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UN to launch over $3 billion humanitarian appeal to help 50 million people in 2003

UN to launch over $3 billion humanitarian appeal to help 50 million people in 2003

The United Nations today announced plans to ask donors for more than $3 billion to help some 50 million people with humanitarian needs in 2003.

The United Nations today announced plans to ask donors for more than $3 billion to help some 50 million people with humanitarian needs in 2003.

The money will be used to assist hungry, displaced and otherwise vulnerable people living in Afghanistan, Angola, Burundi, Chechnya and neighbouring republics in the Russian Federation, Cote d’Ivoire and its region, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Other countries and region slated to receive aid include Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Great Lakes Region of Africa, Guinea, Indonesia, Liberia, the occupied Palestinian territory, the Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Southern Africa Region, the Sudan, Tajikistan and Uganda.

The launch of the “consolidated appeals” – so named because they cover the combined requirements of all concerned UN agencies – will be held on 19 and 20 November in eight cities around the world: Bern, Washington, D.C., Brussels, Luxembourg, New York, the Hague, Tokyo and Canberra.

The event is being held under the theme “Hope for the Future,” highlighting the need to support countries in or emerging from crisis or conflict, including during the critical transition period leading to durable peace and sustainable development.

Aiming to bring food to the hungry, medical assistance to the sick, shelter to displaced populations, and to provide for other basic needs, the consolidated appeals process is a tool created a decade ago by the UN General Assembly to plan a common humanitarian strategy and maximize resources.