UN appeals for US $4.7 billion in life-saving aid

The high US$4.7 billion price tag on the United Nations’ latest global appeal, is because there are currently a large number of humanitarian operations and natural disasters, according to Jan Egeland, the UN’s under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator. "It’s not like we’re asking too much," Egeland told reporters after the launch of the appeal in New York on Wednesday. "For the equivalent of two cups of coffee per person for the one billion affluent people in the world, we would cover all the needs of 31 million people in a desperate situation for a year." Egeland’s comments followed a request made to the world’s wealthier nations by UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, for $4.7 billion to help 31 million people affected by conflict or disaster in 26 countries around the world. "In a world of plenty, continued suffering is a terrible stain on our conscience," the Secretary-General said. "It is inexcusable that we not strive, with every resource at our disposal, to eliminate suffering." Annan invited donors to attend a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on January 10, to outline their funding priorities for 2006 promptly. Humanitarian operations in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan and Southeast Asia, are said to have placed exceptional demands on donor nations. Egeland said that he was encouraged by the fact that this year’s appeal had been two-thirds funded. He hoped that next year requirements would be totally covered. The number of donors contributing through the UN has expanded. Egeland remarked upon contributions from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia for the Pakistan earthquake. "I think we are making progress and, yes, we expect oil rich countries to give us more," he said. The largest chunks of money in the appeal are for the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the UN says $2.6 billion worth of aid is needed. Egeland said the appeal for the DRC had risen as aid agencies had gained access to all parts of the country, and now "knew how bad the situation was." Other countries featured in the appeal include Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, the occupied Palestinian territory, Nepal and Zimbabwe. State Secretary Raymond Johansen of Norway also presided over the appeal launch. His country’s aid policy was "not about charity, but about partnership and solidarity," he said.