UN says 235 million people will need humanitarian aid in 2021



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Some 235 million people will need humanitarian aid, assistance and protection over the course of 2021, according to the response plan coordinated by the UN. The numbers are up 40% from the same time last year, especially due to the coronavirus pandemic that has exacerbated the number of people who needed humanitarian aid over the course of 2020. As of now, the UN and its partners have designed a plan to serve 160 million people in need of humanitarian aid; the cost of the initiative is estimated. The plan will cover 56 “vulnerable” countries, through 34 separate response plans, according to the proposal presented in Geneva on Tuesday with opening remarks by UN Secretary General António Guterres and UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock. . Details surrounding the humanitarian aid proposal will be released throughout the day in Berlin, Brussels, London and Washington. “The humanitarian system once again proved its worth in 2020, delivering food, medicine, shelter, education and other essentials for tens of millions of people,” Guterres said. “But the crisis is far from over. Humanitarian aid budgets face severe deficits as the impact of the global pandemic continues to worsen. Together, we must mobilize resources and stand in solidarity with people in their darkest hour of need, “he added.” The rich world can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. The same is not true in the poorest countries, “Lowcock said.” The COVID-19 crisis has plunged millions of people into poverty and triggered humanitarian needs. Next year we will need $ 35 billion to prevent famine , fight poverty and keep children vaccinated and in school. “” We are faced with a clear choice. We can let 2021 be the year of the great reversal, the collapse of 40 years of p return, or we can work together to make sure we all find a way out of this pandemic, “he added. International donors have so far given away a record. $ 17 billion for these humanitarian programs. In 2019, 70% of the people selected in the response plans were reached.



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