UN calls for political will, and more funding to address humanitarian crisis

As humanitarian needs spiral across the world, political will and funding are required to address war, climate change and other drivers of the crises, the United Nations says.

Addressing the Humanitarian Forum in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths warned the world is facing the largest food crisis in modern history and famine is looming.

He said human rights – especially women’s rights – are under attack and tensions were already high in places where injustice is rife.

“More than 350 million people around the world currently need humanitarian assistance,” Griffiths said.

READ MORE:
* NZ aid worker at heart of war-torn Syria’s earthquake misery
* How to help Turkey and Syria after devastating earthquake
* Sarah ‘Norm’ Stuart-Black looks to the future after facing disaster after disaster
* New Zealand again falls short of meeting commitment to refugees

The Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum is held every two years and is attended by humanitarian leaders, donors, practitioners, researchers and those promoting dialogue on legislative, informational and logistical mechanisms for delivering humanitarian aid.

Griffiths told the forum it’s been two weeks since the devastating earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria – leaving tens of thousands dead and more than a million people homeless.

In Aotearoa, 11 people were killed, hundreds still unaccounted for and thousands displaced after Cyclone Gabrielle wreaked havoc on the country last week.

“We need almost $54 billion [NZ$86.3b] to meet the basic needs of the worst affected among them, but experience shows that we can expect to raise barely half of that amount,” Griffiths said.

“These numbers continue to rise due to three main reasons: protracted conflict, the climate emergency, and an economic collapse fuelled by the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.”

While these “megacrises” mount, resources are not keeping up, the UN relief said.

Surge in diplomacy as millions go hungry

Griffiths underscored the role humanitarians have in responding to crises, adding that their mandate and mantra is “we don’t give up”.

But he also called for practical and tangible help in discharging this mandate.

“To end the wars and conflicts we know and to stop new ones breaking out, we urgently need a surge in diplomatic efforts,” he said.

“We also need to address climate change head on, because every flood, heat wave, drought or super storm leaves a humanitarian crisis in its wake,” Griffiths said.

Today, humanitarians need more resources to save lives, Griffiths said as he shared some “heartbreaking statistics” to the Riyadh forum.

“Globally, more than 222 million people do not know when they will eat another meal, and 45 million people, mainly women and children, are already on the brink of starvation,” he said.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres last week announced a US$250 million (NZ$399.6m) allocation from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

Griffiths said the funding would enable early action, but he called for donors to scale up their support.

“Humanitarian action cannot stand alone. We need all hands on deck,” he said.

“By working together – with the political will that is your currency to expend – we can stop conflicts, address the climate emergency, fight famines, and be ready for the next emergencies that inevitably lurk around the corner.”

The Riyadh Humanitarian Forum ends on Thursday.