UN launches record $22.2 billion humanitarian appeal for 2017
LONDON - The United Nations launched a record humanitarian appeal on Monday, asking for $22.2 billion in 2017 to help almost 93 million people hit by conflicts and natural disasters.
More than half of the money will be used to address the needs of people caught up in crises in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and South Sudan, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.
The appeal followed a trend of steady increases that have seen requests for funds grow almost three-fold from $7.9 billion in 2011.
"The scale of humanitarian crises today is greater than at any time since the United Nations was founded," UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said in a statement.
"Not in living memory have so many people needed our support and solidarity to survive and live in safety and dignity."
