A quarter of the funding for humanitarian operations goes to the UN
An appeal for international aid to raise one billion dollars for humanitarian agencies in Turkey was launched in February.
Soldiers from the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) load a truck on February 15, 2023.
Keystone/EPA/Kadia Christotulo
The United Nations has received only a quarter of the requested funds, or $268 million, for humanitarian support operations for people affected by the February 6 earthquake in Turkey.
“The first initial emergency phase — roughly the first three weeks — where we conducted search and rescue operations and brought in essential supplies to save lives, which has come to an end,” Door said. – Spokesperson for the UN Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Jens Lark, during a regular press conference in Geneva.
“We now have what we call a humanitarian emergency phase,” which focuses on the needs of survivors, he said.
Five major donors
On February 16, the United Nations issued an appeal for international aid to raise one billion dollars so that humanitarian agencies can help more than 5 million people in Turkey over a three-month period.
The United Nations has so far raised $268 million, Jens Lark said.
The five main donors are the United States, Kuwait, the European Commission, the United Nations Emergency Fund (CERF) and Saudi Arabia.
Sanjana Kuasi, head of the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs in Turkey (C), and David Gordon, deputy regional humanitarian coordinator, in Syria, February 14, 2023.
Keystone/EPA/Yahya Nema
At the same time, the European Commission on March 20 pledged one billion euros in aid for Turkey’s reconstruction, the next step in humanitarian action.
More than 9 million people were directly affected by the earthquake in Turkey and 3 million were displaced, according to the UN.
Flash call
UN Agencies have so far provided emergency food assistance to nearly 3 million people and distributed basic household items to more than 4.1 million people.
The United Nations launched a flash appeal in February for nearly $400 million over a three-month period for the roughly 5 million people affected by the same devastating earthquake in Syria.
The UN has received $364 million, or nearly 92% of the requested funds, Jens Laerke told AFP.
The top five donors are Germany, USA, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Sweden.
The UN and its partners have so far been able to provide shelter or tents to around 100,000 people affected by the earthquake in Syria. Overall, the UN Agencies made 45 cross-border missions from Turkey to meet with survivors, assess their needs, and coordinate the response.
AFP
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