Search
  1. Home
  2. Africa

UN worried by poor response to Africa's disasters

    ABIDJAN

    UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is "alarmed by the poor response of the international community" to the humanitarian needs of victims of war and natural disasters in many parts of Africa "which are nearing irrevocable crisis proportions," a senior UN official said on Thursday.

    UN humanitarian agencies and their partners require US$ 796 million to assist over 12 million people in Africa during 1999, yet only US$ 352 million has been received, Fred Eckhard, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said.

    He listed Angola, Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea Bissau, the Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and Somalia among countries with serious humanitarian needs that cannot be met due to inadequate donor response.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join