UN Agencies Appeal For More Aid To Quake-Hit Turkiye, Syria

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) KUWAIT, Feb 16 (KUNA) -- Resident representatives in Kuwait of the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, High Commissioner for Refugees, the World health Organizations, the International Organization for Migration and the World Food Program issued a joint urgent appeal for meeting the needs of the earthquake-stricken people in southern Turkiye and northern Syria.
'The earthquake, one of the most horrible natural disasters in the Middle East, left extensive damage beyond repair,' OCHA Representative Nour Al-Qattan said at a joint press conference with heads of mission from WHO, UNHCR, IOM, WFP, UNDP and UN-Habitat on Thursday.
She noted that many countries, notably the State of Kuwait, partnered with aid agencies to get assistance and rescue teams to the people displaced by the catastrophe.
The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator has announced that the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) set aside USD 50 million in aid of the victims of the earthquake, Al-Qattan recalled.
She thanked Kuwait for its quick response and effective contributions to the life-saving effort in the wake of the catastrophe in Turkiye and Syria.
On his part, WHO representative Dr. Assad Hafeez said his organization delivered 72 metric tons of emergency assistance, including medical supplies, to nearly 40,000 persons in the quake-ravaged areas.
'WHO has 12 medical teams in Turkiye who conducted 12,000 surgeries,' Dr. Hafeez said, adding that the Organization spent more than USD 16 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE) for the disaster relief effort.
Meanwhile, UNHCR's Representative Nisreen Rubaian said the UN Refugee Agency appropriated USD 41 million for the emergency response in Turkiye and Syria.
She expressed gratitude to the Kuwaiti government for launching the first air bridge for delivering aid to the victims of the earthquake, noting that UNHCR would continue its relief effort in both countries in the coming days.
On a similar note, Mazen AboulHosn, chief of IOM Mission in Kuwait, said the Organization launched an emergency appeal for USD 51 million designated for non-food assistance, including shelter, healthcare and sanitation services for nearly 630,000 displaced persons in the coming three months.
IOM is in contact with the disaster the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority and other local aid agencies to coordinate the relief efforts in the provinces of Kahramanmaras, Adiyaman, Kilis, Osmaniye, Gaziantep Malatya and Diyarbakir, Adana and Hatay, he added.
Meanwhile, Director of WFP Office Omar Al-Essa said the Program expanded the scope of its emergency response to cover over 300,000 quake-stricken people in both Turkiye and Syria.
'We target helping up to 900,000 persons,' he told the press conference, noting that the Program delivered food parcels to more than 200,000 persons in Turkiye and 90,000 in Syria.
Nearly 12 million Syrian suffer from food insecurity and the WFP is in need of USD 396 million in emergency response, he said.
Urging the donors to increase their contributions to the WFP by USD 50 million, Al-Essa estimated the number of people affected by the quake at 5.5 million in Turkiye and Syria.
Similar aid appeals were issued at the press conference by UN Development Program (UNDP) Deputy Resident Representative Khaled Shahwan and Head of UN Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) Mission in Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf Region Amira Al-Hassan. (end)
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