UN Seeks Record $51B In Aid For 2023
On Thursday, the UN and its partners launched an appeal for a record $51.5B in aid money for 2023, as the intergovernmental organization estimates that 339M people across 68 countries will need some form of emergency assistance next year.
Facts
- On Thursday, the UN and its partners launched an appeal for a record $51.5B in aid money for 2023, as the intergovernmental organization estimates that 339M people across 68 countries will need some form of emergency assistance next year.
- Due to the "extreme events" that occurred in 2022, the UN predicts that an extra 65M people compared to last year will be pushed into crisis amid climate emergencies, the war in Ukraine, and the worst global food crisis in modern history.
- The new estimate means one in 23 people will need help, compared to one in 95 in 2015. Next year will be the biggest humanitarian program the world has ever seen, according to the UN's annual Global Humanitarian Overview.
- According to the UN report, the global goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030 is no longer possible because there are 90M more people in poverty than previously projected. The job market is also still below pre-pandemic levels, as many nations struggle with rising inflation.
- Meanwhile, 10 countries have individually appealed for more than $1B, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen.
- However, donor funding is already under strain as the UN faces the most sizeable funding gap to date, with its appeal only about 53% funded in 2022, based on current UN data.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Guardian , Arab, Reliefweb, Forbes, and Bangkok Post.
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by UN News. Without adequate funding, the crises we've seen in 2022 will only get worse in 2023. Numerous countries have been hit by deadly droughts and floods, from Pakistan to the Horn of Africa, and the war in Ukraine has turned a part of Europe into a battlefield, creating food insecurity among the world's poorest. It's time to act.
- Narrative B, as provided by Reliefweb . Over the last few years, the world has moved from crisis to crisis, and funding has failed to keep up. While important, money is only one part of the equation: Rather than treating the symptoms, there also needs to be a concerted effort to address the root causes of the globe's emergencies, which capital alone fails to do.
