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Syria conflict: UN in record humanitarian aid appeal | Syria conflict: UN in record humanitarian aid appeal |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The UN has asked for $16.4bn (£10.5bn; 13.3bn euros) for its aid operations in 2015, with almost half the sum - $7,2bn - going to help Syrian refugees. | |
Its last annual humanitarian appeal was for $13bn, making the new request a record for the organisation. | Its last annual humanitarian appeal was for $13bn, making the new request a record for the organisation. |
The UN's humanitarian chief said the amount would provide aid for almost 60m people in need around the world. | |
The request comes as aid agencies warn they are running out of cash to fund this year's operations. | The request comes as aid agencies warn they are running out of cash to fund this year's operations. |
Last week the World Food Programme announced it would have to cut food rations to Syrian refugees. | Last week the World Food Programme announced it would have to cut food rations to Syrian refugees. |
'Rising scale' | |
In its latest appeal, the UN is requesting $2.8bn to help those displaced by the conflict inside Syria. | |
It is seeking another $4.4bn to help more than 3,250,000 refugees registered in neighbouring countries. | |
"The rising scale of need is outpacing our capacity to respond," said UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos. "The crises in Central African Republic, Iraq, South Sudan and Syria will remain top humanitarian priorities next year." | |
Ms Amos said those conflicts accounted for more than 70% of the funding being sought. | |
Other major crises covered by the appeal include Afghanistan, DR Congo, Myanmar, Palestinian territories, Somalia, Sudan, Ukraine and Yemen. | |
However, the UN said it did not include nine countries in Africa's Sahel region, which will be addressed in a separate request in February. | |
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said: "This is not business as usual in the humanitarian world. Today's needs are at unprecedented levels, and without more support there simply is no way to respond to the humanitarian situations we're seeing." | |
The BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says relief never happens overnight - aid agencies need to plan, but to do that they need cash. | |
Food and medical supplies for refugees have to be purchased in advance, and field hospitals have to be delivered and built. | Food and medical supplies for refugees have to be purchased in advance, and field hospitals have to be delivered and built. |
Where Syrian refugees are concentrated | Where Syrian refugees are concentrated |