UN Releases $160 Million Emergency Funding for 12 Humanitarian Crises

Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cuba, Mali, Niger, the occupied Palestinian territory, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen will receive $150 million distributed through the Central Emergency Response Fund to support urgent needs .

A further $10 million has been set aside specifically to support people with disabilities across the 12 emergencies. The funding is intended to help humanitarian organisations make relief operations more accessible and inclusive for people requiring additional assistance.

OCHA said the latest allocation forms part of a broader UN effort to provide assistance to the 87 million people identified as facing the most severe humanitarian needs this year.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said the new funding would help humanitarian agencies reach vulnerable populations who could otherwise be left without assistance.

Fletcher, however, stressed that financial resources alone would not be sufficient to address the crises, calling for political action to remove barriers to humanitarian access.

He said governments and other actors needed to facilitate access for aid organisations and ensure that assistance could reach people facing life-threatening conditions.

OCHA said Afghanistan, the occupied Palestinian territory, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen are among 10 humanitarian emergencies where Fletcher has called for urgent diplomatic efforts to improve humanitarian access.

According to the UN agency, securing greater access in those crises could help humanitarian organisations reach an additional 11 million people among the 87 million prioritised for assistance this year.

The latest funding comes as humanitarian organisations face growing needs across conflict-affected and crisis-hit regions, while funding shortages and restrictions on humanitarian access continue to complicate relief operations.

The Central Emergency Response Fund is designed to provide rapid financing when major humanitarian emergencies arise, allowing UN agencies and partners to begin or expand life-saving operations before additional funding becomes available.