USA Bureau

Tom Fletcher, head of the UN's Emergency Relief Coordination Agency 'OCHA', has sought $47.4 billion in funding for 305 million helpless people in 9 refugee-hosting countries and regions including Bangladesh and 30 other countries involved in war, riots and unrest.

It is to be noted that Tom Fletcher is performing this duty in his capacity as the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. In light of the emerging situation, in a statement on Wednesday, December 4, Tom Fletcher asked the world community for this money for 2025. He said to all concerned, due to multiple ongoing wars, climate change and chronic humanitarian law deficiencies, 305 million people will have to be provided with life-saving assistance (medicine, medical care, food, shelter, clothing, education, etc.) next year. Because, the whole world has fallen into a hot fire. We are now facing a global polycrisis that is hitting the world’s most vulnerable people hard. The helpless and vulnerable are paying the price for this. We are dealing with the impact of conflict – multiple conflicts and a long-term and more intense crisis of violence looming.

The latest assessment by OCHA, a coalition of more than 1500 humanitarian agencies, shows that only 190 million of the 305 million people in dire need of aid could be reached if funding is received as expected. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is struggling to reach those affected, as political instability and violence show no signs of abating. “Despite the ongoing conflict in the DRC, we remain committed to providing relief,” said Fletcher. “Our staff are willing to risk their lives to help those in need. But that requires funding to match our expectations.” Therefore, those who have the ability, should come forward with generous hands. By confronting such a situation, the path to defeating the forces behind creating conflicts and conflicts must also be paved in the coming year.