UN emergency aid fund releases $110 million for neglected humanitarian crises

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Amid deep cuts to global humanitarian funding, the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund, CERF, on Thursday allocated $110 million to neglected crises across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The UN’s top aid official, Tom Fletcher, said that more than 300 million people urgently need assistance.

But funding has been falling annually, and this year’s levels are projected to drop to a record low.

“Brutal funding cuts don’t mean that humanitarian needs disappear; today’s emergency fund allocation channels resources swiftly to where they’re needed most,” he said.

One third of the CERF money will support Sudan and neighbouring Chad, which is home to many uprooted Sudanese.

The funds will also bolster the aid response in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Honduras, Mauritania, Niger, Somalia, Venezuela and Zambia.

Part of the allocation will go towards life-saving initiatives to protect vulnerable people from climate shocks, too.

Funding cuts impact aid for millions: UNICEF

Funding cuts to overseas aid levels in multiple countries are severely limiting the UN Children Fund’s ability to reach millions of children in dire need, the agency’s Executive Director said on Thursday.

UNICEF chief Catherine Russell highlighted cuts “by numerous donor countries follow two years of aid reductions at a time of unprecedented need.  Millions of children are affected by conflict, need to be vaccinated against deadly diseases such as measles and polio, and must be educated and kept healthy.”

She added that needs are outpacing resources and despite introducing efficiencies and innovation to their work, UNICEF teams have stretched every contribution to its limit.

“But there is no way around it, these new cuts are creating a global funding crisis that will put the lives of millions of additional children at risk.”

Funded entirely by voluntary contributions, the UN children’s agency has helped save millions, making “historic progress”.

Since 2000, global under-fives mortality has dropped by 50 per cent: “UNICEF implores all donors to continue to fund critical aid programs for the world’s children. We cannot fail them now,” Ms. Russell underlined.

Afghanistan: Lives and livelihoods on the line

Offering one snapshot of how cuts and shortfalls in aid are impacting one of the world’s most vulnerable nations, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric highlighted conditions in Afghanistan.

“Our humanitarian colleagues warn that Afghanistan continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis defined by decades of conflict, entrenched poverty, climate-induced shocks and rising protection risks, especially for women and girls,” he told reporters at the regular daily briefing in New York.  

More than half of the population – or 23 million people – need humanitarian assistance in the country, which has been run by the Taliban since they seized power from the democratically elected Government in August 2021.

Nearly 3.5 million children under five and more than a million pregnant and breastfeeding women are expected to become acutely malnourished, while explosive hazards continue to pose a lethal threat following decades of brutal civil conflict.

An estimated 55 people are killed or injured by ordnance every month – most of them are children.

Cuts already taking a toll

“Funding cuts are already significantly constraining the humanitarian community’s efforts to provide assistance to those most in need,” Mr Dujarric said.

In the past month, more than 200 health facilities have closed, depriving 1.8 million people from essential health services.

Malnutrition services for children have also been impacted.

“Our humanitarian partners warn that aid funding cuts will cost both lives and livelihoods – and undermine development gains,” said the UN Spokesperson.  

UN agencies and partners on the ground are urgently reprioritising programmes to ensure communities and areas most in need can be reached.