UN launches
largest-ever humanitarian appeal for 2009
19 Nov 2008 23:40:33 GMT Source: UNICEF
By Tim Ledwith
NEW YORK, USA, 19 November 2008 – Donors,
civil society groups and non-governmental organizations gathered in Geneva today for the launch of the UN's 2009 Consolidated Appeal, or CAP, for humanitarian aid. It is the world body's
largest-ever annual humanitarian appeal, seeking urgent aid to 30 million people in 31 countries. "The 2009 appeal, totalling $7 billion altogether – 40 per cent more than at the
comparable time in 2008 – offers concrete help to these people in need," said Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes. Life-saving assistance
Among other goals, the appeal seeks funding to:
Feed 2.3 million people affected by conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Deliver life-saving help to 4.5 million people in the Darfur region of Sudan
Provide protection and assistance to 1 million refugees and displaced people in eastern Chad
Support millions displaced inside and outside Iraq
Provide water, medicines, shelter and emergency schooling to 3 million conflict-affected Somalis
Help give critical support
to 1.5 million Palestinians without basic services in the Occupied Territory.
"To put the $7 billion we are appealing for into perspective," said Mr. Holmes, "contrast it
with the sums that have been committed by governments in recent months to stabilize the banking system. We ask for less than a hundredth as much."Effects of armed conflict
In her presentation at the CAP launch, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Hilde F. Johnson highlighted the situation facing women and
children affected by conflicts around the world."In the last decade, more than 2 million children have died as a direct result of armed conflict, and more than three times that number
have been permanently disabled or seriously injured," she said. "An estimated 300,000 child soldiers – boys and girls under the age of 18 – are involved in more than 30 conflicts
worldwide."Ms. Johnson went on to discuss the massive wave of displacement caused by the most recent round of fighting in eastern DR Congo, as well as the problem of child recruitment by
armed groups there."UNICEF has protected 44,000 children in child-friendly spaces and demobilized 2,500, but this is not enough," she said. "Many of the children are abducted or
forcibly recruited. Others join to protect their families, or just to eat."Political engagement and resources
Beyond meeting the needs of children
and families caught in conflict, the UN appeal aims to support the survival and well-being of those affected by natural disasters. More than half of the 829 emergencies to which UNICEF responded
between 2005 and 2007 were natural disasters, as opposed to armed conflicts.Ms. Johnson pointed out that the number and severity of such disasters have steadily increased in recent decades,
with major storms and floods striking Haiti, Cuba, and Pakistan just recently. To respond rapidly and effectively to all of these challenges, Ms. Johnson noted, UN agencies and their
humanitarian partners need both political engagement and resources from the international community – including adequate funding for the 2009 humanitarian appeal."We truly
appreciate every dollar we receive – it helps us protect children," she said. "With the crises we now face, support and financing of this important appeal is even more
imperative."
A protester disguised as "U.S. President George Bush" tears a placard during an Amnesty International demonstration, in Lima, to demand the closure of the U.S. Guantanamo detention facility in Cuba November ...
