{"id":869,"date":"2015-02-24T16:05:35","date_gmt":"2015-02-24T16:05:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/?p=869"},"modified":"2020-03-04T13:56:20","modified_gmt":"2020-03-04T18:56:20","slug":"un-health-agency-launches-billion-dollar-appeal-to-tackle-soaring-needs-in-four-crisis-torn-countries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/blog\/2015\/02\/un-health-agency-launches-billion-dollar-appeal-to-tackle-soaring-needs-in-four-crisis-torn-countries\/","title":{"rendered":"Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ health agency launches billion dollar appeal to tackle soaring needs in four crisis-torn countries"},"content":{"rendered":"

The World Health Organization (WHO<\/a>) today appealed to donors to provide $1 billion for life-saving health needs ranging from childhood vaccinations to surgical care for the severely wounded for some 25 million people caught up in conflict across the Central African Republic, Iraq, South Sudan and Syria.<\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ health agency made that call today, on behalf the entire Health Cluster of humanitarian organizations it coordinates, at a special session at its Geneva headquarters attended by more than 50 donor countries and other Member States.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis unprecedented number of humanitarian emergencies, combined with the Ebola outbreak response in West Africa, have demonstrated WHO\u2019s ability to respond to major health emergencies,\u201d Dr. Bruce Aylward, Special Representative of the Director-General for Ebola Response and Assistant Director-General for Emergencies said in a news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the huge stresses they pose also underscore the great needs \u2013 and funding gaps \u2013 that WHO, and our health partners, from NGOs to sister United Nations agencies, face,\u201d Dr Aylward added.<\/p>\n

All four countries for which the appeal was made are classified as so-called \u201cGrade 3\u201d category crises, which require the highest-level of response that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ can deliver.<\/p>\n

In each of the countries \u2013 the Central African Republic (CAR), Iraq, South Sudan and Syria \u2013 WHO reported that the needs range from basic health care such as childhood vaccinations to surgical care for severely wounded patients caught up in the conflicts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Iraq and CAR, for example, around one-quarter of hospitals, clinics and other health facilities have been damaged in their respective conflicts, or are not functioning,\u201d according to WHO. \u201cThe sheer scale of humanitarian needs in 2014, coupled with insufficient funding levels, has stretched the capacity of the entire humanitarian system, including WHO, to the limit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overall, the Health Cluster group of humanitarian organizations needs $1 billion \u2013 $322.7 million by WHO and $687 million for its partner agencies \u2013 to deliver health services to 25 million people in the major crises, the majority women and children, as follows:<\/p>\n