UN seeks 4 billion dollar in emergency aid for helping 27m

United Nations, Dec 1 (UNI) UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has made an appeal to the affluent countries for funds upto 4 billion dollars to provide necessary life sustaning aid and other emergency assistance to help millions of people struggling to survive in areas of conflict and natural disasters in 29 countries.

''These 27 million individuals seek not a handout, but a hand-up. For 2007, such assistance amounts to 3.9 billion dollars for basic life-sustaining humanitarian aid and protection -- or approximately the same price as two cups of coffee for each citizen in the wealthy countries of the world,'' Mr Annan said yesterday at the UN headquarters in New York.

The Humanitarian Appeal, 2007, is made up of 13 consolidated appeals for specific emergencies involving UN agencies, some 140 non-governmental organizations, as well as other international and local organizations seeking assistance. Aid to African countries dominates the appeal, with operations in Sudan seen requiring at least 1.2 billion dollars -- the biggest sum.

''This year Africa remains the continent most in need. Yet previous Appeal funds have made a remarkable difference. With your help, my fellow Africans are transforming despair into hope, and hatred into healing. They are resourceful and resilient, and they deserve our continued strong support,'' Mr Annan said, in what will be his last annual appeal as secretary-general.

The 2007 Appeal seeks humanitarian funding for the following nations - Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Palestine, West Africa, Uganda, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Chad, Burundi, the Great Lakes Region, the Ivory Coast, the Central African Republic, and the Republic of Congo.

It is also asking for less money than last year, which sought 4.7 billion dollars and received - as of October - 3 billion dollars for operations that helped the United Nations and its humanitarian partners feed 97 million people in 82 countries, including 6.5 million people in Sudan, as well as provide vaccinations and other essentials worldwide, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

The biggest donors for the year 2006 were the United States, the European Union, Britain, the Netherlands and Japan.

''I think it's a sign that the world is getting better, that we're actually asking for fewer dollars for a reduced number of countries,'' Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland told reporters after the appeal was made.

''It's important to recognize that the process producing these appeals has never been more comprehensive: 140 humanitarian organizations participate in these consolidated appeals. That's nearly 40 more than last year so this is a process that goes way beyond the UN system.'' However Mr Egeland noted that while the world's response towards emergencies has got better, particularly since the setting up of the multimillion dollar UN Central Emergency Response Fund earlier this year, he also called for greater effort and pointed out that last year's appeal was still only 63 per cent funded.

''Our main appeal today was it cannot continue with half-funding, two-thirds funding, the hat going around. And in some places we are doing fine, like we had oversubscription for the Lebanon crisis flash appeal this year. However, there are other places, like the Horn of Africa where we got only one=third, 34 per cent,'' he said.

''One of the ways that we would be fully funded, would be if the rich countries all are equally generous. The top one is Sweden.

[but] we're asking nobody to really bankrupt themselves for this, we're asking for a minimum of generosity from everybody predictably.

If the rich countries gave 1 cent per 100 dollars of their gross national product, we would be fully funded.'' UNI XC LL PM1123