Cash crunch hampers relief efforts, UN aid agencies warn

The heads of the four main United Nations aid agencies today said that poor funding and lack of security were threatening humanitarian work worldwide.

In a rare joint statement, the four top-ranking UN humanitarian officials urged wealthy governments to be more generous and consistent in helping the victims of conflicts and natural disasters, calling for a more balanced response to the world's humanitarian crises.

The four officials - Kenzo Oshima, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs; Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF); Catherine Bertini, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) and Ruud Lubbers, High Commissioner for Refugees - released the statement in Geneva, where they are attending the annual meeting of the UN's Economic and Social Council.

Mr. Oshima said that without stronger commitment from donor countries, humanitarian agencies would not be able to serve the needs of those affected by conflict or natural disasters. "We cannot operate effectively when critical components are not met," he said. "It is vital that we consolidate humanitarian gains by ensuring that we have the funds for rehabilitation."

Ms. Bellamy reiterated the need for strengthened donor support, but also underlined the need for access to the civilian population, hardest hit in times of conflict.

"Humanitarian access and security for staff are often determining factors in reaching and supporting vulnerable groups caught up in conflict," she said. "In the Democratic Republic of Congo for example, women and children on both sides of the conflict depend on our support which, in turn, is dependant upon the good will of local authorities."

For his part, Mr. Lubbers deplored the lack of funding for Afghan refugees - one of the world's two largest refugee populations. "Our message to the donors is: if you want the numbers of Afghans arriving in Europe, North America and Australia to continue doubling every two years, then continue to under-fund Afghanistan," he said.

The United Nations humanitarian programmes for 19 worldwide crises have received $974 million of the $2.74 billion the UN has asked for, a mere 35 per cent of the entire amount. However, in some countries, humanitarian appeals have received as little as 4 per cent of the amount needed for 2001.