Holmes

The way the United Nations responds to natural and man-made emergencies has improved greatly in recent years, says the world body’s outgoing humanitarian chief, while acknowledging that efforts to alleviate the plight of those affected by crises can be improved further.

A deteriorating food crisis in southern Sudan could turn catastrophic unless the humanitarian community steps up contributions to enable agencies to boost their relief efforts in the region, the top United Nations relief official said today.

The world still has time to avert catastrophe in Niger, where more than half the population have been hit by drought, while crucial humanitarian aid in the strife-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could be harmed by a premature withdrawal of peacekeepers, the top United Nations relief official warned today.

The United Nations top humanitarian official is visiting the Sahel region of West Africa to draw attention to the plight of an estimated 10 million people facing a food and nutritional crisis as a result of poor harvests caused by long dry spells in the mostly arid part of the continent.

The top United Nations humanitarian official, who just returned from a three-day visit to Sri Lanka, today praised the swift discharge in recent weeks of many of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) who had been confined to makeshift camps for several months.

The top United Nations relief official today appealed to donors to fill the $5 billion funding gap the world body and its partner agencies face to provide emergency aid to people enduring the most severe humanitarian crises around the world.

The top United Nations humanitarian official today paid tribute to the support his office receives from European donors at a meeting in Tallinn, Estonia.

The United Nations emergency relief chief has urged increased cooperation in responding to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, as he wrapped up a five-day visit to the vast African country.

Although progress has been made in addressing the humanitarian suffering in Colombia, particularly high levels of displacement due to conflict and natural disasters, the top United Nations relief official said that more needs to be done.

The top United Nations humanitarian official today urged combatants on both sides of the battle ravaging the northern Vanni region of Sri Lanka to make greater efforts to stop the rising toll of civilian casualties and to protect the people trapped in a small pocket of land held by rebel fighters.