UN fund to tackle famine in North east reaches $24 million
- The new United Nations (UN) fund set up to tackle the looming famine in the north east has made significant improvement
- The Nigeria Humanitarian Fund (NHF) allows donors to pool their contributions for a stronger and timelier response to the needs of those most affected by the ongoing crisis in the north east
- The money raised has reached $24 million
- The NHF is projected to receive $80 million by year-end
The new UN fund set up this year to tackle the looming famine in the North east has reached $24 million (N7.5 billion)
The contributions were made for a stronger and timelier response to the needs of those affected by the ongoing crisis in the region.
Development partners had raised an alarm that the victims face a high risk of food insecurity and disease outbreaks.
This year, the UN and partners are aiming to reach 6.9 million people with life-saving aid in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, which are those most affected by the humanitarian emergency triggered by violence perpetrated by Islamist group, Boko Haram.
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The appeal for 2017, detailed in the Humanitarian Response Plan, is for $1.05 billion, making it the fourth largest single-country appeal globally.
Peter Lundberg, the deputy UN humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria. said: “We need to do more, we need to do it quicker and we can always do better.
"Funding for the Nigeria appeal this year is pivotal, and I am delighted that donors are fulfilling commitments to the new fund, which will help us respond quicker to new priorities.
“But we need to step up our collective response – the $1 billion appeal is still only 20 per cent funded and millions need help in what is Africa’s worst humanitarian crisis."
The NHF was launched during the Oslo Humanitarian Conference on Nigeria and the Lake Chad Region in February. It plays a vital role in ensuring an effective, coordinated, prioritized and principled humanitarian response in the North east.
The NHF provides funding to international and national NGOs, UN agencies, funds and programmes, and Red Cross/Red Crescent organisations, with a focus on the front-line responders.
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The UN Office for the Coordinaton for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that 4.7 million people in the region are in need of food for survival.
It also projects that some seven million people are in need of multiple forms of humanitarian assistance. The UN estimates that 43,800 are already experiencing famine.
Watch the Legit.ng TV report below of kids who are victims of Boko Haram attacks.
Source: Legit.ng
