UN earmarks $100 million for poorly funded humanitarian crises

The United Nations said on Tuesday it was allocating $100 million to support poorly funded humanitarian crises in seven countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Sudan and Syria.

The funding, drawn from the United Nations' Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), is among the smallest in recent years as aid organisations are grappling to attract donations amid a flurry of humanitarian crises.

"This reflects the reduced funding that CERF received in 2023, its lowest since 2018, and the dire reality that donor funding is failing to keep up with soaring humanitarian needs," the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which manages the emergency fund, said in a statement.

Global aid needs reached a high of almost nearly $57 billion in 2023 as conflicts, including the war between Israel and Hamas, erupted around the globe, according to OCHA.

It said last month that the disparity between financial needs and resources had reached an unprecedented level of $35 billion in unmet appeals for financial support.

In addition to the DRC, Sudan and Syria, the emergency fund allocation will also be used to fund the crisis response in Chad, Niger, Lebanon and Honduras.