UN lacks more than 70 per cent of funds sought to aid Central and East Africa

Only 27 per cent of the funds needed to support relief efforts in Central and East Africa have been donated, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported today.

The Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) was launched in November to raise almost $5.3 million to respond to crises in seven African countries: Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.

As of 1 April, contributions to the appeal stood at just over $1.4 million for support to a region which has some of the greatest humanitarian needs in the world, according to OCHA.

The Office noted that only 2 per cent – or $3.9 million – of the more than $225 million required for Uganda is available. By contrast, the appeal for Chad has received almost $134 million or 35 per cent of the nearly $387 million it requires, the highest of the seven countries.

The overall aid bill for 2009 is expected to go way beyond the $7 billion requested for all humanitarian crises around the world, since the CAP does not include the so-called “flash appeals” which are launched throughout the year to meet the needs of new emergencies.