FOREWORD
The UN-coordinated appeals for 2016 require an unprecedented US$21.6 billion to meet the needs of over 95.4 million people across 40 countries. Since I launched the Global Humanitarian Overview in December, Cyclone Winston swept through Fiji and an earthquake brought widespread devastation in Ecuador. The harsh effects of El Niño this year led us to revise the joint Ethiopia Humanitarian Requirements Document and develop a response plan for Zimbabwe. Funding requirements for new appeals issued since December (Burundi, Fiji, Haiti, Ecuador and Zimbabwe) and for appeals which have been revised are outlined in the pull-out poster inside this Status Report. Requirements of the plan for Sudan, now under development, are also included.
Our global appeal is currently 25 per cent funded. The World Humanitarian Summit echoed the fact that humanitarian action is woefully under-resourced and requires an immediate, effective and collective response. Underfunding jeopardizes the lives of people affected by conflict and disaster. To take just a few examples: underfunding means that the UN and its partners cannot adequately meet the needs of 13.5 million people whose lives have been overturned by the Syria crisis. It means humanitarian assistance cannot be assured in the critical post-electoral phase in Central African Republic where some humanitarian partners are withdrawing their operations from the country. It means further deterioration in the lives of half the population of the Lake Chad Basin, the scene of one of the world’s most neglected crises. And it means that humanitarian partners in Myanmar will be unable to provide for the food security, health, protection and livelihood needs of 1 million people in 2016. As I write, I hear that medical facilities in Iraq are today closing down due to depletion of international funding, and renewals simply not coming through.
We are grateful to our donors for their commitment and support so far this year, and for recognizing that the UN-coordinated appeals ensure a coherent, strategic and well-planned response to crises. We stand ready and resolute to continue providing vital humanitarian assistance across the world wherever and whenever needs arise and to whoever is in need. Donor support in the first half of 2016 has enabled us to deliver critical, life-saving relief. It is now incumbent on us to do substantially more to invest in the lives of millions of people bearing the brunt of crises around the globe. Their needs cannot wait. With more funding, millions of displaced women, girls, boys, and men will eat nutritious food, drink clean water and reap the benefits of good health, shelter, an education and protection. Investing in the survival and dignity of millions in need is investing in our shared, common humanity.
Stephen O’Brien
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator