One third of what is necessaryspecifically 33%, the lowest percentage collected in the last decade. This is what the United Nations Humanitarian Coordination Office (OCHA), the key UN agency, has gathered so far. to relieve people in the world who suffer from warsfamines or natural disasters, as reported by the organization itself this Monday.
Specifically, according to the dramatic count, the OCHA It still needs $33 billion to help some 135 million people martyred in different parts of the planet due to the consequences of wars, climate disasters, earthquakes, epidemics and food shortages. The reason: to date, OCHA It has only raised 15,000 million of dollars.
“We are in a time of brutality, impunity and indifference“explained Tom Fletcher, head of OCHA. “In 2025, hunger increased,” he added. However, “food budgets were reduced, even as famines affected parts of Sudan and Gaza. Health systems collapsed. Disease outbreaks skyrocketed. Millions left without food basics, medical care and protection. “Programs to protect women and girls were cut, hundreds of aid organizations closed,” he said.
In arms
The result is already painful. Due to reduced support, the UN has been able to provide aid to 25 million fewer people this year than last. “I know budgets are tight right now. Families everywhere are under pressure,” Fletcher continued.
“But the world spent $2.7 billion on defense last year. And I’m asking for a little more than 1% of that,” he denounced. “I want to shame the world for you to respond? Absolutely. But I also want to channel this sense of determination and anger that we have as humanitarians, that we will continue to give with what we receive,” Fletcher insisted.
The OCHA announcement comes after a particularly dramatic year on the humanitarian front, in particular due to the earthquake that has led to the dismantling by Donald Trump of the American USAID, which was the largest international aid agency in the world, and the cuts to the big European donors.
USAID
In fact, the end of USAID It has been harshly criticized by analysts and observers who, before it occurred, warned that its disappearance would leave a huge void in health, education and response programs to humanitarian crises. A study coordinated by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and published in the journal The Lancet estimated that cuts in US cooperation threaten to cause more than 14 million “preventable” deaths by 2030.
USAID was created in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy to channel US foreign aid. However, the agency has also been criticized for years for using that same aid as political influence tool to favor Washington.
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