United Nations Coordinated Appeals
As of 31 March, United Nations Coordinated Appeals and Refugee Response Plans within the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) require US$23.8 billion to meet the humanitarian needs of 98.2 million crisis-affected people in 36 countries. Needs and financial requirements have increased due to the release of Flash Appeals for Kenya requesting $165.9 million, Madagascar requiring $20.1 million and Mozambique seeking $10.2 million. The appeals are funded at $3.5 billion, leaving a shortfall of $20.3 billion. Also, this period saw the release and final figures of response plans for Syria ($3.41 billion), Iraq ($984.7 million) and Ethiopia ($948.6 million).
In Central African Republic (CAR) humanitarian partners are withdrawing because of funding shortages, which have led to the partial suspension of food distributions since February. In Mali, 3.7 million people need life-saving humanitarian assistance this year, including 142,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, and 495,000 people who will be severely food insecure during the lean season in June-August. Please see icon overleaf for information on urgent funding needs in Haiti, Libya, Myanmar, Ukraine, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
One month after the Secretary-General’s call for urgent funding of $4.4 billion for priority interventions to strengthen the response and prevention of famine in north-east Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen, donors have reported more than $800 million which is 20% of the requirements of the priorities in the Response Plans. As the situation continues to deteriorate more funding is needed: there is still time to avert catastrophe for immediate, timely and flexible funding to the humanitarian response plans.
The highest increase in reported funding this month is for Niger (35% increase), followed by Somalia (30% increase), South Sudan (17% increase) and Burundi (13% increase). The new Flash Appeals for Kenya, Madagascar and Mozambique all received low reported funding in their first weeks of release - less than 2% of requirements - and Senegal is yet to have funding reported against its response plan. The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has approved $140 million for 16 countries, including $36.5 million for drought response in the Horn of Africa and $22 million to respond to Boko-Haram-related violence Nigeria. CERF also approved a $22 million loan to FAO to scale up action for famine prevention in Somalia. In March, $10 million was approved for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and $2 million for critical priorities following Cyclone Dineo in Mozambique. For 2017, 19 countries have contributed $161 million to CERF, and $176.1 million remain as pledges. Additional commitments expected based on past contributions and current exchange rates indicate a projected funding shortfall of approximately $45 million on the $450 million annual target for 2017.
As of end March, country-based pooled funds (CBPFs) have received a total of $145 million (including $61 million in pledges), from 12 donors. Some $37 million have already been allocated to humanitarian partners, including $16 million in Ethiopia and $15 million in Somalia as part of the famine response. Of that amount, 60% went to international NGOs, 21% to UN organizations, and 19% directly to local and national NGOs. Another $88 million worth of project proposals are currently being reviewed across the funds. Real-time information on CBPF contributions and allocations is available on http//gms.unocha.org
