UN Makes Record Aid Appeal    12/01 05:23

   The United Nations said Thursday that it is asking member states for a 
record $51.5 billion in aid funding for next year, as disasters and the ongoing 
war in Ukraine drive up humanitarian needs worldwide.

   BERLIN (AP) -- The United Nations said Thursday that it is asking member 
states for a record $51.5 billion in aid funding for next year, as disasters 
and the ongoing war in Ukraine drive up humanitarian needs worldwide.

   The global body's humanitarian office said the funds are needed to help 339 
million people in 69 countries, an increase of 65 million people compared with 
the same time last year. The appeal is a 25% increase on that made for 2022, it 
said.

   "Humanitarian needs are shockingly high, as this year's extreme events are 
spilling into 2023," said the U.N.'s emergency relief coordinator, Martin 
Griffiths.

   He cited droughts in the Horn of Africa, floods in Pakistan and the conflict 
in Ukraine, which have pushed the number of displaced people worldwide above 
100 million.

   "All of this on top of the devastation left by the pandemic among the 
world's poorest," said Griffiths. "For people on the brink, this appeal is a 
lifeline. For the international community, it is a strategy to make good on the 
pledge to leave no one behind."

   The U.N.'s annual Global Humanitarian Overview combines funding required by 
the global body and numerous nongovernmental organizations

   Current funding provided by member states is less than half of what's 
needed, forcing aid groups and agencies "to decide who to target with the funds 
available," the U.N. humanitarian office said.