UN Warns of Funding Shortfall Amid Soaring Crises

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Facts

  • The United Nations has appealed for $46B in funding for 2024 to continue its humanitarian missions worldwide, including in the Palestinian territories, Sudan, and Ukraine.1
  • The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its Global Humanitarian Overview for 2024, that over 300M people will need humanitarian support of some kind next year due to economic stress, climate emergencies, and conflict.2
  • UN aid chief Martin Griffiths has said that the body will target its needs to support "181 million of those 300." Griffiths also referenced other international NGOs which have likewise made appeals.2
  • In a statement, Griffiths said that the UN experienced its "worst funding shortfall in years" in 2023. Having "received just over one-third of the $57 billion required." 3
  • The UN will scale back its humanitarian operations in 2024, focusing on those with the gravest needs. The $46B funding appeal will cover aid for 72 countries; the largest single-country appeals include Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Yemen, and the Middle East and North Africa is expected to be the region with the most significant need.4
  • With the year coming to a close, current projections predict that 2023 will likely be the first year since 2010 where humanitarian donations declined compared to the 12 months before.4

Sources: 1Yahoo News, 2Reuters, 3Al Jazeera, and 4France 24.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Al Jazeera. The global humanitarian outlook for next year is bleak. Conflict, natural disasters, and economic pressures will continue to threaten the lives of vulnerable people worldwide. The global community must address this urgent flash appeal to further support the UN system — the lives of millions of people are on the line.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The Heritage Foundation. The UN system is not devoid of controversy. Inadequate oversight has left millions of dollars of funds open to misuse, and some development projects have been subject to fraud and corruption. As an organization, the UN receives an enormous amount of funding every year. Perhaps it's time to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the UN and its bureaucracy.
  • Nerd narrative, as provided by Metaculus. There is a 50% chance that the total expenditures of the United Nations System in 2050 will be at least $125 billion, according to the Metaculus prediction community.