According to the Associated Press:
The U.N. humanitarian chief has released $42 million to help people suffering from hunger, disease and conflict in nine countries from Congo and Yemen to North Korea and Nepal.
John Holmes said Friday the United Nations has received insufficient funds from donors to meet humanitarian needs in the nine countries.
The money, from an emergency fund to help the United Nations respond quickly to humanitarian emergencies, will be given to U.N. humanitarian agencies and the International Organization for Migration. Through them, funds will go to humanitarian and other nongovernmental organizations to cover funding gaps.
According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, humanitarian actors in Chad and Congo will receive $8 million apiece, agencies in Yemen will receive $7 million, the humanitarian team in North Korea will get $5 million, humanitarian agencies in the Central African Republic, Djibouti, Eritrea and the Republic of Congo will each receive $3 million, and the U.N. team in Nepal will get $2 million.
The General Assembly revamped the Central Emergency Response Fund in December 2005 after world leaders decided to make up to $500 million available so the U.N. could act speedily to help people caught in conflicts, natural disasters and other emergencies instead of waiting for donors to respond to appeals for aid.
Since then, more than 116 countries and dozens of private sector donors have contributed nearly $2 billion to the fund, OCHA said, and it has disbursed more than $1.7 billion to help millions of victims of natural disaster and conflict in more than 76 countries and territories.
OCHA said nearly $415 million has been pledged for the fund for 2010.
Read the full story here:
UN gives $42 million to underfunded humanitarian crises in nine countries
Associated Press
7/17/2010
