are expected to intervene year after year and often asked to step in and run essential services – health care, clean water, schools – where these have broken down. This is a key factor driving up the global requirements.    Natural disasters are also expected to worsen next year linked to the El Niño climatic event which is estimated to be the strongest on record. Already El Niño has led to Central America’s worst - ever recorded drought and Ethiopia’s worst drought in 30 years.    In 2015, donors have been generous, providing $9.7 billion in support of our response plans. The results are many, and they are tangible.    For example: In Somalia this year, we treated 220,000 children for acute malnutrition; in Mali, food was delivered to 1.6 million people; in South Sudan, more than 2 million people were provided with timely access to safe water; and in Syria, over 9 million people received medical care – all of these efforts amid insecurity and highly compromised humanitarian access.    But the level of suffering in the world continues to outpace the funding we need to address it comprehensively. We approach the end of this year with a record funding gap of $10.2 billion dollars.    To address this dire situation we count, once more, on our partners and donors to show the generosity we have seen in the past. Together, we will translate the resources entrusted to us into saving lives and reducing the unbearable suffering of millions of women, men, girls and boys.    * The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors.    http://www.unocha.org/stateofaid/ http://webtv.un.org/watch/ocha-press-conference-launch-of-the-global-humanitarian-appeal-2016-geneva-7-december-2015/4648327025001#full-text http://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/programme-cycle/space/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2016-consolidated-appeal-support-people http://www.unocha.org/humanity360/ http://www.unocha.org/ http://reliefweb.int/ Visit the related web page
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