UN asks for £42,400,000,000 in emergency aid as 339m fight to survive worldwide

The global body’s humanitarian office asked member states to give 25 per cent more than it requested for this year, saying the number in crisis was up by 65million across 69 countries.

‘Humanitarian needs are shockingly high, as this year’s extreme events are spilling into 2023,’ said UN emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths. He cited droughts in the Horn of Africa, floods in Pakistan and Russia’s attack on Ukraine, which have pushed the number of displaced people worldwide above 100million.

‘All of this on top of the devastation left by the pandemic among the world’s poorest,’ said Mr Griffiths.

‘For people on the brink, this appeal is a lifeline. For the international community, it is a strategy to make good on the pledge to leave no one behind.’

The UN’s annual Global Humanitarian Overview gauges funding required by the global body and non-governmental organisations. Current funding from member states is less than half of what is needed, the UN said.