UN agencies need USD 8 billion urgently
Date
1/13/2016 2:19:59 AM
(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) NEW YORK Jan 13 (KUNA) -- UN humanitarian and development agencies have appealed to member states for USD 7.73 billion in vital new funding for 2016 to help 22.5 million people in Syria and across the Middle East.At a briefing held early on Wednesday on the Syria Response (Humanitarian Response Plan Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan and Neighbouring Countries) the UN agencies said help is needed for 4.7 million refugees in countries neighbouring Syria by the end of 2016 as well as four million-soul communities hosting them and support for 13.5 million displaced and conflict affected people inside Syria.The Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) 2016 covers the activities of some 200 partners including UN agencies inter-governmental organizations and non-governmental organizations in Turkey Lebanon Jordan Iraq and Egypt. An amount of USD 4.55 billion aims to support people forced to flee Syria into the surrounding regions and the communities in which they are being hosted.The 2016 Syria Humanitarian Response Plan called for nearly USD 3.2 billion to provide humanitarian support and protection to 13.5 million people.With Syria's war heading towards a sixth year and with no end to the conflict in sight UNDP Administrator Helen Clark said conventional approaches of "relief now development later" will not work in Syria or in other protracted crises. Refugees she added host communities and internally displaced people in Syria need livelihoods. They need basic services like health education water sanitation electricity and garbage removal and they need hope for a better future she added.On his behalf UN humanitarian Chief Stephen O'Brien stressed that millions of people need assistance inside Syria and nearly 400000 people are besieged by warring parties and are effectively obstructed from receiving any kind of humanitarian relief at all.The Syria Conference on 4th of February to be co-hosted by Kuwait the UN Norway the UK and Germany will be an opportunity to shine a light on the human impact of the conflict particularly on women girls and young people he added. "It will rally support for accountability for abuses against civilians and the failure to protect them" he said.The UN official urged Member States "to send senior leaders to London to show the world that this crisis has full attention and commitment." The Syria appeals are part of the wider 2016 humanitarian appeal asking for USD 20.1 billion to reach 87 million people around the world launched last December. (end) mao.gta
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