The United Nations (UN) on Wednesday requested 47 billiondollars in aid for 2025 to assist approximately 190 million people fleeing conflicts and facing hunger, at a time when this year’s humanitarian appeal is less than half-funded and officials fear aid cuts from Western states, including the largest donor, the United States (U.S.).
Faced with what the new UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher described as “an unprecedented level of suffering,” the World Organization hopes to reach people in 32 countries next year, including those in war-torn Sudan, Syria, Gaza, and Ukraine.
“The world is on fire, and this is how we are putting it out,” Fletcher told reporters in Geneva.
“We need to reset our relationship with those on the planet who need it most,” said Fletcher, a former United Kingdom (UK)diplomat who took office last month as head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The appeal is the fourth largest in OCHA’s history, but Fletcher noted that it excludes around 115 million people whose needs the agency realistically cannot fund.
“We must be absolutely focused on reaching those most in need of help,” he stated.
The UN reduced its 2024 appeal to 46 billion dollars from 56 billion dollars the previous year as donor “appetite” diminished, but it remains only 43% funded, one of the worst funding rates in history. Washington has contributed over 10 billion dollars, roughly half of the donated funds.
Humanitarian workers have been forced to make difficult decisions, cutting food assistance by 80% in Syria and water supply efforts in cholera-prone Yemen, OCHA reported.
Aid represents only a portion of the UN’s overall spending, which has struggled for years to meet its core budget due to unpaid commitments from member states.
